The Change Monitor shows you exactly what is going well and where the obstacles are in a change process that is already under way. This information will help you determine what you need to do to:
- enable improvements,
- reinforce the next steps, and
- achieve the desired result of the change.
Certified senior consultants support the organization while it is working with the Change Monitor. They ensure valuable discussions on the results of the Monitor, which lead to useful insights. The Change Monitor provides comprehensive solutions for the problem areas that have been identified and concrete proposals concerning actions for improvement. The Change Monitor helps you find out what you need to do to put things on the right track in order to achieve your objective.
Core
The strength of the Change Monitor lies in the collective discussion of the survey results and the development of actions for improvement. The people who have filled in the online questionnaire participate in an interactive discussion about the Change Monitor results, the organization’s change process and its change strategy. The topics they cover include: which things are going well and which are not, what are the reasons for that, what could be done to improved and which actions should be taken to improve or maintain the organization’s change strengths. Together, the results, the discussions and the actions for improvement form a particularly effective combination. The Change Monitor helps you achieve the goals of the change.
The core of the Change Monitor comprises three activities:
- Mapping out the current situation in an ongoing change process;
- Improving any problems that have been identified;
- Retaining and strengthening what is going well.
The ‘active ingredients’ of the Change Monitor are:
- enough time for reflection during the change process;
- structured discussions with all parties concerned about what is really at issue (looking underwater, listening and probing, developing ideas);
- universal participation, including those who are less apt to voice their opinions;
- a broadly supported and realistic action plan that gives energy because the people came up with it themselves;
professional support from a certified senior consultant.
Application
The Change Monitor was developed to help you deal with complex changes that will have major consequences for numerous aspects of your organization and the work carried out by employees. Those could involve structural changes, process improvements, culture changes or new collaborations. It is the joint effort of everyone involved that determines the success of such changes. That is why it makes good sense to hold well-structured discussions with each other about how the change process is going and how people can contribute effectively towards realizing the goals that have been set.
So far, 70 organizations have worked successfully with the Change Monitor. This intervention has contributed to the successful realization of mergers, organizational development, result-oriented work, quality improvements, culture change, and customer-oriented work, among other things. Your situation can also ask for the Innovation Monitor, the Culture Monitor, or another adjustment (see also Practice > Approach).
When does it make sense to use the Change Monitor?
- If a process of improvement, change or renewal is currently taking place within the organization;
- If the management desires to enter into discussion with the rest of the organization about what is going well and what is not going so well within that process;
- If there is confidence in the value of thinking collectively about solutions for problems that have been identified;
- If there is a willingness to actually realize those solutions;
- If time is made available for filling in the survey and for discussing the results.
When does it not make sense to use the Change Monitor?
- If the change process involves fewer than 50 people (in which case there are alternatives to working with a survey);
- If a change process has yet to begin (the survey is made for monitoring ongoing changes);
- If the management is only interested in receiving managerial information but not in entering into a discussion with all of the parties involved in order to learn about change;
- If there is already a crisis situation or if the change involves a major reduction in personnel (in which case there is no basis of trust).
Conditions
The following conditions are what determine the success of the Change Monitor:
Agreement on the principles of working with the Change Monitor, the goal and the approach;
The principal, other relevant parties and the certified senior consultant who is guiding the organization in working with the Change Monitor will thoroughly discuss the underlying principles of this intervention. They will determine whether or not the Change Monitor is suited for the organization, define the results that the use of the intervention should achieve within the organization, and consider how it works in practice. Clarifying the desires and expectations of all sides will ensure a solid basis for working with the Change Monitor.
Implementation of all the steps, up to and including a comprehensive action plan
After they have filled in the survey, everyone will discuss the results. There will be sufficient time for calmly identifying potential difficulties and developing solutions. A prerequisite for starting out with the Change Monitor is that the parties involved are committed to a thorough approach and outcome. If the results turn out to be ‘disappointing’, that is all the more reason for entering into discussion with each other about that. The discussions will conclude with an action plan. Such a plan ensures that the proposed ideas will be turned into results. The action plan helps in the realization of the desired change.
Support aimed at the maximal effect for the organization
The principal and the organization will receive support – for both the content and the process. This will include: The completion of a self-analysis, analysis of the results and getting started with action planning for dealing with any problems that have been identified. This approach is different from the more familiar type of survey research. The core strength of the Change Monitor is the joint exploration and action planning that foster ownership. The certified senior consultant works collaborative with you to ensure that an employee-supported plan of action that will actually energize the employees and lead to results for the organization.
An appropriate form of working together that will stimulate ownership
There are different possible forms for the collaboration when it comes to carrying out the survey and discussing the results. One option could be to give managers a central role. In that case, the support would be directed primarily towards them. A monitor group could also be put together comprising management, support staff and employees that will see to the effective implementation of the Change Monitor in your organization. It is important that everyone involved assumes personal responsibility for the realization of the approach. This will help to give people a sense of ownership for the Change Monitor and that productive actions will be undertaken.
Benefits
The most important benefit of the Change Monitor is that you know what is needed to realize the desired change. By working with the Change Monitor you will also be stimulating communication and cooperation during a change process. You will obtain new insights about the change and about the role of the people involved. You will gain Those often entail valuable insights that you can use to strenghten your leadership in other situations as well.
More specifically, the Change Monitor will provide you with:
a perceptive overview of the issues during the change process
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a sustained proposal for solutions to any problems that have been identified;
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a concrete and realistic action plan that allows you to get started immediately;
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an increased capacity for change, with more people contributing to the change process.
Lees verderDo you want to receive the free Change Monitor brochure?
Do you want to receive the free Change Monitor brochure?
And read more about Conditions for an effective use