How (Intended) Change Happens

A sequential model for successful organisational change

Overcoming procrastination on a personal level or mastering a strategic shift in an organisation: Change in people and organisations is a dance between urgency, commitment and action.

But don’t be fooled: Most change processes fail or are diluted as we move forward. Just think about any change you have planned for yourself, like eating less, stopping smoking, running daily, or building a closer relationship with a relative. We sense the urgency, build up some commitment, and then? … Often, we temporarily change behaviour to return to our harmful or unintended behaviour. To achieve lasting change personally, we need thorough reflection and often support systems, such as a coach, a self-help group, or a supportive partner. 

Change is not easy, and this is also true in organisations. Most of you must have experienced it: Your organisation's leadership announces the most fabulous plans, energetically embarks on its new mission, and then falters due to opposing staff or a lack of resources. The significant changes become tiny ones or even worse ...

However, there are also highly effective change processes. In our work on organisational change, we have realised that a sequential map is essential for collectively understanding the change process, assessing whether we are still on course, and reducing the risk of failure. One such sequential map is Kotter's 8-step model for organisational change. We have adapted the model to the social sector and organised it into three phases.

How Change Happens – In Organisations

Before we outline the phases and steps, here are a few disclaimers: although the model is sequential, this does not mean you will strictly follow this order. There may be smaller loops backwards, or you might spend less effort on specific steps because things arise spontaneously.

However, if you want to do things correctly, you cannot skip steps and rush the process. Change requires energy, time, and the right mindset from a dedicated group of people. The new way of thinking and commitment do not appear suddenly; they cannot be ordered or bought but must be carefully planned and cultivated.

How Change May Happen – Step by Step

Phase 1: Reflect and Plan

Step 1: Sense of Urgency

Every change begins with a sense of urgency. Consider the urgency a business manager feels because new, attractive and more innovative competitors are in the market. He may conclude that either I change, or I will fall behind. Often, the urgency is created because the context in which you operate changes. However, urgency might not only stem from pressure; true leaders seize opportunities and new ideas to create something unique and innovative. Maybe you can become the leader, creating an organisation that becomes the new benchmark in your work?

Here are some characteristics of this step:

• One or a few initiators with a strong sense of urgency: They feel that something must change, for instance, to make the organisation more impactful or resilient.

• Build a robust, inspiring case: The urgency becomes higher if the initiator builds a strong case for change that can convince and inspire others in the team and create emotional resonance.

Step 2: Coalition of Urgency 

Change in organisations is never driven by one or a few persons alone.

• Build a coalition of a few like-minded individuals: This coalition is the foundation for the change project. Through a series of meetings, both one-on-one and in groups, you recruit people who are essential for your change initiative. Aim for 5-7 people.

• Motivated, diverse, and influential: The group's composition should be considered to ensure its vibrancy and drive for change.  

 

Step 3:  Vision and Planning

Step 3 involves setting up a broader vision and an initial plan for realising it in the organisation.    

• Analyse the context and the organisation: We recommend collective sessions with a coalition of urgency to build a shared understanding of the context and what needs to change.  

• Develop a collective vision and plan: In the coalition, you craft a vision of the future, such as how the organisation's new culture or implementation approach might look in a few years. You would also create a short-term plan to initiate the change process and consider potential barriers (step 5).

Phase 2: Commit and Get Started

Step 4: Communicate and Onboard

• Communicate with everyone involved: Now, we start engaging with everyone interested in or affected by the change. Besides regular communication, broader participation could be part of this step, including validating and iterating the plans. In highly participative organisations, inclusive planning of the changes would be done at this stage.  

• Speak to the hearts and minds: Many changes require more than adjusting plans and structures. They need a different mindset, for instance, a mindset that focuses on better partnerships or a new mindset that focuses on appreciation. Such changes are not purely rational. An excellent change project ignites team members' passion and makes them feel better or stronger.      

  
  

Step 5: Remove Barriers, Create Systems

Step 5 is often the most challenging, and many change projects fail to remove barriers to change; hence, the process is diluted or difficult.  

• Remove or reduce barriers: Barriers in such processes usually involve people with tactical considerations, such as their influence, conflicting priorities, and strong opinions. Sometimes, barriers are long-enshrined practices that are difficult to change or lack funding. It is critical to be conscious of barriers and remove or reduce them as much as possible.

• Create initial structures, processes and policies: Most changes require adjustments in how you do things. If you intend to improve gender balance in the organisation, you may consider different options, for instance:

  
  

  (a) Adjust the hiring process to attract more women, (b) Allow young mothers to stay in the home office longer than other employees, or (c) Consciously empower women to speak more in meetings and assign men as note-takers. Enforcing such options, you start integrating the change into your organisational systems.

Step 6: Early Wins

• Focus on early wins and low-hanging fruits: It is crucial in change processes that change begins early and that we test and implement some options quickly. For example, to improve gender balance and empower women in meetings, we could immediately assign women to facilitate discussions within the organisation and men to take notes. This new practice could be monitored over a few months and adjusted or reinforced.

• Celebrate: If things go well, don’t forget to celebrate. This is when we have fun and build trust and closer relations with our peers. Under the motto: We are successful together!

After the first successes, a word of caution. The work has just begun. This is the moment when many change projects get stuck.

Phase 3: Change

Step 7: Deepen Change, Strengthen Systems

• Maintain momentum: It is crucial to keep engaging with all the key parts of the change project and relevant areas of the organisation. Develop the new processes gradually. Over time, you can establish a new system and routines with a fresh mindset.

• Review and adjust: The change team must continue to meet and review progress. This allows the team to adapt and deepen the shift.

• Leaders serve as role models: Leaders are the custodians and exemplars of new systems and have a special duty. If leaders embody the change and demonstrate the new culture and systems, the rest of the team will follow suit, increasing the likelihood of success. 

Step 8: Sustaining and Institutionalising Change

Congratulations! You have achieved significant and lasting change, and the organisation works differently. Depending on the ambition and complexity of the change project, it may have taken months or years to come to this point.  Now is the time to ensure the change is sustained and institutionalised.  

• Remain vigilant and adaptable: Leaders and the organisation must stay alert. Sometimes, sudden changes in the organisation's environment, a national conflict, or new staff in key roles threaten change initiatives. It is essential to monitor and adjust to these new circumstances.

• Track change over time: Occasionally, we need to zoom out to understand the organisation's history and how it has evolved over a more extended period. This provides perspective, fosters pride in what has been achieved, and sparks new enthusiasm and ideas for further change.

• Build on achievements: Change is ongoing and never stops. Now is the ideal moment to consider how to build on successes and continue to develop. In our model, this means that once we complete one cycle, we begin a new one with fresh energy.

We hope the model will help you navigate the implementation of strategic changes and shifts in the organisation. While we went through the eight steps, you probably reflected on how change was fostered in your organisation in the past. Which parts of the process did you do well, and where could your organisation improve?   

And ultimately, what was your role in such processes, and how did you contribute to leading change initiatives?  We should not forget: As leaders, you have a special responsibility in fostering change.

Exercise:

1.      Reflect on one successful and one less successful change process in your organisation and relate the process to the eight steps. What have been the strengths and weaknesses in those processes? 

2.      Select one strategic priority of your organisation and map out the first six steps for this change initiative. What are the key considerations in each step? Note them down.