managing organizational change aug04

Managing Organizational Change (MOC) and Change Communication

Leslie LowdermilkFeb 04

February 9, 2004 Managing Organizational Change

MOC: What is it? (the concrete stuff)

• MOC is the systematic application of a set of processes, tools, and methods designed to increase the speed and “stickiness” of change– Enables rapid and improved adoption of solutions and

changes– Results in an increased acceptance level of final

solution– Reduces thrash created by changes– Identifies and removes barriers to change– Increases alignment– Drives best practice sharing and skills transfer


MOC is:• A mindset

– constantly keeping the user or the customer as the focus of attention

• A way of thinking about how we do business– helping foster positive and collaborative relationships

and striving to learn from each other• About seeing the big picture and how all the parts tie

together– systems thinking and a holistic view of business

• Often an art more than a science

There are 2 main dimensions to MOC: locus of attention and goals

MOC: What is it? (the “squishy” stuff)


Dimensions defined: Locus of attention

There are distinct audiences that must be considered when discussing MOC activities:

• Internal : Micro level – internal program or project core team members; people who are actively engaged in doing the work– Well functioning teams are more likely to have successful

projects – Well functioning teams do not always “just happen”– Even well functioning teams can encounter rough spots and

benefit from effective MOC activities

• External: Macro level – external stakeholders; people not directly involved in the team but who are considered stakeholders of the work or targets of the change– This is the group that often requires the most attention– This is the group most likely to demonstrate resistance


Dimensions defined: Goals

•Stickiness: activities that enable the new behavior to be sustained and preserved going forward, ideally with minimal external support

• Speed: activities that act to increase the velocity of the work and adoption of new behaviors


MOC Activities Matrix

Internal External

Speed Sponsor alignment and mappingTeam dynamicsTeam buildingFacilitationProject/Program retrospectives

Stakeholder analysisCommunication planningProcess designChange impact analysisOrganizational readinessTraining

Stickiness Skill transferModelingConsultingCoaching Mentoring

Reward and recognition systems Imbed MOC mechanisms and

tools into new process/application

Locus of Impact

Goal


Internal Speed Activities

• Sponsor alignment and mapping: proper identification of appropriate sponsorship for the change and an assessment of sponsors’ commitment level and alignment – sets up opportunities for facilitated dialog to get required buy-in

• Team dynamics and team building: activities designed to facilitate and improve the team’s ability to work with one another – can be especially important in virtual environments

• Facilitation: maximize effectiveness of meetings, ensuring that time is used well and objectives are accomplished

• Project/program retrospectives: assess strengths and areas for improvement with the goal of improving future programs and projects


Internal Stickiness Activities

• Skill transfer – educating team members on MOC activities and processes so they can transfer them to their next project and improve their own MOC capacity

• Modeling – MOC consultants should actively “practice what they preach” though effective listening, communication, seeking feedback and input, etc.

• Consulting – provision of expert assistance on MOC activities

• Coaching – provision of feedback and suggestions to those responsible for implementation of MOC activities but who lack extensive experience

• Mentoring – serving as mentor to those wishing to learn about MOC activities


External Speed Activities

• Stakeholder analysis – a process for determining who is impacted by the project, what needs/concerns/issues exist, results in a document that can help determine who to communicate with, when, what and how much, can also help assess the climate for change

• Communication planning – strategic communications facilitate change, planning allows for systematic, consistent, impactful messaging

• Process design – Systematic assessment of current processes, inputs and outputs and articulation of future state processes, inputs and outputs


• Change impact analysis – determination of how and to what degree the stakeholders are impacted by the project, results in greater understanding of where to focus MOC efforts and where the project might be at risk

• Organizational readiness assessment – checklist or document that tracks what the organization needs to do in order to be ready for the upcoming change (new tools, systems, passwords, etc), generated in part from the output of the organizational impact assessment

• Training – stakeholders must have appropriate skills needed to adopt new behavior

External Speed Activities


• Reward and recognition programs – creation of incentives supporting adoption of new behaviors either through rewards, recognitions, or performance criteria

• Imbed MOC tools into new process – in designing new process, include activities such as communication systems, feedback loops, and continuous improvement mechanisms into the new process itself

External Stickiness Activities


MOC Impact Matrix

Internal External

Speed Sponsor alignment and mappingTeam dynamicsTeam buildingFacilitationProject/Program retrospectives

Stakeholder analysisCommunication planningProcess designChange impact analysisOrganizational readinessTraining

Stickiness

Skill transferModelingConsultingCoaching Mentoring

Imbed MOC mechanisms and tools into new process/application

Ex: does new process articulate how participants will be informed and communicate

Most MOC leads focus their attention here

MOC Specialists also spend a lot of time here in order to increase the capacity for the work within the organization. They are actively engaged in trying to “work themselves out of a job”.

A key aspect of an MOC specialist’s work is to focus attention on ALL quadrants. Specialists have the ability to look at the team and their activities and determine which quadrant needs attention and when it needs it. They have the ability to move among the quadrants at any given time.


Elements required for successful change

In order for behavioral change to be successful, three elements must be present – Awareness – what is changing, when is it changing, what do I

need to do differently, why is it changing?– Skills – how do I carry out this new behavior? – Motivation – why should I change?

The vehicle for providing stakeholders with these elements is communication, communication, and more communication. Communication is the key for implementing successful changes, whether they are organizational, policy, or technology changes.


Change communication

Communication is a critical success factor for change. All activities within MOC are rooted in strong communication, both organizational and interpersonal. Without communication, there is no MOC.

Development of good communications is a 7-step process:1. Identify the need for a communication2. Identify the audience3. Identify key messages4. Identify media5. Create content6. Send message7. Respond to feedback


Steps for creating a good communication

1. Identify the need for a communication - Not all events or activities need to be communicated - sensible decisions should be made in order to avoid information overload, and message immunity.

2. Identify the audience - The audience may be all employees or one particular section, department, job classification, or team. There may be multiple audiences requiring different levels of information and different delivery media.

3. Identify key messages - Usually 3-5 key messages that sum up the entire communication. If the audience is being asked to take action, state explicitly what action is to be taken, by whom, and when.


4. Identify media - Using multiple media increases the effectiveness of the communication. Media choice should be based on consideration of the audience and the message content. Not all audiences have equal access to all delivery mechanisms and not all content is suited for all media.

5. Create content - Simplicity is important. Avoid complex sentence structure and jargon when possible – it needlessly complicates the message and can alienate audiences. Do not give people more information than they need. Information should be presented based on what the audience needs to know, not on what the sender wants to say.



6. Send message - Send messages at appropriate times or intervals, taking into account employees on alternative work schedules. If action is requested, make sure message is sent with enough time for people to respond.

7. Respond to feedback - Respond to feedback (both positive and negative) as soon as possible. Your audience has taken the time to respond to your message and respecting that helps reinforce the importance of the message.



Summary

• Change is hard

• Communication is critical for change programs to be successful

• All MOC activities are rooted in good communication

• MOC activities are designed to increase the velocity and stickiness of change

• Good MOC requires attention to activities that impact both the immediate work team and the greater organization

• Change is hard but change can be managed

managing organizational change aug04

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