Change Management and Organizational Design
All strategic change initiatives - ranging from new IT systems, business process adjustments and organizational mergers to 'softer' organizational development projects - run the risk of encountering significant resistance from employees and/or external stakeholders. This results in cost overruns and, in some cases, outright failure. Based on an easily understood formula for assessing the people-based barriers to change, we can offer your organization a sound, common sense approach to organizational change management that saves time, saves money and increases the overall effectiveness of project outcomes.
Consulting Solution:
We have been a leading advocate and purveyor of organizational learning solutions since 1989 – making ours a pioneering practice in ‘Learning, Innovation and Change Management’, a foundation element of the Management Accountability Framework (MAF) which was formally adopted by the Public Service in 2003. We have continued to develop this practice in alignment with MAF expectations, and we offer a mature solution to the challenge of developing and maintaining a flexible, responsive organization with an integrated management regime.
Our approach to Organizational Design (OD) and Change Management maintains a balance between the technical tools and techniques of data collection and analysis and the experiential facilitation of stakeholder engagement and commitment. We balance the art and science of OD & Change Management while encouraging innovation by approaching your organization’s situation from a holistic perspective.
The result is a full-service OD and Change Management practice which has earned the trust and confidence of our clients for over twenty years.
Our Change Management Model
The diagram below depicts the iterative approach to change management that we follow at Delta Partners, in a sequence of steps from 1 to 10.
Step 1: The consultants will familiarize themselves with the Organization, its history and culture, and the scope of the planned change. This will involve a review of documentation and interviews with key informants, particularly those familiar with the change project and its anticipated impact.
Step 2: The consultants will work with the implementation team to develop and deliver a communications package, informing all employees of the rationale, details of the change, and the implementation plan. If this has already been communicated, this step will consist of an update on previous communications, including an explanation of the change management approach and any transition support measures that will be available.
Step 3: The consultants will assess the perceived impact of the change and potential barriers to a smooth transition. This step may include a formal or informal transition readiness assessment if that has not already been done and it is warranted by the scope of the change and the risks involved. The assessment will involve an employee consultation using a combination of on-line survey, focus groups, and/or interviews. (Our transition readiness asssessment is based on Bridges, Managing Transitions, 2003.)
Step 4: Based on the results of Step 3, the consultants will design and facilitate an employee engagement workshop in which employee groups (preferably natural work teams) will address the barriers to transition from the perspective of what they can do to contribute to a successful implementation and what training and other supports they need to accomplish this.
Note: It may be possible to save some time and effort by combining the direct employee contact elements of steps 3 and 4 in a single facilitated workshop (with each work team) in which they would assess the barriers to transition and identify their own contribution to the solution.
Step 5: The consultants will produce a report of the engagement workshops and work with the implementation team to make reasonable adjustments to the implementation plan and transition support measures, including training needs.
Step 6: The consultants will work with the implementation team to develop and deliver a follow-up communications package, reaffirming the necessity of the change, and informing all employees of any adjustments to the implementation plan resulting from their feedback.
The first iteration of the change management process ends with Step 6.
Steps 7 – 10: The second iteration (steps 7 to 10) consists of a diminished (in scope) repetition of the first iteration, targeting any remaining ‘problem’ issues and work groups. This may be carried out entirely by in-house personnel, with little or no involvement of the consultants. To ensure that the client has this in-house capacity to carry on, our consultants would work closely with a designated HR person during the first iteration in order to transfer the necessary capabilities.
The timing of the two iterations depends upon the timing and duration of the implementation period. Assuming that the main change implementation occurs fairly quickly, we would suggest conducting "Iteration One" prior to implementation and "Iteration Two" post-implementation - bearing in mind that the change may occur quite quickly, but the transition (psychological and behavioural adjustment) of employees to the new situation may be prolonged.
Consulting Services
Organizational Review and Assessment
The first step in any improvement initiative is to identify your current strengths and weaknesses in relations to your objectives. Our organizational review employs multiple lines of evidence to provide a fact-based assessment including governance, structure, key processes and organizational culture and climate.
Business Transformation
Business transformation, whether it is slow and gradual or more sudden and dramatic, requires a change management strategy and plan. We can assist your organization by providing a consultative approach to planning and implementation, where success is assured through the optimal level of management and employee engagement.
Culture Change
More and more organizations are realizing that they need a culture change in order to move forward effectively. Our specialists can assess the gap between your current and your preferred organizational culture and assist in making the transition.
Knowledge Management
For organizations that depend upon the corporate knowledge and subject matter expertise of their soon-to-be retiring cadres of “knowledge workers”; we offer an effective solution based upon an in-depth understanding of communities of practices and how they work.
IM/IT Implementation
We have developed an integrated change management solution, specifically designed for IM/IT project implementation in line with the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) Enhanced Management Framework.
Stakeholder Consultations
Whether it is to meet a statutory requirement, Office of the Auditor General (OAG) direction or any other reason to conduct a formal stakeholder consultation exercise, we offer professional assistance for your organization which assures a balanced impartial approach – even to the most sensitive issues of the day.
