Module 14: Building Organizational Readiness for Change

Key Topics

• Building organizational readiness for change
• Building your change team
• Five stages of team development
• Developing an effective team and management plan

Building a Change Team

Internal vs. External Recruitment

Internal Recruitment

Pros:

• Familiarity with the organization's culture and processes
• Trust from colleagues
• Quick recruitment process
• Career development opportunity for staff

Cons:

• May lack necessary skills and knowledge
• Divided attention between current job and change initiative
• Possible difficulty in dealing with resistant colleagues
• Reluctance to return to original roles post-initiative

External Recruitment (Including Consultants)

Pros:

• Specific expertise and skills
• Credibility with senior managers
• Knowledge transfer benefits
• Objectivity

Cons:

• Potential suspicion from staff
• Perception of imposed change
• Lengthy recruitment process
• Need for induction into organizational culture

Five Stages of Team Development (Tuckman’s Model)

1. Forming:

   • High dependence on change manager
   • Unclear roles and responsibilities
   • Directive guidance needed

2. Storming:

   • Uncertainty and testing of assumptions
   • Emotional responses and resistance
   • Coaching and workshops to focus objectives

3. Norming:

   • Established working methods
   • Roles and responsibilities clarified
   • Focus on tasks and decisions

4. Performing:

   • Unity and shared vision
   • Autonomy and support within the team
   • Comfortable delegation by the change manager

5. Adjourning (Mourning):

   • Sense of loss post-completion
   • Recognition of achievements and future transitions

Developing an Effective Team (Glazer and Glazer)

• Mission Planning and Goal Setting:
  • Clear understanding of change purpose, vision, and issues
  • Team focus on outcome delivery
• Team Roles:
  • Regular clarifications of roles and accountabilities
  • Training and coaching in resistance management
• Team Operating Processes:
  • Agreed enabling processes
  • Collaborative teamwork
• Team Interpersonal Relationships:
  • Open communication and mutual support
  • Balance workloads and overcome issues together
• Inter-Team Relations:
  • Develop relationships with other teams
  • Facilitate delivery of change initiatives

Developing a Change Management Plan

• Stakeholders: Identification, importance, engagement strategy
• Communications: Targeted communications, channels, feedback
• Developing Skills: Support for sponsors, change team, change agents
• Building Support: Activities to increase buy-in
• Resistance: Expected resistance types and mitigation strategies
• Feedback: Mechanisms for incorporating stakeholder ideas
• Measurement: Monitoring the success of change interventions

Reflection Questions

1. How did your organization build awareness of the need for change?
2. What steps were taken to assess change readiness before starting?
3. What barriers or obstacles were observed?

Conclusion of Module

• Examined internal vs. external recruitment
• Discussed stages of team development
• Covered effective team development
• Explained the importance of a change management plan
• Next module: Preparing for resistance