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 My Take: Helen L. Horvath, MA, PsyD (Cand), Principal, Founder/CEO, HW Associates
So many change initiatives begin with the excitation phase that things will be different. Then the process begins and the organization has a difficult time managing the change. Why? Many times, the organizational leadership wears too many hats that will cause them to split their time between the change initiative and their actual organizational responsibilities. The change initiative becomes like the small fish in the ocean swallowed up by the shark. Just as the shark swallows the small fish; the change initiatives have the potential of being swallowed by other larger initiative underway in the business. Successful transformation requires a dedicated staff of employees who are on the case to treat the change initiatives as if they were a new start up business. Thus the bureaucracy is held at a minimum. The change management team is large enough to create successes while small enough to maneuver through the minutia. This allows the team to keep their eye on the prize – making the initiative stand up to the leadership’s expectation and key measurements within the change process. Success will be within reach.
Utilizing the start up model, the organization will affect four basic aspects of the change model. These four aspects are:
Objectives: Creation of a vision, opportunity
Resources: Creating impact, incentives, community, and a willingness to experiment in communication of the organization’s brand to the work at large.
Funding: When utilizing a start up approach to change management, spending is cut down to the bare bones.
Operational Approach: Visibility. Equity. Communication. Hands-on management approach. Minimal delegation. Maximum efficiency; minimal time.
Objectives:
When working with a start up model, organizations have no confusion about the objectives within the day to day operations. This permits the team to Vision, Opportunity, and Impact within the organization. Through the use of the start up model, organizations are able to quickly move past the typical barriers within the organization such as competing organizational and divisional initiatives, individual motivations, business versus logistics versus IT and so on. The organization has only one common enemy that will drag the transition team down – time.
Resources:
In order to survive the use of the start up model, the management team of the organization needs to be willing to pursue their passions while creating impact, incentives, community, and a willingness to experiment in communication of the organization’s brand to the work at large. These team members are the best of the best – people who are willing to step out of their comfort zones. Utilizing the start up model of change management allows organizations to get the best out of their top talent while limiting membership within the change management team. It is easier to manage a small group of top notched employees than it is to struggle with huge teams of individuals. It is critical to assign roles within the change process no matter how small the role is.
Funding:
When utilizing a start up approach to change management, spending is cut down to the bare bones. Whether it is compensation, day to day operational expenses, or investments. It is about keeping the organization open for business, spending judiciously, and looking for the big pay off at the end.
Operations:
Visibility. Equity. Communication. Hands-on management approach. Minimal delegation. Maximum efficiency; minimal time. This is what makes a start-up exciting – and another reason this model can be the best choice for massive, top-heavy organizations. Cutting down on the complexity of the organizational support efforts, such as technology, will reduce the cost to implement the various change efforts.
If that sounds risky, consider this. The biggest risk is spending years and a lot of money pursuing a transformation that doesn’t pay off because it slowly veers off course. Staff your transformation start-up with the right people, give them a clear goal – and get out of the way.
Library:
Library: HW Associates Debates
Services: Consulting
Overview: Change management
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