Technique 1.133 What Type of Change Project

Introduction

Before you start your change project, you need to have a better understanding of it.

Many things can unexpectedly impact the change like unrealised dependencies, connections, etc. There can be unexpected downstream consequences.
"...organisations, just like the natural world, are systems. and systems are interconnected and interrelated. They are made up of many players with many roles. However, these relationships can sometimes be hard to spot; the dependencies and connections are unseen, so the impacts can be overlooked..."
Michelle Gibbings, 2022h

Furthermore, systems are characterised by:

- ambiguity (there is so much data, information, ideas, trends, etc that it is virtually impossible to have a comprehensive understanding of their potential and impacts)

- complexity (pace, nature and volume of change is unrelenting; many changes are occurring simultaneously)

- dependence (multiple connections that are not necessarily known; many of these are unseen and/or unaccounted for)

- variety (there are many different stakeholders - internal and external - with differing ideas, opinions, needs, etc).

Use the below questions to better understand your change project.

Questions

1. Is the change incremental, transitional or transformational?

2. Has it been driven by internal and/or external needs?

External can include competition, operating environment, social landscape, regulations, technology, etc.

Internal can include change of leadership/management, cost pressures, mergers/acquisitions, organisational restructuring, organisation's lifecycle, employees' demands, cultural needs, etc.

3. Is the change proactively planned or reactive?

4. Is a change of taking you ahead of your competition, or are you playing catch up?

5. Do you understand the disruptive forces in your markets, and are you looking at forces beyond your traditional competitors?

6. Is this change an adaptive or technical challenge?

7. Have the rules for your industry changed (or are they changing), and what does this mean for your organisation?

8. Who will benefit from this change within the system?

9. Who will be impacted (directly or indirectly) by the change within the system?

10. Who supports the change - both internally and external - to the organisation?

 Think beyond traditional networks and hierarchies.

11. What other changes are occurring in the system at the same time? Where are the connections, dependencies and potential overlaps?

12. What don't we know that we should know before we commit to this?

13. What assumptions underpin our thinking?
(source: Michelle Gibbings, 2022h)