The article How Do You Know If Your Change Will Stick? provides a great list of diagnostic questions that can be used to assess if your organisational change is going to stick.
Requirement #1: A clear vision of your purpose and goal
- Why does this organization exist?
- What does the organization expect to accomplish by making this change?
Requirement #2: Flexible thinking
- Do people in the organization tend to take an “either/or” view of processes and outcomes? How can we encourage more “both/and” thinking?
- What assumptions are we making about our market, our customers, or our employees that can be re-examined?
Requirement #3: Involvement and commitment
- Does everyone affected by this change understand both why and how it will be implemented?
- What can the organization do to foster a sense of ownership and commitment in its members? What can I do personally?
- Do the people who report to me feel comfortable asking questions or offering suggestions about the way things are done? If not, what can I do to encourage better two-way communication?
Requirement #4: An empowering culture
- What kinds of behaviors does our organizational culture reward? What kinds of behaviors are discouraged or punished?
- Will our current organizational values support or inhibit the behaviors needed to accomplish this change?
- If our culture must change to support a new goal, direction, or process, which aspects of the existing culture will be most difficult for people to let go of?
Requirement #5: Recognition of the human aspects of change
- Who in the organization feels threatened by this change? Why?
- Who views the change as an opportunity? Why?
- How could the change be structured to give more people opportunities for growth?
Requirement #6: Antidotes to fear
- How do I react when other people make a mistake? What is my first question when something goes wrong?
- What roles in the organization will be most affected by this change? What can be done to help these people make a successful transition?
Requirement #7: Action – avoid paralysis by analysis and get started!
- What are the primary and secondary objectives of this change? How many can we achieve (or make a start toward achieving) with a less-than-perfect plan?
- Can new processes and procedures be broken down into smaller steps, some of which can be started now?
- Can we implement small pilot programs to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the plan?
Requirement #8: Effective communication
- How do people find out what’s happening in the organization? How often is the information updated? Is the grapevine generally accurate or inaccurate?
- Are leadership’s words and actions congruent? Are we walking the talk, or just talking?
- Does everyone in my department understand how his or her job and the work of the department will be affected by the change? If not, what can I do to provide more information?
Requirement #9: Talent management
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals who report to me?
- Are the people in my department in positions that maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses?
- Does the organization have objective means (job benchmarks, documented performance metrics, employee assessments, etc.) of identifying position requirements and matching individuals to jobs?
- Is everyone in the organization informed about new positions that may be opening or positions whose roles will change?
- What opportunities can we offer to employees who would like their jobs to be different?
Requirement #10: Positive reinforcement
- What attitudes and behaviors do we need in order to make this change successful? How can I recognize these behaviors in others?
- Are there programs in place that encourage and reward the behaviors needed by the organization? Are the rewards meaningful to the recipients?
Requirement #11: Meaningful metrics
- Does every measurement tie directly to a strategic objective, or could some metrics be eliminated?
- Do individuals understand how their work affects the measurement?
- Are metrics updated and publicly discussed on a regular basis?
Requirement #12: Passion for the change
- What excites me about this change? How can I share my enthusiasm with others?
- Who in the organization is passionate about the change? How can we involve these people in leading the change?
- How can I balance compassion with high expectations?
Technorati Tags: Change, Assessment, OD, Leadership, Questions, Management, Project, Business, Transition, Execution
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