Strategic Change Process 1

Change Processes

When companies undergo organizational changes, it is essential for the success of the implementation that a detailed plan of action has been developed for the project. The plan must clarify how changes will affect the company and its employees. It is important that management focuses on the implementation of the change, as this has a major impact on whether the change is implemented successfully. The implementation of changes occurs in a complex organizational context where management has many other obligations. That is why it is important to have a concrete plan of action and vision for change.

Let us discuss the strategic change process, e.g. which aspects management should take notice of, and how the most common errors are best avoided during the process. Then it will be specified how the change project typically proceeds and how management can lead the change implementation in an operative manner.

In organizations, the concept of change covers many different processes. The process of change is the link between the strategy for change and the implemented change within the organization. It is important that the appropriate conditions for change in the company are created. Next, it is important to the implementation that the process for change is realistically and contextually organized. Thus, it is essential to identify the phenomena and processes that promote or hinder the implementation of changes within the organization.

"One might ask: Have you ever seen a gardener or a forester shouting at a newly planted tree to make it grow? Have you heard a gardener shout: Grow! Have you seen a forester try to convince the newly planted trees that they must be motivated for growing? No, that's not how wise gardeners and foresters act. They are smarter. They have an interest and insight into essence of plants and know which phenomena and processes promote and hinder growth. This is why they make sure the plants have light, water, shelter and a lot of other things." (Hildebrandt)

The above metaphor can be applied to organizations that are about to undergo organizational changes, as it illustrates the importance of organizing the process in an appropriate manner. It is the process that motivates the change and not just the overall strategy designed by the management. The change process is not an automatic result of the strategy, but must be staged by the management in collaboration with the employees. The wheel of change is a tool that provides an overview of the methodological approach to the change process. It is a tool consisting of specific literature on the field together with experiences from a number of companies. The following illustrates the 12 steps constituting the process. It is important to emphasise that the process is not linear, as several of the steps are covered a few times. Furthermore, It is common for some of the process steps to stagnate due to one or more factors. In this case, it is important that the company handles this stagnation in proactively.

The 12 steps in the wheel of change are the following:

Preparation

1. Make the threat visible

2. Establish a strong change organization

3. Set up a vision and goals for the change

4. Perform a stakeholder analysis

5. Prepare a risk analysis

6. Specify and plan the change process

7. Prepare a communication plan

Implementation

8. Implement the change

9. Understand and remove resistance towards change

10. Hold on and acknowledge success and achieved milestones

11. Ensure anchoring the change in the company

Evaluation

12. Evaluate the change process