Technique 1.4 Assessing Your Transition Readiness
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Some questions that help assess the organisation's readiness to change
1. Is there a fairly widespread sense that change is necessary? Is the change solving a real problem, or do people think that it is happening for some other reason?
NB Nothing is harder to accept than losses and uncertainty that are believed to be unnecessary
2. Do most people accept that whatever change is taking place represents a valid and effective response to the underlying problem?
NB A perception that the transition is not a good idea will make it hard to manage
3. Has the proposed change polarise workforce in any way that is going to make the transition more disruptive than it would otherwise have been?
4. Is the level of trust in the organisation's leadership adequate?
NB If the level of trust is low, the leadership's task to bring people along with them is harder
5. Does the organisation provide people with any effective training for the new situation and roles that it thrusts them into?
NB Unless this occurs, people will hold back and resist the transition
6. Does the organisation tend to blame people if they make mistakes in a new situation?
NB If this occurs, people will wait for others to make the first move and the transition will be slower
7. Is the change part of a widely understood strategy that is designed to move the organisation in a direction that fits with a fairly clear vision of the future?
8. Do people know why, when and what they have to let go of in the change process?
9. Does the organisation's history help the transition or are there unresolved issues that make people uncertain and mistrustful?
10. Has the change been explained to those who are going to be affected by it in as much detail as is currently possible?
11. Are there people within the organisation who have expertise in the handling of change? Is their assistance available to others in the organisation who may need it?
12. Has a clear set of responsibilities been established for seeing the human side of change performed well? Do the people with those responsibilities have the resources to perform their tasks?
13. Does the timetable for the transition/change reflect what is required?
14. Has a monitoring and evaluating process been set up to determine progress of all the change?
14. Does the culture of the organisation help staff with problems they encounter, or are they left on their own?
The answers to these questions will help determine how easy or difficult the change process is going to be. The more negative answers, the harder the change is going to be. It is important to get the answers to these questions from a wide cross‐section of the organisation.
(source: William Bridges, 2003)