OCM Revisited – Part 2: Organizational and Individual Change Management

Per my previous post, there are a number of frameworks that may be used to transition a change strategy to a useful plan. It would be difficult to do them all justice without writing a book (which will not be happening here).

Fortunately, there is a wealth of change management information on the web that you may peruse at your leisure. Most often, search engines will find these frameworks:

•    ADKAR: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Re-enforcement
•    Lewin: Unfreeze, Transition, Refreeze
•    Kotter: 8-Step (Urgency, Coalition, Vision, Communication, Empowerment, Short-term Wins, Consolidation, Anchoring)
•    Kubler Ross: Transition Stages
•    McKinsey: 7-S (Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Skills, Style, Staff)

All are worth understanding, however, as one of my mentors once told me, “Eric, all models are wrong, some models are useful.” The same wisdom applies here.

The change process cannot – and should not – be reduced to a simple formula. While each of these frameworks has its pros and cons, none is the magic silver bullet for change.

Each framework addresses the major transformational questions with a different perspective on the change process:

1.    Why do we need to change?
2.    What are we going to change?
3.    Where are we making the change?
4.    Who will be impacted by the change?
5.    When are we making the change?
6.    How are we making the change?

The Kotter model is closest to the method that I use. In practical application, I’ve found “Urgency” can be the most challenging for leadership to address, as the status quo may be well suited to current conditions and may well be one of the pillars of current business success. It takes particularly courageous, forward-looking leadership to sponsor or initiate change in a successful business environment.

These are my fundamentals of transformation:

•    Building a Vision (or Future State, if Vision seems too squishy) based on the needs of the business
•    Partnering with Stakeholders (to refine and describe the metrics and measures of success)
•    Communicating the Vision and Setting the Stage for Transformation (describing the plan and engaging change leadership)
•    Developing Communication and Feedback Mechanisms (setting expectations for regular dialogue and check-pointing progress)
•    Adapting Management Systems to Support the Transformation (rewarding new behaviors, enabling new capabilities)
•    Declaring Victories and Moving On (celebration and building on achievements)
•    Adaptation and Ongoing Continuous Improvement (the cycle of change really doesn’t end)

Hopefully, this post has shed some light on the process side of OCM and, along with the previous post, has successfully delineated between that and change strategy. The two are obviously related, but at the end of the day are both different, interdependent and both necessary for successful transformation.