3. PLANNING CHANGE SUCCESSFUL CHANGE PROGRAMMES ALWAYS INVOLVE PLANNING – FOR BOTH THE SHORT AND THE LONG TERM. THE CLEARER THE OBJECTIVES, THE BETTER THE PLAN. WHERE ARE WE NOW? WHERE DO WE WANT TO BE? WHAT IS THE GAP BETWEEN THE PRESENT AND THE IDEAL STATE? KEY CHANGES TO CLOSE THE GAP FOCUS PLANNED CHANGES
4. PRIORITIZING ESSENTIAL CHANGES 1. Change in one area should be supported by change in others. 2.The strategic reasons for change should be widely publicized. 3.Only change that is people-based will work in the long term. 4. Everyone involved in the change programme should be consulted. 5. Change needs fall into high, medium, and low priorities.
5. Avoid “initiative fatigue” or overload of too many initiatives in close succession. Concentrate on a few processes that really count. An old rule states that more than one objective is no objective. To avoid chaos, a change programme must focus on a single overriding target, selecting and structuring other changes around it. PLAN A FLUID, INTEGRATED CHANGE PROGRAMME
6. Try proposed changes on a small-scale first. If it takes complex reasoning to justify change, abandon it. Ask of every change, how will this affect all those involved? All tasks in a change project need to fit into a master plan. Evaluating a planned change is much easier if quantified: measures of current situation as compared to target performance. Assess a project by plotting a “critical path” for its completion: work out the order of interdependent tasks to set a framework around which other tasks can fit. EVALUATING COMPLEXITY
7. PLANNING WAYS TO INVOLVE PEOPLE Use training as a deliberate tool to involve people in change. Involve people fully in developing long-term objectives and planning change as well as in implementing plans.The greater number of people consulted, the more information will be available for developing change plans.Set up teams to help plan and implement changes.
8. Choosing a Timescale To make change easier to accept, plan to introduce it in stages. Encourage people to find new ideas for quick-fix changes. An organization’s continuous lasting change is the aggregated effect of its changes each year. The amount of changes varies from year to year, as does the proportion of quick fixes introduced. Build targets for continuous improvement into budgets.
9. MAKING AN ACTION PLAN Checklist of Contents in an Action Plan Why is change being introduced, and what results are expected? What means will be used to reach those results? What resources will have to be committed? How will the plan be communicated? How will behaviour have to change/ Who will lead the programme and its parts? What stages will it follow, to what timetable? How will the programme and its progress be measured and monitored? What could go wrong; what happens if it does.
10. USE PLANNING TOOLS Fishbone Diagram CAUSE MEN MACHINES INEXPERIENCED STAFF BADLY INSTALLED VERY TIGHT SCHEDULES INFERIOR QUALITY METHODS MATERIALS EFFECT Inefficient service
12. Look for big improvements from change projects. Include the prospect of individual and team rewards and recognition in a change plan. Never take people’s support of action plans for granted. Avoid the temptation to bribe people to change. Monitor morale closely, and act if it begins to deteriorate. Avoid feeling sentimental over inevitable job losses ANTICIPATING EFFECTS
