Our UPSET (Uniting People, Systems and Energy during Transformation) Technology is built on a 4-stage, structured organizational change model that ensures a controlled, planned process and widespread employee involvement in the change initiative.
Organization Change Model
Our 4-stage model is a data driven, enterprise wide, systemic approach to planned change. It is intended to increase the long-term financial health and operational performance of the organization, while improving its competitive advantage and enriching the lives of all stakeholders.
Work Systems Affiliates' change model helps effectively align the following core organizational factors with the strategic thrust and business model of the enterprise and Unite People Systems and Energy during Transformation (UPSET):
- Organizational culture
- Business practices
- Social and technical systems
- Communications
- Measures
- Rewards
Stage 1: Strategize
The goal of the Strategy Stage is to answer 3 questions:
- Where are we now? – Current State
- Where do we need to go? – Future State
- How do we get there? - Actions
Stage 1 activities include:
- Identifying and analyzing the drivers of change
- Formulating the business case
- Constructing a list of potential obstacles or roadblocks
- Drafting Communications and Training/Education plans
- Soliciting input on an initial draft of an organizational change plan from senior leaders and key employees
- Identifying specific issues/obstacles to be addressed by Task Teams
- Selecting individuals to make up Task Teams and identifying the competencies those members need.
Related Service: Organizational Snapshot
Stage 2: Mobilize
In Stage 2, the organization brings together the people and coalitions that will drive change throughout the organization.
The primary outcome of this stage is a comprehensive implementation plan that will close the gap between the current state of the organization and the desired future state.
In addition to coming up with tactical implementation plan, it is critical to carefully articulate and plan for the level of commitment and behavioral changes needed throughout the organization to achieve the desired outcomes.
Typical actions in this phase include:
- Creating a Steering Team whose role is to monitor and assess progress of the change initiative, provide visible proof of the organization's commitment to the change and make necessary modifications to ensure success
- Communicating the business case for change
- Creating a sense of urgency
- Identifying the performance and behavior expectations of leadership so that they can be active role models for the change
- Establishing short term wins, including key milestones and metrics for the first 100 days
- Creating specific Action Plans to address identified obstacles
- Appointing cross-functional Task Teams to create detailed Implementation Plans
Related Service: Strategy Planning and Implementation
Stage 3: Implement
At this stage, the planned change is given the “GO!” The intent here is to execute all of the actions planned in the earlier stages while educating all of those involved in the change to gain their acceptance.
The Implementation phase starts to significantly change the way a corporation organizes itself. It upsets traditional relationships; alters positions, titles, compensation and career opportunities; unearths the need for new skills and competencies; and changes the status and the power of many individuals and groups within the company.
Training, coaching and other activities that educate individual and broad cross sections of employees can help ease the pain of change that occurs during this phase. Education and Communication initiatives can yield huge dividends in rapid acceptance of the new order, counter the tendency to be self-absorbed (“naval gazing”) and help maintain the focus on business results and performance.
Stage 3 activities include:
- Installing various support structures, such as reward systems and procedures
- Clarifying new roles and responsibilities
- Implementing training and education programs
- Assuring that change initiative milestones are met and that quick adjustments can be made if the initiative begins to get off track
- Communicating and celebrating “wins” such as the achievement of a milestone or specific business successes attributed to the change
- Conducting formal reviews by the Steering Team and Senior Leadership to provide continued visible proof of the organization's commitment to the change initiative
Related Service:
Stage 4: Sustain
The expectation is that by this stage, the organization is smart about what is required to make the change part of its standard operating procedures across the enterprise. A tremendous amount of organizational learning takes place during transformation initiatives. Typically a company learns to:
- Identify critical obstacles and quickly design ways to overcome them
- Characterize key measures and create “dashboards” of specific performance metrics to continually assess the change initiative for the value it adds to the business
- Monitor the level of commitment across the organization
- Develop the flexibility to rapidly make the appropriate modifications to adapt to challenges or take advantage of opportunities
- Collect and collate the “lessons learned” so that they can be applied to other changes in the business
Acquiring these skills enables an organization to sustain or perpetuate change on an on going basis.
Related Service: Training and Development