Corporate Change: Planning As A Part Of Engineered Organizational Change Can Make Your Change Endeavors Successful
One of the pieces of engineered organizational change is Planning. Corporate is dead in the water without it. Not having a plan for change is like not having scheduled rehearsals for a new stage production. Costumes won’t be fitted, blocking won’t practiced, and there will be no production.
To continue the theater metaphor, what kind of a result could be expected if the actors do not know when costume fittings are happening? Could this work if the schedule had randomly assigned numbers rather than names or roles? A kind of nightmare would ensue. For situations of corporate change, this would be like holding meetings but keeping the location secret? Or, putting together a management meeting but writing the emails in code. Would anyone show up? Would they accomplish any goals? Would anything happen on schedule? Without doubt, total failure would occur.
Even if the corporate change is supposed to be secret, there has to be information sharing with the people who are expected to do it. The veil of secrecy has to lift at some point. At some juncture, the secrecy becomes a block to the successful completion of the initiative. Workers cannot do what they are not aware they are expected to do. This requires the handling of certain activities with planning. To be completed satisfactorily, there are four major components to be dealt with in planning.
The first step in having a change effort succeed is the development of what is called a master implementation schedule. Just as important, this schedule has to be communicated to managers and workers alike. A worker that knows the schedule can meet it far more easily than one who does not. It is usually best to conduct one-on-one implementation assignments. This could ultimately come down to walking to every office, but if time or distance simply do not permit the one-on-one then opt for smaller meetings. The purpose is make sure everyone is clear on just what their roles and goals are going to be. Schedule meetings on a regular basis. These can be used to review progress and adjust the schedule when necessary. Celebrate the small victories along the way. Affirmation of a job well done during corporate change is a very effective way to instill a sense of purpose and belonging in team members.
Effective corporate change requires effective planning. The use of planning is much like the use of rehearsal schedules for theater companies. It helps people to maintain focus on the long term without sacrificing the short term. The most effective way to enable this is by employing a master implementation schedule, one-on-one meetings for implementation assignments, and frequent change team meetings to evaluate progress. Using accomplished goals as times to celebrate and affirm success is also an effective means of supporting the change project. Using effective planning can keep your corporate change on time and on target.
For more information, please see our website: Corporate Change
