Planning an Organisational Change Programme - Simply Put!

Introduction

In the Marstan Guide Introduction to Change Management, we said that there are three main stages in making an organisational change successfully.

The first of these stages is assessing the need for change. (See Assessing the need for Organisational Change - Simply Put!)

The second stage is planning the organisational change programme.

The need for careful planning

The penalty for not making changes is very serious and the benefits of changing are substantial. However, a change programme is potentially very disruptive to a business and it is essential that you get a good result first time. The only way of achieving this is to prepare a good plan – before you start any implementation.

The benefit of a plan is that it ensures that you go through a thorough process of observation, analysis, problem solving and consultation; all of which ensure that you do the right thing.

Where to start in planning an organisational change programme

The starting point is your initial assessment of the need for change (See Assessing the need for Organisational Change - Simply Put!)

This should give you a very clear view of the key drivers for change. Express them in a way which is persuasive of the need for change. If they are not persuasive, you should err on the side of doing nothing. Bear in mind the Golden Rule of change management:

Do not make change for the sake of it – only change to bring real and identifiable benefits.

Making a decision on the type of change

When you have reviewed and analysed your assessment of the need for change you will begin to form an initial view of the type of change programme that you will require.

There are three main ways to change an organisation:

1. Change the organisation’s working methods.
2. Change the range of goods or services that the organisation produces.
3. Change the way that the organisation is structured.

There are also matters of degree:

• Do you need some minor adjustments?
• Do you need substantial change?
• Do you need a radical overhaul of your organisation?

It is very important to start with your analysis of the need for change and an awareness of the consequences if you do not make changes. Use this understanding to point you in the right direction and select the right type and degree of change. This is the foundation of your organisational change programme.

Attention to detail

When you have established the type and degree of change that you need, it is time to get into the detail. This means that you must communicate in full with the people “on the ground”. They are the best ones to make a decision about the implications of change. Failure to involve them creates a risk that the change will not be effective or be supported by the workforce.

Above all, make sure that you can identify the benefits in order that you avoid the mistake of “change for the sake of it”. Your change programme should be practical and beneficial, not theoretical or detached from reality.

How to plan for the success of a change programme

Change projects are successful if you take the following steps when you prepare your plan:

1. Consider change in the context of the whole organisation – it is essential to avoid individual initiatives set up by one or more departments, all working independently.
2. Make your organisation’s priorities the central part of the change project – there is little point in picking off “easy-wins”, only to leave the important things undone.
3. Plan thoroughly before implementing anything. You do not want to backtrack.
4. Drive change from the top – there is no better way of destroying a change programme than to see all of the top management unaffected by the disruption and everybody else trying to keep their head above water.
5. Communicate, consult and seek participation and support throughout the organisation – it is important that you reinforce the fact that the changes WILL HAPPEN – because they have to, but that everybody is able to contribute constructively.
6. Simplify processes. Make them practical and effective.
7. Work out how to keep the organisation running effectively while you make the changes. If people are already busy, they need to be set free to carry out the work on the changes.