Effective Change Management Methodology Toolkit

Change Management

Methodology

What is it?

A toolkit to help Sponsors and Change Agents

understand and identify the various natural barriers

to change initiatives in their organisations and

practical strategies to ensure implementation

success.

Context

Typical Change Route

Presenting

Situation

Data Collection

& Analysis

Solution Design

and Testing

Approval

Monitoring

& Review

Implementation

Implementation

Planning

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Transition

State

Desired

State

Current

State

Field Theory

Enabling

Forces

Restraining

Forces

Field Theory: Kurt Lewin

Defining the Change

Leadership Culture Alignment

Change Readiness

Being an Effective Sponsor

Being an Effective Change Agent

Appropriate Change Approach

Building Commitment

Support Infrastructure

Critical Mass Effect

Desired

State

Current

State

Change Management usefully sectioned into 9 elements…

Defining the Change

Leadership Culture Alignment

Change Readiness

Being an Effective Sponsor

Being an Effective Change Agent

Appropriate Change Approach

Building Commitment

Support Infrastructure

Critical Mass Effect

Preparing

Enabling

Doing &

Reviewing

And 3 phases…

Defining the Change

Leadership Culture Alignment

Change Readiness

Being an Effective Sponsor

Being an Effective Change Agent

Appropriate Change Approach

Building Commitment

Support Infrastructure

Critical Mass Effect

Project Initiation

Document

Impact of Change

Assessment

Culture & Readiness

Assessment

Sponsor & Change Agent

Assessment

Commitment Mapping

Stakeholder Analysis and

Critical Mass Assessment

Change Health-check

With practical tools to help…

Identifies clear roles in implementing change…

Authorising Sponsor

The person who authorises an initiative, has the positional power to make it

happen and is singularly accountable for it’s success.

Champion(s)

A committed enthusiast for the change who may be in a position of influence to

guide/lead the change agents but ultimately doesn’t have the power of the

authorising sponsor.

Change Agents

The person, or people, responsible for managing the implementation of the

initiative. May be a Project Manager and/or implementation team.

Reinforcing Sponsors

Stakeholders who report to the Authorising Sponsor and become equally

committed and reinforce the initiative in their areas.

Stakeholders

Those who will be directly or indirectly impacted by the initiative or who are

interested and can influence the outcome. They typically evolve in their response

to the initiative from Engagement, Incubation, (Resistance/Apathy?), Transition

then to Commitment.

How to use this guide

Each of the following sections have three parts:

•

D

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Explains what is meant by this element of change management and any background or

examples of associated theory that contributes to our understanding.

•

C

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B

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Highlights what typically can go wrong or is overlooked when this element of change

management is undertaken.

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E

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Tips to help overcome barriers and/or provide impetus towards the desired change.

Going through each section and applying the theory and tools as appropriate for a particular

change initiative:



 Allows a clearer picture to be developed about specific implementation barriers and

enablers.



 Helps to define practical change management activities that can be undertaken to

accelerate change.



 Enables a cohesive change plan to be built that can then be progressed and monitored.

Desired

State

Current

State

D

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C

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Leadership Culture Alignment

Change Readiness

Being an Effective Sponsor

Being an Effective Change Agent

Appropriate Change Approach

Building Commitment

Support Infrastructure

Critical Mass Effect

Defining the Change

•

The key starting point of any change initiative is developing collective clarity about what

exactly the change means and why it is being carried out.

•

This typically requires the creation a project initiation document, terms of reference or other

proposal type document. This clarifies the scope of the change initiative but the process

allows the Sponsor and Change Agents the opportunity to challenge, clarify and collectively

understand the what, why, how, who and when of the change.

•

I.e. It’s not just the document itself that’s important, the process used for creating it and the

people involved in this are both key.

•

Deciding involvement level at this stage is an important balancing act:

Impact

on

service

users?

Alert HR and agree

support

requirements

Alert OD and

agree support

requirements

Secure

appropriate

level sponsor

Engage local Staff

Side / Union

Representative

Involves

a service

redesign

?

Involve appropriate

clinical / care

governance groups

Y

E

S

Impact on wider

functions,

departments or

teams?

N

O

Ensure adequate

service redesign

skills are applied

Complex service

change with multiple

dependencies?

Y

E

S

N

O

Y

E

S

N

O

Y

E

S

N

O

Significant

resistance

anticipated from

stakeholders?

N

O

N

O

Y

E

S

Y

E

S

Apply Change Mgt

Methodology

Change

Identified

NHS GG&C

Change Involvement Guide

Involve appropriate

public / patient

involvement groups

Alert Planning

function and agree

support requirements

Alert OD & L&E and

agree support

requirements

Requires a shift in

organisation/staff

capabilities?

Y

E

S

N

O

Impact on

staff roles?

Consider inequalities

impact and alert CIT if

support required

Consider EQIA and

alert E&D team if

support required

N

o

t

e

:

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.

Defining the Change

- Common Barriers

1.

No clear or shared description of the scope and detail of the change between the Sponsor

and Change Agents.

2.

Baseline data/information not detailed or accurate enough.

3.

No commonly held belief amongst the key players about the compelling case for the

initiative or where it fits within the overall strategy.

4.

True scale or nature of the change required is misunderstood or misleading.

5.

Lack of understanding about what the change means for impacted individuals or groups,

and how these people may react.

6.

Direct and indirect costs and risks of the initiative have not been fully quantified.

7.

Expected benefits have not been clearly quantified (service, financial, people, process).

8.

Project scope neglects to cover all technical, business and human change elements.

9.

Benefit or outcome phasing is unclear. (Benefits or outcomes may be expected immediately

on commencement of the change or may not come through till later. Cost/benefit ratio may

be very high up front.)

10.

Benefit or outcome tracking, reporting and reviewing mechanisms not in place so no clarity

about when the change has actually been implemented or benefits delivered against

baseline.

Defining the Change

- Enablers

1.

Ensure that the sponsor and change agents have common clarity and detailed

understanding about the present position, the desired position and the change journey.

2.

If the compelling case for this initiative isn’t obvious then this needs to be set out in a way

that is meaningful for all and presents an engaging vision of the future.

3.

Carry out an Impact of Change Assessment to determine the nature and extend of impact

on all Stakeholders.

4.

Check that this project is one of the top priorities of the Sponsor and Change Agents and it

is directly or indirectly reflected in their personal objectives. If not then the validity of this

project at this time must be questioned.

5.

Ensure that project management disciplines are in place to plan all aspects of the project

and monitor implementation progress. (For larger initiatives this usually means having an

implementation team, clear workstreams, project plan and project governance structure and

routines).

6.

Agree and set out the benefits/outcomes tracking and review mechanisms.

Desired

State

Current

State

Defining the Change

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Change Readiness

Being an Effective Sponsor

Being an Effective Change Agent

Appropriate Change Approach

Building Commitment

Support Infrastructure

Critical Mass Effect

Assumptions

Values

Behaviours

Symbols

Environment

Ways of Working

Routines

<        >

Culture: Broad ‘Types’

Outward looking

Inward looking

Flexibility

Stability

Values:

Customer responsiveness

Change and agility

New ideas and approaches

Shaping future success

Entrepreneurship

Thinking ‘big picture’

Playing for the house

Values:

Human contribution

Development of people

Recognition & reward

Leadership integrity

Team development

Diversity

Employee health & wellbeing

Values:

Processes & procedures

Policies & compliance

Measures & controls

Stability

Planning

Infrastructure

Technology

Values:

Taking accountability

Competitive challenge

Setting tough targets

Hard work & effort

Sense of urgency

Logic and data

Getting results

Delivery

Culture

Process

Culture

People

Culture

Growth

Culture

< 

TENSION

 >

Adapted from Competing Values Framework (Cameron & Quinn 1999)

Leadership Culture Alignment

•

If an initiative directly challenges the organisations culture or local subculture then the change

management effort required by the Sponsor and Change agents will be substantial.

•

Culture is extremely pervasive. At its core are assumptions built up through time that are

subconsciously acted upon and extremely hard to change.

•

Existing culture is reinforced by the leadership in an organisation because they have found

success in the current way and have the most to lose if it changes.

•

Culture change is extremely resource and time consuming and perhaps impossible to achieve

directly. Working on the visible or behavioural outer layers may eventually shape the inner values

and assumptions through time.

•

Need to try and understand the culture as much as possible (which is also difficult if you are part

of it) so that effort can be made to achieve a level of alignment between the prevailing culture and

this change initiative.

Leadership Culture Alignment

- Common Barriers

1.

The concept of organisation culture, it’s reinforcement by leadership, and it’s effect on

change initiatives is poorly understood by the Leader and Change Agents.

2.

Awareness of the culture or subcultures presently existing in the organisation is low.

3.

There is poor understanding amongst the Sponsor and Change Agents as to why the

present culture prevails.

4.

The key players have good culture awareness but are unsure how (or unwilling) to

challenge it.

5.

This change project, or some elements within it, directly challenge current cultural norms

and behaviours.

6.

Thinking that the culture has to somehow change first before this initiative can be

implemented.

7.

Sponsor and Change Agents assume that what has worked in other organisations (or other

parts of this organisation) will automatically work here.

Leadership Culture Alignment

- Enablers

1.

Build awareness amongst the Sponsor and Change Agents of the culture/subcultures in the

organisation and the power these can exert.

2.

Focus on culture 

alignment

 not culture change. Culture change may occur as a result of the

initiative becoming embedded.

3.

Exploit the elements of the culture that align well with the change and focus Sponsor effort

on tactics to negotiate around the barriers. Work to pre-empt what these barriers may look

like.

4.

Use highly visible and compelling reinforcement tactics to start to generate a critical mass

of commitment.

Desired

State

Current

State

Defining the Change

Leadership Culture Alignment

C

h

a

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g

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R

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s

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Being an Effective Sponsor

Being an Effective Change Agent

Appropriate Change Approach

Building Commitment

Support Infrastructure

Critical Mass Effect

Change Readiness

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–

How many other initiatives are competing for the same resource and people’s attention?

–

How many initiatives can the organisation cope with at the one time?

–

Where does this project sit in the overall list of priorities, and how does it contribute to

the direction and strategy?

C

h

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F

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u

e

–

History of change implementation in the organisation; is there a record of successful

change? What has been implemented well and why?

–

Have initiatives failed or been de-scoped in the past? Why?

–

Will this initiative be seen as the next flavour of the month?

–

Generally are people tired or uncomfortable with change or do they embrace it?

–

Is there confidence in the senior people to lead change well?

–

Past successes are deposits in the change account, past failures are withdrawals. How

healthy is the balance?

Poor Change Definition

High Initiative Load

High Change Fatigue

Poor alignment with culture

Sponsorship

Change Agents

Change Approach

Building Commitment

Support Infrastructure

Critical Mass

INITIATIVE

FAILURE

INITIATIVE

SUCCESS

Change Readiness

- Common Barriers

1.

Assuming that another initiative can be absorbed by the organisation when resources are

already stretched.

2.

Numerous ‘no.1 priorities’ have spread resources so thinly that none of them are

progressing.

3.

The organisation is ‘change weary’.

4.

Past implementation failures have created widespread cynicism across the organisation

and low confidence in leadership. This is often especially pronounced amongst

professionals who tend to stay with an organisation whereas managers (usually responsible

for driving the change) move on.

5.

Thinking that this change will be successful by doing the same things that failed before.

Change Readiness

- Enablers

1.

Focus on the ‘vital few’ priorities that are most directly linked to the organisations strategy.

All others are distractions that dilute resource and effort.

2.

Take a programme approach to co-ordinate and review all organisation initiatives.

3.

Examine past implementation successes and failures and the contributing factors. Build on

strengths and work on the problem areas.

4.

Work to get high profile quick wins within a change initiative to increase the confidence that

this time things are different.

Desired

State

Current

State

Defining the Change

Leadership Culture Alignment

Change Readiness

B

e

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a

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E

f

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S

p

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s

o

r

Being an Effective Change Agent

Appropriate Change Approach

Building Commitment

Support Infrastructure

Critical Mass Effect

Being an Effective Sponsor

•

Strength of sponsorship is the most influential factor for determining implementation

success. Strong leadership from the authorising sponsor will overcome most barriers to

change in an organisation.

•

The sponsor of the initiative must have the organisational power to make things happen,

h

owever

, sponsor resource is also scarce, so looking too high in the organisation for a

sponsor of a small initiative is wasteful.

•

Rule of thumb: Authorising Sponsor: The person at the lowest point in the organisation

structure to which all impacted employees report.

•

Sponsor effectiveness depends on three elements:



W

h

a

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E

x

p

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s

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

W

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M

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l

l

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(

E

M

R

)



W

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M

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R

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Low    

Impetus for change

High

All three need to be aligned

E

x

p

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s

s

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d

•

Agrees and authorises the scope and definition of the change initiative.

•

Appoints change agents with the right skills (project manager/team).

•

Releases required resources. (Budget, people, facilities etc.)

•

Defines and applies the appropriate change strategy.

•

Sets progress targets for the change.

•

Authorises the support infrastructure.

•

Encourages commitment (using EMR) towards critical mass.

•

Motivates the Change Agents and regularly reviews their performance. Aligns

their recognition and reward.

•

Monitors and reviews progress of the initiative and the benefits/outcomes

against target.

The Sponsor’s Role

Being an Effective Sponsor

- Common Barriers

1.

Sponsor role is vague, either not appointed or perhaps sponsorship by ‘the management

committee’.

2.

The wrong sponsor has been appointed and although committed to the project doesn’t have

the power or authority to lead it. (c.f. Champion role)

3.

The sponsor is unaware of their responsibilities and the importance of their leadership

impact on the project’s success.

4.

Sponsor delegates their role to the change agents.

5.

The sponsor’s rhetoric is not matched by action or reinforcement. (Sometimes these are

directly opposite)

6.

Sponsor’s rhetoric or actions are neither inspiring nor meaningful for people.

7.

Sponsor’s efforts are stretched by too many initiatives.

Being an Effective Sponsor

- Enablers

1.

The Sponsor must be convinced of and committed to the case for change and they must

express, model and reinforce the new state in a way that reaches out and compels people

to commit to the change.

2.

If sponsor commitment is low, influence them by finding out and appealing to their frame of

reference. Also, engage committed peers, direct reports and trusted confidantes.

3.

Can this project be aligned to one or more of the Sponsor’s personal objectives?

4.

Can this project be linked to (e.g. an enabler of) another project that has strong

sponsorship.

5.

‘Contract’ with the Sponsor about their role and what you need them to so to ensure the

initiative’s success.

6.

Ensure the Sponsor becomes aware of any pockets of resistance or apathy.

7.

If Sponsor access is an issue (e.g. due to seniority) then utilise a more senior reinforcing

sponsor or champion to approach them.

Desired

State

Current

State

Defining the Change

Leadership Culture Alignment

Change Readiness

Being an Effective Sponsor

B

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Appropriate Change Approach

Building Commitment

Support Infrastructure

Critical Mass Effect

Being an Effective Change Agent

•

If the Sponsor has 

accountability

 for the change, the Change Agent has 

responsibility 

for

implementation.

•

Change Agents may be the project manager, the implementation team or anyone looking

after the implementation of the project.

•

Change Agents must be selected wisely for their technical expertise but also for a range of

other key skills:



Strong technical/functional knowledge



Strong change management and project management skills



Strong interpersonal and team skills



Commitment, drive and tenacity



Political awareness and influencing skills



Trust and credibility with the sponsor and stakeholders.



Ideally a track record of success.

Being an Effective Change Agent

- Common Barriers

1.

Wrong Change Agent(s) appointed based on availability rather than capability.

2.

Change Agents appointed for their technical or functional skills but fall short in the other key

skills.

3.

Change Agents not committed to, or unaware of, the compelling case for the change

initiative.

4.

Not enough resource allocated, or conflicting priorities.

5.

Change Agents unsupported by the Sponsor or poor infrastructure.

6.

Reward and recognition not aligned.

In selecting and managing Change Agents the sponsor must:

1.

Select the best Change Agent(s) to implement this project which usually means sacrificing

something else.

2.

Make the selection based on the full list of characteristics not just technical skills.

3.

Ensure adequate resource allocated for implementation and where possible make full time

roles, avoiding conflicts with other projects or line roles.

4.

Ensure that this project is incorporated in the change agent’s personal objectives and that

reward and recognition systems are aligned. Use both formal and informal reinforcement to

ensure change agent motivation.

5.

Regularly review change agent performance and implement any development

requirements, including team development.

6.

Ensure that the change agents have the necessary tools, technology and supporting

infrastructure to get the job done.

Being an Effective Change Agent

- Enablers

Desired

State

Current

State

Defining the Change

Leadership Culture Alignment

Change Readiness

Being an Effective Sponsor

Being an Effective Change Agent

A

p

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Building Commitment

Support Infrastructure

Critical Mass Effect

Appropriate Change Approach

•

Rather than a change ‘starting’, change can be viewed as the ending of an old state, the

beginning of a new state with a transition state in the middle.

•

Humans gain comfort from the status quo and time and effort is required to allow people to

accept change and move on in a stable way.

•

In the transition state people have psychologically ‘let go’ of the past and are ready to

commit to a future state.

•

If change is forced upon people without this transition being accommodated then the

change may take place but people will revert back to the previous more comfortable state at

the earliest opportunity.

•

Deciding and implementing the appropriate change approach is a critical role of the

Sponsor and cannot be delegated. The Sponsor must play the active part in encouraging

stakeholders into transition using aligned EMR.

•

The transition state should only be circumvented where quick compliance is essential e.g.

critical health & safety or quality issues, where there is no time for discussion or prolonged

engagement. The transition phase must then be handled afterwards in order to make the

new state stable.

•

Transition and Hammer approaches are in themselves neither right nor wrong, it’s the

decision (or lack of) to use one or the other that has important consequences.

Desired

State

(stable)

Current

State

Transition

Productivity / Morale

Desired

State

(unstable)

Current

State

Transition

Transition

Hammer

Incubation

Resistance

Incubation

Resistance

Productivity / Morale

(Drawn from work of both Kurt Lewin and William Bridges)

Appropriate Change Approach

- Common Barriers

1.

Same change approach employed (usually hammer) time after time irrespective of

conditions or requirements.

2.

Transition strategy employed as lip-service only.

3.

Key players unaware of the consequences of over-use of hammer approach, resulting in

constant management fire fighting to retain compliance with past changes resulting in a

poor climate for any further change.

4.

Sponsor unaware of their role in the transition approach.

Appropriate Change Approach

- Enablers

1.

Generate awareness amongst Sponsor and Change Agents of the different change

approaches and their applications.

2.

Decide whether quick compliance or long term commitment is required.

3.

Make a conscious decision on which approach to employ for each initiative then be open

about it to all Stakeholders. (Honesty and openness builds trust).

4.

If using the Hammer then remember about Transition later.

Desired

State

Current

State

Defining the Change

Leadership Culture Alignment

Change Readiness

Being an Effective Sponsor

Being an Effective Change Agent

Appropriate Change Approach

B

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C

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Support Infrastructure

Critical Mass Effect

Building Commitment

•

A measure of the level of buy in to the change initiative.

•

Must understand the human psychological response to change in order to help people

move quickly to Transition and then to Commitment.

•

Resistance is a natural response to any change. It is a function of the disruption that

change brings and is not necessarily logical or linked only to negative change.

•

Resistance can be managed only if it is surfaced. If it is brushed aside or handled

aggressively it will not go away, it will retreat underground and cause unseen damage to the

initiative in ways that are more difficult to manage.

•

Must create a climate and level of confidence in people that allows them to speak up and

voice their genuine concerns or worries.

•

Must listen, explore and acknowledge peoples concerns. This doesn’t mean bowing to the

pressure and softening the change but acknowledging and respecting that different people

have different 

frames of reference

 (FOR).

•

Commitment is most powerfully built from the Sponsor down (using EMR) however if

Sponsor commitment or effectiveness is an issue then commitment may have to be

encouraged to spread out organically from pockets in the organisation.

Towards Commitment

TRANSITION

INCUBATION

COMMITMENT

APATHY

Time

Motivation towards the future state

RESISTANCE

ENGAGEMENT

Sponsor Tactics

Engagement

•

 Clarity of the message for all.

•

 Business case.

•

 Compelling need.

•

 Vision of the future.

•

 Impact of change.

Incubation

•

 Sponsor availability.

•

 Repeat the messages.

•

 Allow time.

•

 Open up all networks.

Resistance

•

 Nurture the resistance, allow it to come out and explore it.

•

 Positively acknowledge people for stating their doubts.

•

 Don’t soften the change unless new (real) information comes out.

•

 Try to get underneath any fogging to find out real reasons for resistance.

•

 Remember frames of reference.

Commitment

•

 Monitor and review the change.

•

 Support the change agents.

•

 Keep the motivation and momentum going.

•

 Recognise and reward

Transition

•

 Explore the vision of the future in more detail.

•

 Clarify the first steps and milestones.

•

 ‘Light the way’.

•

 Prepare the change agents.

Time

Emotional Response

The Grieving Phases*  (Negative Change)

Future

focus

Past

focus

EXPLORATION

DENIAL

A

C

C

E

P

T

A

N

C

E

A

N

G

E

R

BARGAINING

D

E

P

R

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S

S

I

O

N

(* From ‘On Death & Dying’, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross)

Sponsor Tactics

Denial

•

 Restate the messages.

•

 Business case.

•

 Impact of change.

Bargaining

•

 Don’t soften the change

unless new and real

information comes to light.

•

 Restate the change.

Depression

•

 Allow people to ‘grieve’.

•

 Listen and provide support.

•

 Gather feedback and review support.

Acceptance

•

 Acknowledge the sacrifices that have

been made.

•

 Support people in their new direction.

Exploration

•

 Help people explore their options.

•

 Present possible future and positive

scenarios.

•

 Provide support for changes.

Anger

•

 Allow and acknowledge the anger.

•

 Give people time and space.

Commitment Map - Ideal

Commitment

Incubation/resistance

Common Mistake – Middle management missed out

Commitment

Incubation/apathy/resistance

Wrong sponsor…

Commitment

Incubation/apathy/resistance

No sponsor, informal network…

Commitment

Incubation/apathy/resistance

Building Commitment

- Common Barriers

1.

Natural human psychological response to change is poorly understood.

2.

Assuming that communicating with people automatically gets them on board.

3.

Resistance is misunderstood or mismanaged.

4.

Assuming that training people automatically gets them on board.

5.

Poor commitment infrastructure with significant areas of apathy or resistance.

6.

No feedback loops to measure level of commitment.

7.

Frames of reference of those resisting or apathetic is not understood.

8.

EMR is not compelling enough.

Building Commitment

- Enablers

1.

Develop a communications strategy, to be driven by the sponsor and reinforcing sponsors

that is specific for each Stakeholder group’s frame of reference.

2.

Create a Commitment Map for the change initiative to determine any areas of apathy or

resistance.

3.

Collect commitment information on a regular basis to measure progress.

4.

When tackling ‘black holes’ always go a level up. Sponsors address commitment issues,

not change agents.

5.

Ensure Sponsor and subsequent level reinforcing sponsors understand the human

responses to change and that their EMR is highly visible and aligned.

6.

Review communications effectiveness at conveying clear messages and developing

understanding.

7.

Go for high profile quick wins.

8.

Create a climate for surfacing resistance and manage it constructively when it appears.

9.

Continue to listen to and explore opportunities with those resisting.

10.

Move the most influential resister into a position of responsibility within the change initiative

or future state.

Typical reinforcement tactics employed by

a sponsor to encourage commitment:

•

Day to day direction, coaching and guidance

•

Day to day informal challenge and praise

•

Personal objective setting

•

Frequent performance review

•

Pay and benefits linked to performance

•

Career sponsorship and succession planning

•

Funded formal learning

•

High profile projects and assignments

•

Secondments

•

High profile recognition and awards

•

Peer pressure

•

Disciplinary procedures

Desired

State

Current

State

Defining the Change

Leadership Culture Alignment

Change Readiness

Being an Effective Sponsor

Being an Effective Change Agent

Appropriate Change Approach

Building Commitment

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Critical Mass Effect

Support Infrastructure

•

Change Agent Resources

•

Training and Development (Change Agents and Stakeholders)

•

Technology and technical support

•

New or improved business processes

•

Opportunities for people to try things out and experiment (prototype)

•

Buildings, equipment and facilities

•

Project Management and Deployment Support

–

Planning

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OD

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Communications

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HR

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Finance

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Administration

Support Infrastructure

- Common Barriers

1.

Inadequate support and resources provided to Change Agents.

2.

Sponsorship commitment doesn’t extend to sufficient infrastructure investment.

3.

Technical installation lags behind people’s commitment.

4.

Business processes still aligned to the current rather than future state.

5.

No opportunities for people to see, touch, try out the future state.

6.

Project structure and governance is cumbersome and consumes resource just to manage

itself.  (Often occurs as a result of sponsors not generating enough commitment then

focusing everything on the management of the project office ie. the task rather than the

people.)

Support Infrastructure

- Enablers

1.

Ensure that the Sponsor is fully aware of infrastructure requirements and issues that are

causing difficulties.

2.

If Sponsor commitment is an issue then encourage a ‘leap of faith’ to secure resources. No

returns are ever achieved without investment and investment always has a degree of risk.

(Remember Sponsor’s FOR).

3.

For large complex initiatives planning is key to ensure that supporting infrastructure arrives

on time to consolidate commitment.

4.

Create models, realistic simulations and high profile examples to allow people to test out

the future state.

5.

Be mindful of balance between too little and too much project structure and governance.

Regularly review to keep things simple but effective. Also remember that resource

requirements will vary across the term of the implementation.

Desired

State

Current

State

Defining the Change

Leadership Culture Alignment

Change Readiness

Being an Effective Sponsor

Being an Effective Change Agent

Appropriate Change Approach

Building Commitment

Support Infrastructure

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Critical Mass Effect

•

‘Tipping Point’ theory (Gladwell) suggests that when the number of people adopting a new

initiative reaches a certain point, or critical mass, then the balance rapidly tips over,

commitment becomes universal and the initiative becomes embedded and sustains itself.

•

Similarities have been drawn between the mechanisms of adoption of change and the

spread of an epidemic across a population. The factors that turn a disease into an

epidemic may be similar to those that make one change spread infectiously across an

organisation and another to fade away.

•

 The factors discussed up to now have a bearing on how quickly (if at all) this tipping point

is achieved. These factors operate within a ‘whole system’ and must be considered

together and in context.

Time

Percentage

0%

100%

Advocates

Apathetics

Failed Initiative

Time

Percentage

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100%

Advocates

Apathetics

Tipping

Point

Successful Initiative

Critical Mass Effect

- Common Barriers

1.

Too many influential, high profile, well networked people exist amongst the Resisters or

Apathetic populations.

2.

Not enough of the above people exist within those committed.

3.

Sponsor / reinforcing sponsors unaware of the different frames of reference existing across

the Resister and Apathetic populations.

4.

Ineffective commitment structure, not built top down.

5.

Poorly aligned EMR utilised by the Sponsor and Reinforcing Sponsors.

Critical Mass Effect

- Enablers

1.

From Stakeholder analysis identify the most influential, high profile, well networked

individuals and focus Leader effort on getting these people on board. (‘Law of the Few’ –

Gladwell’s “Mavens”, “Connectors” & “Salespeople”.)

2.

Keep things hot! Set up regular contact between the Sponsor, Reinforcing Sponsors and

committed stakeholders to develop a strongly connected network and maintain the high

profile of the initiative.

3.

Sponsor and Reinforcing Sponsors must continue to recognise, acknowledge and

understand the frames of reference of apathetics and resisters and use this knowledge to

engage them.

4.

Continue to develop and review the Communications Strategy for effectiveness.

5.

Ensure successes are given high profile and the benefits gained are publicised in a way

that engages and appeals to the Apathetics.