Chapter 3

Select the Framework for Change

You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.

—C.S. Lewis

Why is implementing change successfully so hard to accomplish? James Belasco and Ralph Stayer say, “Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have—and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up.” In their book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, Dan and Chip Heath write, “People have two separate ‘systems’ in their brains—a rational system and an emotional system. The rational system is a thoughtful, logical planner. The emotional system is, well, emotional—and impulsive and instinctual. When these two systems are in alignment, change can come quickly and easily. When they’re not, change can be grueling.” Let’s first understand the different levels of resistance to change:

Level 1: Based on Information

–Lack of information

–Disagreement with the idea itself

–Lack of exposure

–Confusion

Level 2: Physiological and Emotional Reactions

–Loss of power or control

–Loss of status

–Loss of face or respect

–Feelings of incompetence

–Feelings of isolation and abandonment

–Sense that you can’t take on anything else (too much change)

–Fatigue due to continued change over a period of time

Level 3: Bigger than the Current Change

–Personal history of mistrust

–Cultural, ethnic, racial, gender differences

–Significant disagreement over values

–Transference—the person being resisted represents someone else to you or you are reacting to a previous situation

The critical part of the challenge of change is unfreezing what is and refreezing at a new, different, and higher level of performance. An equation commonly used to overcome resistance to change is reflected in Figure 3.1.

While there are several management frameworks and models available in the literature for leading organizational change, those most commonly referred to are

Lewin’s Freeze Phases

McKinsey’s 7S model

Kotter’s change model

Bridge’s transition model

Change Acceleration Process model

Adaptive change

Prosci’s ADKAR

No model is superior to any other, as all of these models have been proven to work. It is really a matter of choice and the comfort level of communicating the model within the organization by the change practitioner. At an organizational level, I find the Change Acceleration Process (CAP) model to be one of the more robust models for establishing systems and structures and creating a solid foundation, while at an individual change level, I have found Prosci’s ADKAR to be more pragmatic (Figure 3.2).

The CAP model was created and practiced successfully under the leadership of Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric in the late 1990s. Even after nearly two decades of its existence, the CAP model (Figure 3.3) is respected for its credibility and is practiced by forward-thinking organizations that believe in investing time to build a strong foundation for change.

Leadership Commitment and Systems and Structures in the CAP model are prerequisites for any change effort and support the remaining five categories throughout the course of the excellence journey:

1.Create a shared need

2.Shape a vision

3.Mobilize commitment

4.Make change last

5.Monitor progress

Readers are encouraged to further explore the CAP model and its application, which is beyond the scope of this book.

I have used the CAP model as an overarching framework for change and embedded concepts from different business excellence frameworks and methodologies such as Malcolm Baldrige, Shingo, Balanced Scorecard, Lean, Six Sigma, business process management, patient and family-centered care, Kotter’s change model, Prosci’s ADKAR, and the Competing Values Framework to design various models, guiding principles, management systems, and foundational elements that you will learn about in the subsequent sections of this book.

Based on my past experience in establishing an infrastructure for transformational change at several organizations, I have put together 26 elements that crystalize the foundation for change and catapults the results of implementation (Table 3.1). These 26 foundational elements have been further elaborated and illustrated through visuals, where applicable, to increase your learning experience, and they correspond to the 26 chapters of this book. A word of caution: These are not IKEA instructions on how to handle change in an organization.

The criticality of the organization’s need, however, defines the pace of implementation, which in turn outlines the resource commitment in regard to people and budget for establishing the infrastructure for change.

Sensei Gyaan: Identify and leverage your change accelerators and change influencers to manage your change detractors.