10

B Y J E F F M A R S E E

STEPS FOR
IMPLEMEN
CHANGE
Managing effectively SUCCESSFUL CHANGE LEADERS ARE RARE BIRDS. WHETHER THE
effort to implement change is institution-wide or
the human aspects
focused at the departmental level, the reason for failure
of organizational can nearly always be traced to a lack of effective change
change is central management skills exhibited by the leader. More specif-
to your success as ically, it is most often a leaders misunderstanding of
a change leader. organizational culture and human relations within that
culture that prevent successful implementation of
change strategies.
While observing and participating in numerous
attempts to implement organizational change within
both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, I have
advised leaders to follow 10 essential steps.

36 JUNE 2002
TING

NACUBO BUSINESS OFFICER 37

1 1. Align Leadership Style With
Organizational Culture
Many leaders dont fully understand that, by nature, most
organizations resist change. Employees create patterns of
behavior to reduce stress and eliminate the unknown. Change
creates uncertainty, stresses the culture, and alarms the culture
keepersthose individuals who resist change at all costs. It is
the leaders responsibility to reduce undue stress on the culture
caused by change initiatives.
For instance, if a leaders orientation is externalfocused on
Real-world example: One universitys senior leadership team, in
the midst of a major software conversion effort, decided that
consolidating several operations into a one-stop student service
center would improve customer service. The project objective
was correct, but the timing was off. The consultant who was
engaged to facilitate the one-stop project recognized that the
organizations key missionaries were burned-out because of their
involvement in another software conversion project already in
progress. Judging burnout as a barrier that could not be sur-
mounted, the consultant recommended placing the one-stop
market or customer needsand the organizations culture is student center project on hold.
primarily inward or tradition-oriented, a leader will face diffi- The senior leadership team, unable to add staff or provide addi-

3
culty when attempting to realign the organization in response to tional resources, concluded that they were not ready to support
external issues and challenges. This difference in orientation the new one-stop project. Staff appreciated that management
external versus internalcan result in a workforce that fails to acknowledged what was achievable at that time and, that as a
support a change initiative. result, staff could focus on completion of their current project.
Instead, successful leaders must learn to adapt the change
process to the culture. Its easier for an organization to adapt to 3. Protect Your Change Agents
change if it is allowed to do so through the preferred methodol- Change agents are those individuals who believe they must initi-
ogy of its culture. Its also easier for a leader to change his or her ate action to improve organizational effectiveness. They thrive in
leadership style than it is for the organization to adapt unwill- an environment where change is the norm, which often puts
ingly to an unfamiliar change process. them at odds with the organizations culture keepers.
At the same time, while culture keepers are valuable during As self-starting problem solvers, change agents are typically
periods when maintenance is the norm, status quo behavior moved through the ranks of the organization quickly. Sometimes
must be placed in check when change becomes the expected these rising change agents are strong on task resolution but lack

2
norm. While this is a tough message for some leaders to convey, experience with people skills. This accelerated rise through the
they may get some valuable assistance from the change mis- organization places change agents at extreme risk when the
sionaries and change agents within their organizations. leader is not willing to guide them.
As with change missionaries, the tendency to overuse change
2. Dont Overuse Your Change Missionaries agents may be the downfall of a leaders attempts to implement
Change missionaries are those committed individuals who are change. Consistently placing these important organizational
willing to step away from the status quo and place additional assets on the front lines of change can result in their getting beat
effort behind a cause. I call these individuals missionaries up by the peers they have been promoted past and the superiors
because they are driven by a belief that their cause is correct they may be challenging. To protect against change agent
and the outcome will better serve the organization. These burnout, leaders must clearly set the agenda for change, take
individuals may not have the drive to be in the spotlight typi- personal responsibility for initiating change, and make it clear
cally exhibited by change agents. However, when it comes to that obstructionists will be reassigned and replaced by people
providing the muscle to get the work done, this group of core who understand the importance of the change agenda.
supporters makes the difference. And yet, many leaders who
understand the importance of this group often over-rely on Real-world example: At one university, the members on a proj-
them. ect team became divided about the scope of the project, with
Because leaders are eager to implement change and do not some not seeing the need for any change. Hearing about the con-
want to gamble with untried or seemingly apathetic staff, they flict, the president joined the group at its next session. She began
tend to return to the same doers again and again. But even by making it clear that the project, objective, and vision were her
missionaries may burn out, tire of being under-compensated, responsibility even though they were established through a high-
and ultimately become ineffective in managing both their ly participatory process. She noted that all members of the work
ongoing operations and change initiatives. group were responsible for developing and implementing the

38 JUNE 2002
necessary change initiatives. In addition, she made clear that she Real-world example: A provost leading a strategic planning
would hold the entire group responsible for success and would effort completed an environmental scan for his university

4
not tolerate individual efforts to sabotage completion. Placing something that had not been done for many years. The first step
the presidents agenda at the forefront of the effort made clear was to compare the actual environment to the universitys his-
that attempting to stop progress in general, and giving grief to torical mission statement and objective, which proclaimed that
the committed change agents and change missionaries in partic- the university specialized in granting degrees to engineering and
ular, would not be permitted. finance students destined to mainstream into the New York mar-
ketplace (70 miles away) and the international marketplace. In
4. Define the Problem short, the university perceived itself to be a provider of global
In addition to misunderstanding an organizations culture and workforce leaders.
the human relations within that culture, a recurring reason for When the provost shared the results of the environmental scan
failure in the change management process is an unwillingness to with the strategic planning work group, it was apparent that the
adequately diagnose the environment. Strategic plans with weak organization had changed. The university had shifted to a female
diagnostic assessments too frequently result in missed opportu- student majority where the typical student was a single-parent
nities. Since placing efforts in the right direction is as important head of household who, upon graduation, stayed in the commu-
as identifying resources and maintaining effort once the decision nity to run the banks and businesses. The rapidly declining tradi-
for change has been made, completing a serious environmental tional student (18 to 22 years old) no longer wished to live on
scan also helps ensure that change efforts are meaningful. campus. Dorm occupancy had dropped to 70 percent. In addition,

ARE YOU READY FOR CHANGE?

Before implementing significant organizational changes, a leader must answer critical questions regarding organizational culture, human
relations, problem definition, and project management. This checklist can help you review your change management initiatives.

Culture Alignment for each member of the team responsi- to an individual are the responsibilities
Is it clear that you as the change leader ble for change efforts? of the project team?
are committed to a long-term change Have you included new recruits along Is it understood at all levels of the proj-
effort? with experienced and reliable staff to ect team and organization that the proj-
Have you established the urgency for ensure a fresh base of participation? ect will terminate if a significant barrier
change? cannot be removed?
Problem Definition Is it clear how the change leader will
Have you adapted the process for
change to fit the organizations culture? Have you clearly defined and stated the monitor the project via progress reports,
problem or change objectives? target deadlines, and communication
Have you disarmed the culture keepers with project and oversight teams con-
and minimized organizational resistance Does a diagnostic review support the cerning barrier removal?
to change? change initiative?
Is a formal appeals process (usually the
Have you determined how you will Is everyone clear on what the outcome of senior management team) in place for
reward success and emphasize a cul- this change effort will look like and what issues that cannot be resolved at the
ture of change? will constitute successful completion? project team level?
Is a process in place for periodically
Human Relations Project Management
bringing the change leader into the
Are the change agents and change mis- Have you established milestone and project to review progress and reaffirm
sionaries assigned to carry out change incremental deliverable dates? group commitment?
initiatives truly available? Is it understood that fully defining a bar-
Have you established adequate rier (identifying each issue), quantifying
resources and shifted responsibilities the impact, and assigning responsibility

NACUBO BUSINESS OFFICER 39

 the universitys evening courses, typically filled with female stu- tomer and (external) market environment, a good grasp on the
dents, were being held off campus in a forbidding part of town. employee (internal) situation, and a positive relationship with

6
As a result of this assessment, the strategic planning process stakeholders (board members, legislators, donors, and so forth).
moved in an entirely different direction. Following new action plans, Organizations that failed to focus on any of these three areas exhib-
the university converted unused dorm space into single-parent ited operational inefficiency and mediocre results. Staying equally

5
accommodations with evening childcare facilities for both resident focused on the three areas helped these companies ensure a timely
and nonresident students. Evening courses returned to the main response when redirection was necessary.
campus where students felt more safe. The curriculum was changed
to better serve the students and their community. As a result of these 6. Identify and Remove Barriers Before
changes, university enrollment increased substantially. Implementing Action Plans
Projects may become mired in issues not originally intended as
5. Maintain Focus When the Project Drifts part of the implementation process. The same barriers typically
When leaders are distracted with operational issues or new initia- recur when historical reasons for project failures are identified.
tives, ongoing change efforts may lose direction. Understanding These may include lack of resources, policy issues, and staffing
how to recognize early drift means that leaders must monitor the conflicts. The importance of removing such barriers is often over-
key indicators that led them to initiate change in the first place. shadowed by the desire to immediately implement action plans.
In their work Corporate Culture and Performance, authors John A successful barrier-removal strategy is critical for change efforts
Kotter and James Heskett observed that the outstanding companies to succeed. This can only occur when the appropriate people are
in each industry group they studied had a strong focus on the cus- assigned responsibility for identifying and removing barriers.

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40 JUNE 2002
7
7. Assign Responsibilities to Individuals ly because they do not believe the pain caused by change is worth

10
Placing the responsibility upon individuals for removing bar- the effort.
riers or deciding to terminate a project dramatically alters the
importance of the problem-resolution process. No substitute 10. Celebrate Milestone Achievements
exists for the personal pride of removing a barrier. Likewise, and Completion
no burden is as great as personally taking responsibility for Its difficult to maintain project effort and interest beyond 18 months,
not removing a barrier that results in terminating a change and most efforts that exceed 36 months fail from lack of inertia.
effort. Failing to identify incremental evaluation checkpoints sets the stage
Successful barrier removal usually requires empowering for projects to go stale. Likewise, failing to set frequent milestone
two change groups within the organizationthe project team deadlines delays determining that a project is in trouble. Waiting for
and the oversight (senior management) team. While collabo- completion before checking on the project can have disastrous
rative, their emphasis and influence is unique in the change results if the project inadvertently went in the wrong direction.
process, with senior management being tapped for issues that In addition, leaders often forget the importance of recognition
cannot be resolved by the project team. and celebration when trying to create a new environment or
Successful barrier removal means defining the issues, when trying to reinforce the impact of a successful change effort.
quantifying the impact, and assigning responsibility to an Whether change agents and change missionaries are rewarded is

8
individual. These are all empowerment responsibilities that a strong indicator of how important change is to the culture.
must be made clear when creating the project team.
Real-world example: At one university, after the completion of
8. Empower the Project Team each major project, the project team is invited to a celebration
Project teams often err by not being specific enough in defining lunch with the senior administrator responsible for initiating the
barriers. For instance, if additional technology is required to project. Imbedded in this culture is a supportive model for reward-
implement a change, the project team must document exactly ing change that also provides a means for senior leaders to get to
what is needed and at what cost. If additional staff members are know the institutional change agents and change missionaries.
required, how many will be needed? At what level? From where
(transfer or newly hired)? And how will they be used? If policy And Dont Forget
changes are required, what, specifically, must be stated in the Because change is most often the norm for organizations these
new policy? days, you must constantly watch for up-and-coming change
Taking the time to properly define each barrier helps deter- agents and missionaries. After all, expanding this base of core
mine who in the organization can resolve the issue and what supporters improves your ability to implement increasingly more
success will look like when each barrier is removed. To help complicated and important change initiatives in the future.
project team members accept responsibility, require that the One way to identify new recruits is to ask those on whom you
project team submit regular follow-up reports to the oversight currently rely to suggest individuals they think are ready for a
team. These reports should identify specific action plans, change assignment. As for your organizations culture keepers,

9
milestone due dates, and assignment progress. An alert super- you may be surprised by the powerful outcomes that can result
visor can set a corrective course of action if intervention is from eliminating their fear of change. Dont forget to include this
necessary. group, exercising care to adapt the change process to your orga-
nizations culture. Doing so will help redirect the negative ener-
9. Create a Sense of Urgency gy that so often blocks the effectiveness of a change leader.
As for the role of the change leader, foremost is the need to create
a sense of urgency. The fear of uncertainty that change brings Author Bio Prior to establishing the consulting practice of Jeff
upon an organizations culture must be overridden by the fear of Marsee & Associates, LLC, New York City, Marsee served for more
what will happen if change does not occur. Michael Hammer and than 17 years as a chief financial officer and a chief instructional
James Champy, co-authors of Reengineering the Corporation, officer at several colleges. He is an instructor at the College
emphasize the need for establishing urgency in organizational Business Management Institutes at the University of Kentucky,
change efforts. They submit that if a culture is threatened and no Lexington, and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
sense of urgency for change exists, employees will react negative- E-mail jamarsee@aol.com Jeff Marsee

NACUBO BUSINESS OFFICER 41