Change management in-a-box

I have to admit it, I love models – even if they simplify complex matters and put people into linear boxes. It helps me navigate the changes I’m involved in, and reflect on those issues that we might forget in our eager to introduce new ways to the organisation.

So, here’s a quick tour de force of the different “box-models” I’ve come across that describes the transitional process of introducing change:

3 Box:
Unfreeze -> Freeze -> Refreeze (Lewin)
Prepare -> Execute -> Sustain (Cohen)

4 Box:
Dissatisfaction -> Vision -> process -> Cost (Beer)
Discovery -> Dream -> Design -> Sustain (Srivastava)

5 Box:
Awareness -> Desire -> Knowledge -> Ability -> Reinforcement (Prosci)
Denial -> Anger -> Bargaining -> Depression -> Acceptance (KublerRoss)

7 Box:
Need for change -> Shared vision -> Mobilizing commitment -> Aligning structure -> Leadership -> Monitoring results -> Making change last (CAP model)

8 Box:
Increase urgency -> Bulid the guiding team -> Get vision right -> Communicate for buy-in -> Empower action -> Create short-term wins -> Don’t let up -> Make change stick (Kotter)

10 Box:
Analyze organisation and need for change -> Shared vision -> Separate from the past -> Create sense of urgency -> Support strong leader role -> line up political sponsorship -> craft implementation plan -> develop enabling structures -> communicate, involve and be honest -> reinforce and institutionalize (Todd Jick)

To me, the red thread is clear – and what really separate great change practitioners from others is their ability to transform “boxes” to people and results.

Democratic design for change

At the core of every successful change effort I would argue that we find a democratic nerve center – an effort to bring key stakeholders on board through heavy involvement and giving everyone else in the organization who is affected by the transition the invitation to get involved and make themselves heard.

All to often we limit the work with designing the change to a small group of “chosen ones” leaving the rest of the organization on hold until they are hit by the tsunami “roll out” – a phase in the process where it’s hard or even impossible to make a positive contribution.
Doing this we miss out on the collective knowledge and creativity in the organization and looses the opportunity to win people over from the get go.

I stumbled over this great set of principles for organizational democracy from Worldblu, which makes perfect sense managing change: 

1. PURPOSE AND VISION
A democratic organization is clear about why it exists (its purpose) and where it is headed and what it hopes to achieve (its vision). These act as its true North, offering guidance and discipline to the organization’s direction.

2. TRANSPARENCY
Say goodbye to the “secret society” mentality. Democratic organizations are transparent and open with employees about the financial health, strategy, and agenda of the organization.

3. DIALOGUE + LISTENING
Instead of the top-down monologue or dysfunctional silence that characterizes most workplaces, democratic organizations are committed to having conversations that bring out new levels of meaning and connection.

4. FAIRNESS + DIGNITY
Democratic organizations are committed to fairness and dignity, not treating some people like “somebodies” and other people like “nobodies.”

5. ACCOUNTABILITY
Democratic organizations point fingers, not in a blaming way but in a liberating way! Democratic organizations are crystal clear about who is accountable and responsible for what.

6. INDIVIDUAL + COLLECTIVE
In democratic organizations, the individual is just as important as the whole, meaning employees are valued for their individual contribution as well as for what they do to help achieve the collective goals of the organization.

7. CHOICE
Democratic organizations thrive on giving employees meaningful choices.

8. INTEGRITY
Integrity is the name of the game, and democratic companies have a lot of it. They understand that freedom takes discipline and also doing what’s morally and ethically right.

9. DECENTRALIZATION
Democratic organizations distribute leadership and power across their enterprise.

10. REFLECTION + EVALUATION
Democratic organizations are committed to looking in the mirror and asking, “How can we be better?” – not just quarterly or annually, but daily.

Are you ready to introduce a democratic approach to your change efforts?