Strategies for Grappling with a
Changing Business Environment and
Achieving Excellence
September 19, 2012
Kathy Koehler
Koehler Partners
SESSION OBJECTIVE
Learn how to be more thoughtful and
deliberate about change in your
organization, using practical tools and tips
that you will begin to use in our session.
Agenda
Introductions
 What is change management?
 What’s changing in your world?
 Change management planning activity
 Role of the leader & change agents
 Moving stakeholders through change
 How to do more
 Q &A

INTRODUCTIONS
What is change management?
And, why does it matter?
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Planning for and communicating
about an upcoming change to all
affected stakeholders to prevent
disruption and encourage a successful
change
WHAT’S CHANGING
IN YOUR WORLD?
CHANGE
MANAGEMENT
PLANNING ACTIVITY
Activity (Handout)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Choose a change in your organization
Anticipate benefits & challenges
Identify affected stakeholders
Plan communications
STEP 1:
Identify change

Choose a change in your organization
that will significantly impact many people
(preferably, both inside and outside of
your organization)
STEP 2:
Anticipate benefits
& challenges

Anticipate the benefits and challenges the
change will or may bring
◦
◦
◦
◦
Inside your organization
Outside your organization
What will happen if things go well?
What will happen if things go badly?
STEP 3:
Identify affected
stakeholders
Stakeholders could be individuals or
groups
 Consider stakeholders within and
outside your organization
 Identify leader(s) of groups, and the role
of individuals

The role of the leader
change

Envision
◦ Articulate clear vision
◦ Generate enthusiasm for the goal

Energize
◦ Be excited!
◦ Communicate early successes

Enable
◦ Provide resources needed
◦ Use rewards to reinforce change
in
The role of change agents
Who are they?
Individuals in affected stakeholder groups
who help with the change
 Can be formal or informal,
internal
or external
 Motivated about, or at least interested in,
the change
 Credible with stakeholder group

The role of change agents
What do they do?
Reinforce benefits and how to handle
challenges
 Escalate problems and concerns to
leadership
 Encourage understanding and participation
in preparation activities (e.g., formal training)

The role of change agents
How do you support them?
Help them understand background and
vision of the change
 Communicate regularly
 Provide support for ongoing questions and
concerns
 Celebrate and appreciate

Moving stakeholders
change
ADKAR
The ADKAR model was developed by Prosci and included in Jeff Hiatt’s book,
ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government and our Community.
through
STEP 4:
Plan communications

Plan activities throughout preparing for,
and implementing, the change:
◦
◦
◦
◦

Staff meetings
Public meetings
Newsletters (yours AND stakeholders’)
Informal or formal training
How will you communicate?
whom? When? What?
To
How to do more
Change readiness assessments
 Individuals’ different preferences regarding
change
 Pulse surveys

Change Readiness
Assessments

Collect information from stakeholders about
readiness for change:
◦ Do they need training?
◦ What are they worried about?
◦ What benefits do they want to see?

Select best method for audience:
◦ Focus groups or interviews: Key stakeholder
group representatives
◦ Online or paper surveys: Large or geographically
dispersed groups
Individual Differences
regarding Change
Personality preferences can influence
individuals’ reactions to change
 For example, MBTI® preferences for
extraversion (E) or introversion (I):

◦ If prefer E, want to talk through change faceto-face, and want to be involved
◦ If prefer I, want time to reflect on written
information, and to be asked for
their
input
Pulse Surveys
What are they?
 Periodic surveys to gauge readiness for
change, and impact of your preparation
and communication effort

Tips:
◦ Be as unobtrusive as possible; very few
questions; online, if possible
◦ Can ask a sample of a large group
Q &A
THANK YOU!
For more information, feel free to contact
Kathy Koehler at
kathy@koehlerpartners.com
www.koehlerpartners.com