Guide to Managing Change

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Guide to Managing Change

A printed bound copy of the 'Guide to Managing Change' can be ordered for $15 or $10 each for orders over 10 by contacting senior.leadership@adm.monash.edu.au

• Change model overview
• Change at Monash University
• Prepare for change
  • Step 1: Clarify the reason and vision for change
  • Step 2: Create the team
• Implement the change
  • Step 3: Engage for action
  • Step 4: Generate short-term wins
• Sustain the change
  • Step 5: Anchor the change
• University resources

Change model overview

To help you navigate the change model you will find an overview of the change model, its phase, steps and content of each step below.

Prepare phase
Step 1. Clarify the reason and vision for change	Step 2. Create the team
Build a case for change Assess your current situation Develop your vision Document your change plan	Engage the right people Set clear goals Agree roles

Implement phase
Step 3. Engage for action	Step 4. Generate short-term wins
Establish communication principles Agree communication process Identify and understand stakeholders Build a critical mass for change Remove or minimise barriers Encourage risk taking and innovation Manage the change journey	Identify short-term improvements Plan for the short-term win Review your change plan Review change goals as necessary

Sustain phase
Step 5. Anchor the change
Align the organisation Monitor staff wellbeing Assess behavioural change

What is this guide for managing change for?

This guide will be useful to you if you are expecting changes to your area(s) of responsibility that will:

• involve a significant number of people
• require people to modify their work practices and behaviours to sustain the change(s)

What is this management of change guide for?

In an organisation that is committed to quality improvement and excellence in management, change is always present as it can be a means of achieving quality and effectiveness. This document recognises that change is a constant for a learning organisation such as Monash and a guide to managing change will be of benefit to you in steering your initiatives successfully to completion. The guide is based on a ‘change model’ to help you work out what to do, when to do it and who to involve. It helps:

• Plan and deliver change, specifically focusing on how to enable people to embrace the change
• Encourage a common management approach to change across Monash

The guide focuses on addressing people's fears, concerns, anger, complacency, excitement and motivation to help you lead change by gauging what people see and feel. This is separate from the analysis and thinking that might be required in determining specific changes to, for example, the number and type of courses offered or the research to be undertaken by a given faculty or school.

Some change prophecies

Change is not always welcome. Sometimes the benefits of change may not be apparent, or have difficulty fitting into the current way things are done.¹

• This telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication.
  The device is inherently of no value to us
  (Internal memo, Western Union, 1876)


• Heavier than air flying machines are impossible
  (Lord Kelvin, Mathematician/Physicist, 1895)


• Everything that can be invented has been invented
  (Charles Duell, Commissioner US Patent Office, 1899)


• Worldwide demand for cars will never exceed one million, primarily because of a limitation in the number of available chauffeurs
  (Research prediction, Mercedes Benz, 1900)

¹ A Toolkit: Leading and Managing Successful Change for Yourself and Others', University College London, January 2008

What is the change model?

The change model consists of three phases and five steps.

The prepare phase seeks to build the energy required to start the change effectively, with sufficient momentum to move into the implement phase. Here your leadership comes to the fore as those impacted by change need to be actively involved in the change process. Your change will be fully embraced when you include actions to sustain the change.

Throughout the process the plan you develop will be open to modification as the change process unfolds.

Prepare Phase		Implement Phase		Sustain Phase
Clarify the reason and vision for change		Engage for action		Anchor the change
Create the team		Generate short-term wins
Communicate and check progress

At all times communicate and monitor progress providing regular opportunities to give and receive feedback and information.

Change is not a linear process as the model may suggest, it is dynamic and some steps can happen simultaneously. The model should be used as a catalyst to prompt discussion and action to ensure the success of your change and not as a set of rigid procedures.

Who is this management of change guide for?

The guide has been designed for anyone who is responsible for leading and managing change. It will also be relevant for anyone involved in change who wants to understand the change process in more detail.

What is change?

Change is both an event and a process that hopefully leads to an improvement in quality and effectiveness. The announcement of the change or the 'event', for example - expand student participation in x course, move to new premises, increase revenue to support research activity - starts the process of change. Typically we are skilled at measuring the achievement of the change event's goals and identifying the tasks which must be completed - student numbers have increased by x percent and our plans are on track to connect to x schools to encourage greater numbers.

Change is dynamic and can be constant in nature. Several models have been cited throughout this guide to provide an illustration of the transitions people make when confronted with change. However it is the process of change or the journey each individual takes from the current situation to the desired future that requires skilled leadership and management. Each person will interpret messages differently, which makes the change process inherently challenging (calling on multiple channels and forms of communication).

This guide will provide you with practical knowledge and strategies to enable you to lead and manage your change effectively. Changes can be large or smaller in scale. All of the strategies outlined in this guide are relevant regardless of the scale of your change, although some areas may be less relevant when dealing with smaller change/s. For example, commitment and/or resistance issues may be less of an issue in a small scale change.

For example, William Bridges in his book Managing Transitions; Making the Most of Change, argues that to achieve successful change, managers need to help people work through clear and inevitable stages, or what he called transitions.

The Bridges' transition model identifies these stages as:

It takes time and everyone's journey is different. Your role is to support the majority of the people moving along their personal journey, assisting those who are reticent to make the move with those who want to be part of the new immediately.

By leading and managing the change through the three phases:

• prepare
• implement and
• sustain

You can maintain a reasonably constant flow of normal activities, minimising any dip in output in your area of responsibility. By following this process, there will be clear feedback opportunities that may indicate a necessity to 'tweak' the overall change goals.

Where do you start?

As the change process is dynamic, each phase and step is largely self-contained, so feel free to turn to the area you have greatest interest or need. If this is your first change initiative it makes sense to read the sections as they are presented to understand the logic and flow.

Prepare for change

Use this section if you have yet to:

• Clarify why the change must occur now
• Define the future vision and the steps to get there
• Identify the people who will actively support the change as part of your team

Introduction

Generally people will maintain the status quo, rather than embrace a change. People always feel busy and there is seldom a 'good' time to instigate change. Therefore the challenge at this point is to establish the 'why', the 'what' and the 'who' of your proposed change to convince people that their time, money and/or effort will be meaningfully spent and will ultimately be of benefit to them and the organisation.

You and change

To manage yourself and help others through change it is necessary to recognise the different support requirements at each stage of the process. It may be useful to not your plan for identifying your own and others' responses to change, and how you will help minimise the potential negative effects. My current feelings regarding changes are:²

² A Toolkit: Leading and Managing Successful Change for Yourself and Others', University College London, January 2008

Your role

During this phase you should be focused on:

• Consolidating the supporting information to clarify the reason for change
• Working out what you intend to achieve by implementing this change
• Bringing the appropriate number of people and skills together to form your change team

Prepare phase
Step 1. Clarify the reason and vision for change	Step 2. Create the team
Build a case for change Assess your current situation Develop your vision Document your change plan	Engage the right people Set clear goals Agree roles

Step 1: Clarify the reason and vision for change

Introduction

Many leaders acknowledge that implementing new initiatives, systems or processes tend to fail because insufficient attention has been given to the people involved, rather than any technical fault or structural issue. So why don't leaders tackle this area straight away? Because it takes time, energy and is usually more difficult. Instead, leaders focus on the tactical aspects and expect people to follow. Rarely does this approach result in lasting change. This is why this first step is so important. If you fail to create a climate and vision for change you are putting your change initiative at risk.

Aim

You will have achieved the aims of this step when:

• You have clearly thought out the case for change and can use this to convince others that change needs to start now
• You have a clear statement (vision) of what you are trying to achieve
• You have defined the steps you will take to convert your vision into deliverables and outcomes with measurable milestones and dates to ensure you can track activities.

Key questions

• Why is the status quo no longer acceptable?
• What are the possible costs of not changing?
• What are the possible benefits of changing?
• What specifically is changing?
• How will this change affect individuals?
• What if something else changes?
• What are the perceived outcomes of change in the short/medium/long term?
• What are the possible impacts of change?
• Does the union need to be consulted?

Tools, tips, resources

1. Build a case for change

2. Substantiate your current situation through a SWOT analysis

Substantiate your reason for change using a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats/Risks).

Strengths and weaknesses are internal to Monash or your area. Consider - technology, facilities, student needs, cost efficiencies, skills and capabilities for your area.

• Strengths - what currently gives you an advantage?
• Weaknesses - what currently causes problems?

Opportunities and threats are external to Monash or your area. Consider - government or legislative requirements, competitive tertiary education environment, national, economic or state demographic considerations or external funding for your department.

• Opportunities - what near-term or future opportunities should you pursue?
• Threats/Risks - what near-term or future threats should you plan for?

This analysis can inform your change plan as you clarify the future opportunities and threats that your organisation or department needs to address.

3. Develop your vision

Developing the vision is a rational and creative process; it should involve a cross section of individuals to gain different perspectives. It is often iterative and involves the following points:

• Reviewing the material and outcome of the case for change both quantitatively (eg facts budget figures, number of staff, courses) and qualitatively (eg anecdotes, stories, video clips)
• Formulating a new hypothesis about how the organisation or your faculty will differentiate itself in the future
• Linking the vision of your department/division/school etc with the organisation's overall strategic vision (ie Monash 2025)
• Repeating and refining your vision through feedback until the picture of the future becomes clearer. It will never be one hundred percent. It should be robust enough to move people in a common shared direction, removing constant verification or confusion.

Adapted from Kotter & Cohen (2005)

Group exercise - develop a change vision

Use this exercise with a group of people to bring some clarity and understanding to their work practices or key roles as it is envisioned for the future organisation.

• Conduct a group exercise by exploring a 'week in the life of……. X role at Y date in the future' consider the location, work environment, behaviours, attitudes, relationships, and new working practices that will be evident in the changed organisation. Discuss and capture (flipchart) the group's responses. In plenary explore the output; confirm, refute or develop the content to create clarity around the desired future. Remember to identify the current practice that will be stopped.

Use this group exercise to develop your vision in Step 1. This exercise is also useful for Step 3 as it raises awareness, promotes engagement and reduces uncertainty amongst affected individuals.

4. Document your change plan

Knowing where you are going and what the future looks like enables you to write your change plan. This does not need to be complex, a simple template as in the table below will suffice. Start with your desired outcome and delivery date in mind and then list the actions identifying ownership and a timeframe. Circulate and seek feedback to gain commitment to the actions.

For changes that involve a more detailed impact assessment, the following template may be useful.

Checklist

You know you have successfully completed Step 1 when your case for change is supported by logic and emotion, which results in:

• Rational buy-in by making a case for change based on solid data, which provides a sound basis for confronting problems and measuring performance
• Emotional buy-in by providing a compelling story or picture that catches people's attention and has the potential to generate a high level of energy throughout the department

And you have developed a vision that will:

• Inspire, challenge and spark excitement
• Is clear, concise and feasible
• Identifies the behaviours to be encouraged as well as those that must be eliminated
• Imparts a sense of urgency with obvious milestones.

Step 2: Create the team

Introduction

Successfully achieving your change objective takes more than one individual and sometimes more than one team. You need team members who can actively support the effort and take action when barriers present themselves. Team members should have credibility and be able to influence the individuals who are impacted by the change. Without strong teams, change initiatives seldom have the support, energy, speed and sense of urgency needed to succeed and be sustainable.

Aim

You will have achieved the aims of this step when:

• You can name the members of the project team who are committed to the change and have the knowledge, position and credibility to make it happen
• Each team member understands their role and contribution and the impact they can have on the overall outcome

Key questions

• Have the right people been engaged?
• Does the team share a sense of purpose?
• Is everyone clear on their roles and responsibilities?
• Do you have an effective team process?
• Are the team relationships strong?
• Does the union need to be engaged?

Tools, tips, resources

According to Kotter and Cohen (2005) an effective structure for guiding significant organisational change must include the following key groups as outlined below.

1. Engage the right people

Smaller changes within departments follow the same principle. A sponsor is appointed and is ultimately responsible for the change; however the size of the change may require one team to cover the responsibilities associated with a steering group and project team.

The core skills and attributes required of guiding team members

For guiding teams to succeed, its members must have the knowledge, perspective, and commitment to tackle the challenge. Key skills and attributes are outlined below.

The size of the team will depend on the complexity of the change and the number of individuals the change will impact. You need team members to address the distinct groups of individuals (stakeholders) impacted. This need for influence must be balanced with the ability to take action. Small teams are speedier; however they miss representation from key groups. Groups of greater than 12 become unwieldy very quickly. As a team you will review the different styles of engagement and adopt what is appropriate for your change, considering: consultative forums with stakeholder groups, newsletters, emails, blogs.

2. Set clear goals

Without a common understanding of their goals, guiding teams may waste substantial time. Being able to set up and uphold clear goals requires five basic elements.

3. Agree roles

The RACI model below is useful in identifying and documenting who is responsible or accountable for a given activity. It also highlights those who will be informed or consulted. These agreements can then be communicated easily with the use of the following table.

As a team you would document your agreements.

Checklist

You know you have successfully completed Step 2 when team members:

• Have sufficient power, influence, expertise, credibility and leadership to drive the change
• Are fulfilling their commitments and trusting other members to do likewise
• Are acting in concert to realise the shared vision
• Have started to model the new behaviours

Implement the change

Use this section if you have yet to:

• Communicate your vision and rationale for change to the right people in a way that is meaningful, authentic and memorable for them
• Identify and remove barriers to your change initiative
• Plan for activities that can be completed in the short term, demonstrating the benefits of the change initiative

Introduction

This second phase is about involving all of the stakeholders in the change by demonstrating leadership. The change will not progress without the engagement of stakeholders or tangible proof that the change is feasible. Your staff need to feel drawn to make the commitment (heart) to embrace change and be satisfied that appropriate resources (head) will be available to realise the change.

It is critical that you provide sufficient information about the change and provide this information at the appropriate time. This is part of creating a sense of fairness and procedural justice.

Your role

During this phase you should be focused on:

• Delivering candid, concise and sincere messages. To create the trust, support and commitment necessary to achieve the vision
• Identify and remove barriers that hinder people who are trying to make changes
• Maintaining the sense of urgency by achieving visible, timely and meaningful improvements in the short-term.

Step 3. Engage for action	Step 4. Generate short-term wins
Establish communication principles Agree communication process Identify and understand stakeholders Build a critical mass for change Remove or minimise barriers Encourage risk taking and innovation Manage the change journey Ensure procedural fairness	Identify short-term improvements Plan for the short-term win Review your change plan

Step 3: Engage for action

Introduction

If you are seeking to engage individuals then communicating the change is obviously a critical step. People need to progress from lack of awareness, to understanding and finally committing to the vision. This is achieved through continuous dialogue using multiple channels and forms of communication to enrol individuals in the change effort. Communication needs to reach everyone in the faculty, department, school, division or University who will play a role in making the change a reality.

Having provided everyone with a reason to change you are now called upon to demonstrate there is the means to do so. Here you are identifying and removing obstacles ensuring the support you have captured can build momentum throughout the organisation.

Aim

You will have achieved the aims of this step when:

• Any one person impacted by the change can describe what the change is and why it is needed
• You have identified and spoken to all the groups of people (stakeholders) who are affected by the change
• You have removed or modified barriers and enabled people to fully support and therefore be active in the change you are trying to achieve

Key questions

• Who are the people who need to know about your change?
• How are you going to ensure they understand it?
• What are the key points you need each group of people to know/understand?
• What are the likely concerns for each group?
• How will you respond to them, to ensure you build a critical mass who support your change?
• What systems, behaviours and beliefs are hindering or supporting your change and what are you doing to reduce that hindrance and reinforce the support?
• How are you supporting individuals and groups through the change?
• Are the processes used in the change, fair and transparent?

Tools, tips, resources

Kotter and Cohen (2005) provide the following broad principles for effective communication of the business case and vision for change. These communication principles can be applied by any member of the organisation communicating on change.

1. Communication principles

2. Communication process

A few key questions in the following areas can help define and simplify the communication process.

3. Identify and understand stakeholders

Simply put, a stakeholder is an individual or a group of individuals who are directly or indirectly impacted by the change you are implementing. With the help of your team you will list all stakeholders and explore your understanding of their response to this change. With this initial understanding you can develop appropriate messages or forums for this group to be engaged.

Use these templates to document your knowledge of stakeholders, where 1 = not critical at all/no effort required to 5 = extremely critical / significant effort required.

4. Build a critical mass for change

A critical mass is defined as the smallest number of people and/or groups who must be committed to a change for it to occur. This means that a critical mass may or may not include all the members of a particular level or organisational constituency or stakeholder group. Members of the change team should determine the minimum commitment required from each person or group in order to allow the change to happen.

Ask which group or individuals are needed to make it happen, help it happen or let it happen in order to build sufficient critical mass to accomplish change. Beckhard and Pritchard developed a useful framework called a commitment chart.

A cross X indicates where the key individuals or groups are today and a circle O where they would be ideally.

Use the results of the commitment chart to build an engagement plan to ensure the success of your change initiative.

5. Remove or minimise barriers

The four main barriers that often need removing or minimising are:

Review the barriers and gauge which are the most important ones to address for your particular change. You can then determine the most workable solution for your change context.

6. Encourage risk taking and innovation

Once major barriers have been removed it is time to foster a new way of thinking and acting to help employees break out of old behaviour patterns and habits. Here are some pointers on stimulating and encouraging new ideas.

7. Manage the change journey

A number of writers and researchers exploring the human dimension of change have identified clear phases that people appear to generally move through as they face and come to terms with change. This guide introduces you to the work of Elizabeth Kubler Ross ('The Change Curve') and William Bridges ('Transition Model'). Both models provide a useful way to look at how change affects individuals.

Elizabeth Kubler Ross - 'The Change Curve'

The work of Elizabeth Kubler Ross, who initially researched and wrote about bereavement and the process of grief that people typically experience, has relevance to change management. People dealing with personal loss and bereavement often experience a cycle ranging from initial shock, denial, anger and anxiety, ultimately moving through to acceptance.

When major change is involved, it is not unusual for people to experience a similar 'journey'. The speed and duration of the cycle will vary depending on the degree of change and its impact on people. As individuals we will all vary in our responses and the speed at which we adapt.

Nor is it a one-way journey. People may feel they have come to terms with a change, only to have something unexpectedly throw them off course, and they find themselves back in worry or anger. This sort of 'flip-flopping' is quite commonly observed and experienced.

Depression and resistance

Based on the work of Elizabeth Kübler Ross)

Ways to help people through the change curve

Personal response to change³

This activity helps call to mind how you respond personally to change, and the conditions you need to create to ensure your success.

• Think of a time in your life when you were deeply challenged by a situation you did not know how you would get through it…but you got through somehow.
• Make brief notes here of what happened
• How did you feel?
• What did you do that helped you get through it?
• What help did you get from others?
• What resources did you discover in yourself and in others who helped you?
• How might you draw on these resources in the change that is happening now?

William Bridges - 'Transition Model'

William Bridges in his book Managing Transitions; Making the Most of Change, argues that to achieve successful change, managers/leaders need to help people work through clear and inevitable stages, or what he called transitions.

The Bridges’ transition model identifies these stages as:

Change means loss for most people; they must let go of the old way. Most people then move into a neutral zone - they've lost the old way but have not yet started the new way. Finally people embrace the new way.

A small number of people will never let go, others may stay in the neutral zone.

Very often people are reluctant to acknowledge or talk about these feelings, which in turn make it difficult to address and progress with the change.

It takes time and everyone's journey is different. Your role is to support the majority of the people moving along their personal journey, assisting those who are reticent to make the move along with those who want to be part of the new immediately.

³ A Toolkit: Leading and Managing Successful Change for Yourself and Others', University College London, January 2008

Here are some tips to help support people through this change

Group exercise - normalise the change

A facilitated exercise during this change journey can help surface the aspects which are causing feelings of concern or hope. Use the Leave/Bring model and ask questions in small groups. This exercise will bring forth information which will help recognise and normalise the change journey for all involved. There is the potential to elicit benefits and areas which have not yet been addressed. It will strengthen relationships in a period of uncertainty through the act of disclosing and sharing individual perspectives.

Managing new beginnings

What actions could you take to help yourself and others to manage new beginnings?

Checklist

You know you have successfully completed Step 3 when:

• Areas of resistance have been identified and minimised
• You have encouraged and supported people to take risks and be innovative
• Key managers have committed time and resources necessary to support the effort
• The level of activity and therefore participation relating to the change has increased
• The quality and quantity of feedback has improved
• Issues and problems identified are acted on rapidly
• You have watched what people do (not just what they say) and made adjustments to your change plan to address impediments
• You have supported people in their change journey.

Fish swimming in the change management pond⁵

An Urdu story told by Shashi Kataria (as told to him by his grandmother).

In the middle of the jungle was a deep pond full of fish who lived a joyous life. They jumped out of the water and swum around unafraid of predators.

One day two fishermen got lost in the forest on the way home from a bad day of fishing and as dusk fell stumbled into a clearing, found this pond and watching the jumping fish marvelled at what they had found. But it was late and getting dark so they went off, picking through the darkening forest eventually finding their way home, but deciding to return in the morning to catch this wonderful supply of fish.

After the fishermen had left one of the older fish consulted his ancestors and realised that the fishermen would be back, that word would spread and that all the fish in their happy community were now in danger. As the news of their predicament spread the fish became polarised into 3 groups which reacted in quite different ways.

The first group stayed up late analysing the problem and going over all possibilities. Eventually in the early hours of the morning they identified a way out. They remembered there was a very shallow trickle draining from the far end of the pond. They did not know where this went to, and they knew they risked their lives by attempting to swim out of this narrow spout to an unknown destination, but it was also risky to stay. Since by staying they were going to die anyway they decided to risk dying by swimming out into the unknown.

As it turned out, the spout fell into a pond below, smaller but good still. 5% of the group lost their lives on the perilous journey, but it was worth it. Most of them survived and life continued.

The second group said ‘why worry, maybe there is nothing we can do about what happens, and maybe when we are threatened directly then we will get creative and a solution will come to us’.

The third group did not think but could not relax either. They panicked: splashing, thrashing, round and round, frantically wailing ‘we’re all going to die’.

The next day sure enough the fishermen came back with their nets. This time they saw no fish jumping but they could see fish swimming madly around beneath the water and they dipped their nets in to try to catch them. In this dangerous moment the second group got creative. They said to each other ‘maybe if we play dead they won’t want to eat us’. So when each fisherman filled his net and went through his catch he had a mix of flipping flopping fish and still ones. The still ones they threw back into the pond.

The moral of this story about change management is YOU DECIDE how to react. You can analyse late into the night, you can be carefree and creative in each moment or you can panic. Which approach to change do you choose?

⁵ A Toolkit: Leading and Managing Successful Change for Yourself and Others', University College London, January 2008

Step 4 - Generate short-term wins

Introduction

Without tangible evidence that the change effort is making progress, impacted individuals and groups throughout the University can be critical that the initiative is absorbing too many resources and sceptics become increasingly difficult to convince. Enthusiasm can wane as the effort takes it toll. All of this results in declining urgency and a loss of crucial momentum. While vision, logic and charisma are good for a while, the most powerful argument is the visible proof that progress has been made.

Aim

You will have achieved the aims of this step when:

• You have delivered a worthwhile change (win), celebrated the win and made this visible to all the relevant people (stakeholders)
• You have reviewed your project plan and reflected on your experience which you can now use to ensure any off track areas are addressed

Key questions

• Why is this the right 'improvement' for your project?
• What resources, staff and time has been committed to achieve visible improvements?
• How will these short-term wins be communicated convincingly to all stakeholders?
• What process do you have in place to modify your change plan or embed the positive improvements?

Tools, tips, resources

1. Identify short-term improvements

When working with your team and key stakeholders use the following characteristics as a guide for determining what will make the most effective short-term wins:

• Measurable - Select those with convincing improvements not vague and fuzzy
• Visible - Staff need to see real evidence of the progress to validate the change effort
• Timely - Ideally results should appear within a ninety-day timeframe (partial or progressive results are also valid)
• Relevant to stakeholders - Ensure the improvements are valuable to the majority of your stakeholders
• Relevant to the situation - Wins should provide a test of the vision and change plan against real conditions so they provide useful information to learn from.

Take some time to work through the various needs of your stakeholders and categorise these needs by 'importance to the stakeholder' and 'ease of implementation'. You can then prioritise which issues you will focus on. The majority of teams will choose to work on those that fit the criteria of the top right hand quadrant 'just do it', shifting to 'prioritise the gems', where resources and time permit.

2. Plan for the short-term win

To help plan for your short-term win, consider the following short-term wins planning template.

3. Review your change plan

Short-term results, both positive and negative, will provide useful information about the validity and the feasibility of the change initiative. Use the results to help answer the following questions and then use the response to shape the continued direction of the change plan.

• Are the change objectives achievable, realistic?
• Is the plan working? What is the evidence to support or refute?
• Are the planning estimates accurate? Where should more or less time be spent?
• What one thing would have improved results?
• What should be stopped?
• Who should be given more or less responsibility?
• What should be done to ensure further success?

Checklist

• You know you have successfully completed Step 4 when you have:
• Confidence that the change plan is based on concrete evidence
• Momentum for the change effort, with more people becoming active supporters and helpers
• A change team with renewed motivation for the task, inspiring others to act
• A sense of excitement as people see the changes to date being celebrated, feel the momentum and therefore want to act.

Sustain the change

Use this section if you have yet to:

• Embed the new behaviours into the organisation, making the change 'the way we do business here'

Introduction

Never assume your job is over when the outward manifestations of the change are complete (new people in new roles, new premises inhabited) or believe everyone shares your level of understanding. Nor underestimate the learning curve and performance dip all change initiatives experience.

The way things are done is influenced by our culture: our shared values, assumptions and beliefs, which are often invisible to our people, as each person learns through day to day experience rather than being taught. This makes culture powerful and slow to change. In a contest between behaviour required for your proposed change and behaviour expected by the existing culture, the culture will win in the long run unless the change is well supported.

Your role

During this phase you should be focused on:

• Persisting, monitoring and measuring progress and not declaring victory prematurely
• Recognising, rewarding and modeling the new behaviour
• Using champions of the change to tell their story

Step 5 - Anchor the change

Introduction

In this final step you cannot assume that the progress you have made to this point will continue without more effort. You must consciously identify and actively manage cultural elements that do not support the change you are implementing.

Aim

You will have achieved the aims of this step when:

• The 'old ways' are seen by those affected by the change as being outdated or old fashioned (not the good old days) in fact many people are vocal and able to demonstrate the benefits of the change personally and organisationally
• The changes are reinforced through the use of new or updated systems, processes, measures, values and behaviours

Key questions

• What are you doing to keep old behaviour from creeping back?
• What are the key aspects of the Monash culture that should reinforce your change?
• What will you (or others) do to ensure the change you have delivered takes root and becomes part of the new culture?
• Are you and your guiding teams modeling the new behaviour and reinforcing/recognising others?

Tools, tips, resources

1. Align the organisation

Figure 1 illustrates the systemic nature of an organisation, showing one view of how organisational structure, technology, processes, rewards and people all interact to convert vision and strategy into overall culture and business performance. All of these facets need to be aligned for change to be successful. To achieve and sustain long-term results, you need to monitor key aspects of an organisation and its infrastructure to ensure that barriers have been removed and progress is being made. The assessment tool in the subsequent table provides a useful way to monitor these different areas.

Figure 1. Framework for organisational alignment. Culture refers to shared values, assumptions and beliefs

Assessment tool

2. Monitor staff wellbeing

The constant nature of change often experienced in the workplace can create an environment of uncertainty that can impact negatively upon staff wellbeing. Use the following suggestions to help you accomplish this goal.

• Collect feedback, formally or informally; analyse your Staff Attitude Survey results
• Continue to clarify what will change and what will not. Knowing what stays the same enables people to make the changes you desire, it achieves a sense of security and momentum for action.
• Provide supporting mechanisms to cope with the change. Set up chat groups, listen more, be more available and approachable (refer to University Employee Assistance Program)

3. Assess behavioural change

This next tool helps determine the extent to which the new behaviour is sticking and, as a result, the probability that the new culture will emerge.

Is the change sticking?

Checklist

You know you have successfully completed Step 5 when you have:

• Collected information about how the change you started is being received through formal surveys or informal catch ups
• Individuals have been thanked and publicly recognised for their contribution
• Everyone has been informed of the change initiative achievements
• You have ensured the changes you have implemented can be sustained through new work practices, roles and responsibilities, measures etc
• You are modelling the new behaviour

University resources

Leadership and Management Development

Coaching, consultancy, advice & support in the following areas:

• Change & conflict management
• Team building
• Performance development advice
• Leadership & Management development

Telephone: 9905 6805

• Leadership and Management Development

Staff Development

• Staff development calendar

Workplace Relations

• Enterprise Agreement interpretation
• Discipline and grievances
• Policy interpretation

Telephone: 9905 6181

• Workplace Policies and Procedures

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Manager Assist

A professional, confidential counselling service available free of charge to all Monash employees and their immediate family members. Monash offers a combined internal/external EAP. This service can
be of assistance when staff are experiencing work-related and personal or health problems.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Telephone: 1800 350 359

Manager Assist
Telephone: 1800 350 359