Planning for Change

Implementation
 Managing the implementation phase
 Change can disrupt normal work practices and
undermine the existing system.
 In order to move from A to a more desirable state
B it is often necessary to move through a
transition stage C where people have to keep the
old system operating while developing the new
one.

A C B
Transition stage

John Hayes, The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 3rd ed. Palgrave 2010 2
 Navigating the transition stage

A common problem in this transition stage is that people give more attention to ‘keeping the show on the road’ and maintaining operations
and
give insufficient attention to planning and implementing the change.

John Hayes, The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 3rd ed. Palgrave 2010 3
 Plan for Change

• Planning for implementation is a key stage in the

change process. The planning stage includes 8 key
tasks:
 Plan for Change
1. Appoint a transition manager
2. Identify what needs to be done
3. Produce an implementation plan with clear targets & goals
which can indicate progress and reveal problems
4. Use multiple and consistent leverage points for change
5. Schedule activities
6. Ensure that adequate resources are allocated to the change
and that balance is maintained between keeping the
organization running and implementing changes necessary to
move to the desired future state
7. Implement reward systems that encourage change
8. Develop feedback mechanisms
 Step 1:
Appoint a Transition Manager

• What skills and personal characteristics would you say

are required for a leader of change in an organization?
The change manager might be:
• The person in charge of the pre-change state
• The person who will be in charge of the post-change
state
• A temporary change manager (a project manager or
an external ‘expert’).
 Step 1:
Appoint a Transition Manager

• Being the transition manager for change is a tough job

– they deal with a lot of raw emotions and complex
tasks. Select someone:

– who has previous experience in a similar role

– who is respected, trusted and known
– with formal training in change management
– who is a people person
– Who has the ability to win support & commitment
 Step 2:
Identify What Needs to be Done

• Once a change objective has been identified, we must

work out what needs to be done to achieve the
change.
 AWAKISHI DIAGRAM
• The Awakishi diagram (Newman, 1995) is a useful
tool to brainstorm what needs to be done.
 Step 2:
Identify What Needs to be Done

• The Awakishi diagram begins with a clear description

of the change objective and a pathway to that
objective:

Reduce work-
force by 300
positions by
June 30th
 Step 2:
Identify What Needs to be Done
Then, brainstorm all things that need to be done and
group them into categories:

Reinforcing Formulate Decide Decide which

to make communications timelines for positions will
change stick plan major tasks go

Terminate
100 printer
Jobs

Supporting Decide Decide how

those left composition and positions will
behind roles of change be vacated
project team
 Step 2:
Identify What Needs to be Done
• Next, identify the specific tasks associated with each
category:

Formulate Decide which

communications positions will
plan go
What will be What will be the
communicated? criteria?
When should we All at once or in
communicate? phases?
Same message to all Who will decide?
or tailored messages?
Terminate 100
printer Jobs
 Step 2:
Identify What Needs to be Done

• Imagine that KBTU has decided to create a new school – The

School of Robotics. The new school will open in 2 years. You are
in charge of this project.

• Today is the first meeting of your project team. You will

brainstorm what needs to be done; categorize your ideas and
then develop them using The Awakishi diagram. Do this in
small groups.
 Step 3:
Develop Implementation Plan

• There are two factors that will influence the change plan. These
are:

– The change participants’ perceptions of the change in terms of its appeal

and the likelihood that it will happen

– The clarity of the desired end state – is it a ‘blueprint’ change where the
desired state is known or is it emergent change where the end state is
unknown?
 Step 3:
Develop Implementation Plan

• To take the first factor, ‘participants’ perceptions’,

Dibella (2007) said there are 4 scenarios.
• Each scenario requires the change manager to focus on
different outcomes.
• Depending on the appeal of the change and people’s
beliefs about whether it will actually happen, the
change manager selects an approach…
 Step 3:
Develop Implementation Plan
LIKELIHOOD THAT CHANGE WILL HAPPEN

HIGH LOW
1. Expedite 2. Encourage and
Specify tasks and empower
HIGH time frame to Target ‘low
ensure nothing is hanging fruit’ to
missed ensure quick wins
and build credibility
APPEAL

3. Reframe 4. Revitalize or
Increase appeal by Retrench
communicating a Same as the 3-d…
compelling vision plus make change
LOW or by modifying inevitable by
modifying the
the change
circumstances
 1. Expedite:
Participants view the change as desirable and
consider it inevitable: Here, the change
manager’s task is to expedite the change. There
will be little resistance so the main requirem
This will help to avoid the possibility that,
because the change is viewed as inevitable, those
involved may relax and overlook the need to
complete some necessary tasks.
 2. Encourage and empower
Participants view the change as desirable but
are not convinced it will happen: Thus, the
change manager needs develop a plan that will
encourage and empower others by acting in
ways that will shift their perceptions and
increase their conviction that the change will be
accomplished.
“…a change plan that focuses, first, on achieving
small victories by addressing the ‘low-hanging fruit’.
This will help to secure early successes that will build
credibility”.
 3. Reframe
Participants do not view the change as
desirable but anticipate that it is inevitable:
This fits the stereotypical condition where
resistance to change is expected.
Here, change managers need to focus attention
on reframing and making the change more
desirable. There may be features of the change
that can be modified to make it more appealing.
As a minimum, the change manager will need to
communicate a compelling vision.
 4. Revitalize or Retrench
Participants perceive the change to be
undesirable and unlikely to happen: Here,
there is no clear incentive for participants to
engage in the change.
They may be openly defiant and act in ways that
will test the change manager’s credibility.
One possibility for altering the environment might be to recruit a
set of champions or advocates into the process, who view the
change in more positive terms, or remove some of the
most resistant participants from the scene.
 Step 3:
Develop Implementation Plan

• The second factor influencing the change plan you

adopt is whether the end state after change is known or
unknown.

• Hayes (2009) says it is best – and easiest – if the desired

end state is clearly known, but it is not always possible.
Maybe we are losing market share or responding to
competitors…in such cases we would change but not
clearly know where we might end up.
 Step 3:
Develop Implementation Plan: Clarity of the end state

• The diagram below advises change managers what to do

depending on whether the end state of a change is known or
unknown:

END STATE
KNOWN UNKNOWN
1. Plan one step at a time
Specify tasks and 2. Implement and review
PLAN
time frame 3. Plan next step
 Step 3:
Develop Implementation Plan

• Quinn (1993) has said that the planning approach when

the end state is unknown (step-by-step) is actually a
good approach even if we do know our desired end
state because it:
– Improves the quality of information used for decisions
– Helps overcome people’s resistance to change
– Helps timing and sequencing of change activities
– Builds awareness and commitment required to implement
change
 Step 3:
Develop Implementation Plan

• Whatever plan we design, we must be willing to adjust

the plan and be flexible in implementation.
• Nadler & Taushman (1989) tell change agents not to be
uncompromising or over zealous in sticking to a plan –
unexpected things will always happen.
• With change… Expect the unexpected and don’t just
ignore it when it happens.
 Step 3:
Develop Implementation Plan

• According to Beckhard and Harris (1987) an effective

transition plan has 7 characteristics:
 Step 3:
Develop Implementation Plan
• Purposeful – the planned activities are clearly linked
to the change goals and priorities
• Task specific – the types of activities involved are
clearly identified rather than broadly generalized
• Integrated – the various activities are linked
• Time specific – the planned activities are timetabled
• Adaptable – there are contingency plans and ways of adapting
to unanticipated opportunities and problems
• Agreed – By top management and all key stakeholders
• Cost-effective – to avoid unnecessary waste
 Step 4:
Multiple Leverage Points

• Organizations are equilibrium seeking systems – if only

one part of the system is changed, it triggers forces
which re-align all elements of the system and then we
are back to the status quo

• One way to avoid this is to have multiple and consistent

leverage points for achieving change

• Example next slide…

 Step 4:
Multiple Leverage Points

• If we change the processes, procedures and structure of the

Finance department but ignore other departments, the other
departments will self-adapt and we go back to the status quo

Desired end state

Object of change
Change effort
FINANCE
FINANCE
Unintended end state

NO Change effort SALES Self-adaption SALES

NO Change effort PLANNING Self-adaption PLANNING

 Step 4:
Multiple Leverage Points

• So, if for example, we wish to change organizational culture, we

would need to change elements of the organization that are
closely linked to or shaped by organizational culture:

Object of change
Performance
management
Corporate
May also need Values
Organizational to modify Customer
Culture service delivery

Hiring and
retention
 Step 4:
Multiple Leverage Points

• Imagine that you are the change manager for a large department
store. The store plans to radically change its compensation &
benefits strategy. The new strategy will give employees lower
base pay but greater opportunities for commission and bonus
payments based on the sales they achieve. Before, pay was just a
fixed amount and not ‘incentive based’. It was not really linked to
performance.

• In groups, make a list of what other elements of the business

would need modifying to make sure the new C&B strategy is
successful when implemented.
 Step 5:
Schedule Activities

• Scheduling activities for a change project is complex: some

activities’ timeframes overlap; some must start on specific dates
(either before or after other activities have commenced or
completed); some can begin anytime and so on.

• To make sense of this, it helps to have a diagram which captures

all activities, their sequencing and their timeframes in relation to
each other.

• Critical Path Analysis is a useful tool to achieve this.

 Step 5:
Schedule Activities
• Before drawing the critical path, we must first identify all tasks to
be done, time for each task and how tasks relate to each other.
For example:
Task Duration Start Date Completed By
Task 1 5 days To be completed first Day 5
Task 2 3 days On completion of task 1 Day 10
Task 3 5 days On completion of task 1 Day 10
Task 4 5 days Anytime Day 15
Task 5 5 days On completion of task 3 Day 15
Task 6 3 days On completion of tasks 4 and 5 Day 21
Task 7 2 days On completion of tasks 4 and 5 Day 17
Task 8 1 day Anytime Day 22
Task 9 5 days On completion of task 7 Day 22
 Step 5:
Schedule Activities

• Below is the critical path analysis for the schedule of activities on

the previous slide:
8 - 10 19-21
Task 2 Task 4 Task 8
3 days 5 days Task 6 1 day
Task 1 3 days
5 days
Day 1 5
15 17 22
Task 7 Task 9
Task 3 2 days 5 days
5 days
Task 5
5 days
10
 Step 5:
Schedule Activities

• You have decided to take a safari adventure holiday to Kenya. To

take advantage of a special deal you will need to leave in 30 days.
• Write a list of the tasks you will need to do in preparation for
your holiday. For each task write how long it will take, when you
need start it and in which order it must be done.
• Now draw a Critical Path Analysis for your holiday.
• You can do this in groups.
 Step 6:
Provide Resources for the Transition
• Usually change comes with a cost. This should be budgeted for
but is often not adequately funded.
• Sometimes change is sudden so thinking about resources can be
overlooked. Sometimes there are unexpected costs or, if the
project drags on, costs just grow past predictions.
• It is also true that staff are expected to work harder and longer
during change – stretching existing resources.

• What kinds of things would be additional costs during a change

project?
 Step 6:
Provide Resources for the Transition
• Costs commonly associated with change:

– Training (trainers, learning materials, lunch, cost of design)

– Overtime
– Hire of temporary staff and/or an outside change consultant
– New tools / equipment / technologies associated with the change
– Cost of dealing with resistance (incentives, counselors, support)
– Communication (production/distribution of change messages)
 Step 7:
Reward Transition Behaviors
• Change requires people to try new things (take risk; experiment;
be creative; take on new skills; undertake new learning; innovate;
be more persistent and patient)

• To encourage this and to keep it happening we need to motivate

people – provide incentives to encourage people to engage in the
new behaviors and rewards for people that do this well.

• Incentives and rewards must be clearly linked to the specific

objectives of the change initiative
 Step 7:
Reward Transition Behaviors
• You are the change manager for an insurance company. You are
replacing the old corporate values with new values. The 4 new
corporate values are RESPECT; INTEGRITY; TEAMWORK and
ACHIEVEMENT.

• You want to encourage employees to support this change and

you want to reward employees who are seen to be trying extra
hard to live the new values.

• You have a budget of $20,000 for 400 employees to be spent

over the transition period of 12 weeks…
 Step 7:
Reward Transition Behaviors
• In groups design a reward and incentive plan to achieve your
change objective.

• How will you allocate the money?

• Who decides what money to spend?
• What kinds of incentives and rewards will you use?
• What exactly will be rewarded?
• How can you make sure the rewards and incentives are
specifically linked to the new corporate values?
 Step 8:
Develop Feedback Mechanisms
• Even organizations that communicate well internally need to set
up special communication channels and processes during
change.

• During change there is much more uncertainty. People need

more advice and encouragement. People also have a lot more
questions.

• There are also more rumors and misinformation around during

change. These need to be addressed too.
Constructive Feedback
 Step 8:
Develop Feedback Mechanisms
• What special channels and special processes would you set up
during a change process?

• Who should do the ‘talking’ for the organization during change?

• How can you specifically encourage employees to give feedback?

How can they communicate this?
 Home Work
• Homework # 7

• LOOK at home work 7…it is a group task (ending with a

presentation). It would be a good idea to form your group and
decide which case you will attempt before our next lecture.