Change management theories combine in PGS’ Process Improvement
There are several schools of thought that we have grouped into what we call “change management theories.” Once we’d identified and integrated them, we took this change management body of knowledge and created our Process Improvement product to help organizations streamline and optimize their core processes. Below, is a picture of the theories we integrated:
Change management theories explored and pitfalls identified
Continuous Quality Improvement
CQI is largely based on the work of W. Edwards Deming. He used statistical analysis to discover what is happening in a system. His emphasis for improvement is on the removal of waste and the elimination of rework, by streamlining the system so that it delivers a quality product each time. Deming believed that well over 90 percent of the problems in an organization are the results of faulty systems and that employees want to do a good job. When systems or processes are improved, using the CQI tools and techniques, employees are able to excel, customers are satisfied and costs reduced.
What’s the pitfall of not incorporating CQI well? Poor data gathering. Good customer and system data is essential to get both staff and leadership to buy into a project. Knowing your baseline is essential to assessing whether or not your improvements are working, paying for themselves, and building support among the troops.
Organizational lifecycles
The concept of organizational lifecycles, as we apply the term here at PGS, is based on the work of Ichak Adizes, and described in his book, Corporate Lifecycles, and Jerry Faust, who created a template to determine an organization’s stage in its lifecycle. In the context of process improvement or change management, the key is to have the optimal mix of flexibility and control in the organization. Working with organizations throughout a process improvement project, requires the determination of that point when more flexibility — rather than more control — is needed from leadership. Coaching from our consultants makes this a fairly easy balance to maintain.
What’s the pitfall of not understanding organizational lifecycles? Just as asking a young child to drive your car is ill advised, asking an organization at one stage of the lifecycle to act as though it is at another, is risky. If the organization is in a go-go mode, which means if it is rapidly growing and changing and trying new things; asking it to clearly flowchart systems is an impossible task. Likewise, an old bureaucratic organization will find it hard to be innovative. For a successful change initiative to stick, the leadership must be coached on how to approach systems and innovation correctly. Without that step, they will fall back on old ways quickly and the change effort will fail.
Managing transitions
Managing transitions is probably the most overlooked piece of the change management puzzle, and one of the reasons that many change initiatives fail. Transition management is based on the work of William Bridges, and focuses on the people side of change. That is, it focuses on what employees are going through in change situations, and how their reactions can make or break the process. This is critical, as is developing an approach to help employees who are affected by change, to get through it, successfully.
What’s the pitfall of not managing transitions? Disaster! Truly managing the people side of change is critical to management success. It is human nature to resist — or even fear — change. That’s regardless of whether the change is perceived as positive or negative. Making coaching available to employees during a change process is essential to the success of that process.
Project planning or project management
Here is another spot where many change initiatives fail. Management can identify the need for change and create a new system. It can even address transitions that affect employees. But unless all that detail is laid out in a clear, visual, roadmap of activity, it becomes a jumbled mess of starts and stops. Project planning organizes the work defined, into clear, coordinated tracks of activity, helping to ensure that the steps needed to complete the change initiative are completed.
What’s the pitfall of not using project planning? The pitfalls of not using a good project planning method to map out the work to be done, range from poor time management, and discouraged staff, to project chaos and complete loss of momentum. Project planning is critical to maintaining consistent progress, achieving early successes, and staying organized throughout.
Reengineering
"Business Process Reengineering" is a term coined by Michael Hammer in the early 1990’s. Though reengineering is often associated with layoffs and cutbacks, the tools and theory were not initially designed with that in mind. Reengineering brings to change initiatives the tools for analyzing processes, brainstorming new designs, testing and roll-out. It is a fundamental component of good change management.
What’s the pitfall of not using reengineering theory? Processes may not be redesigned to successfully eliminate the rubs and reworks that are creating problems for customers and employees. Reengineering brings the discipline to map current processes, identify the rubs, and redesign the process to eliminate them in the long term.
What does the combination of change management theories look like?
Professional Growth Systems’ Process Improvement is the tool that has integrated all the change management theories we’ve discussed into a cohesive package. To find out more about Process Improvement click here. If you would like to talk with a consultant about your organization and its readiness to take on a change initiative, contact us at (877) 276-4414.