Lifecycle of Organizational Change

During this phase, several key activities are completed. A vision of a possible alternative future begins to emerge, i.e., the future state is defined. The vision addresses the perceived threat, or opportunity, in the triggering disturbance. Depending on the organization, the process for developing the vision may be undertaken by an individual, selected executive committee, cross-functional task force, or it may be driven through a large-scale envisioning process. Emerging organizational change technologies such as Appreciative Inquiry, Whole-Systems Change, and others allow for the involvement of large numbers of key stakeholders in the Response Definition phase. Identifying alternative future visions is a topic all by itself, and a good deal of information is now available.

A preliminary solution set (in change management terms called a remedy) is also identified. What will it take to achieve the new future envisioned? The answer to this question is influenced by key beliefs and assumptions about organizational context, organizational needs, people (human nature, needs, and motivation), and change processes--among others. For example, the remedy could be:

	a new technology or system, e.g., Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system,  Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, etc.,
	new organization structure, e.g., Hewlett-Packard's front-end/back-end organization design strategy,  Visa International's chaordic structure
	a revised set of cultural norms and capabilities, e.g., Quality programs, Customer-driven,  Financial literacy, etc.,
	new or revised relationships and partnerships, e.g., Just-in-time inventory seeks to reduce  inventory costs by reducing supply-chain friction, partnerships established due to out-sourcing  functions identified as non-core such as IT or HR, etc.,
	business process change, e.g., Reengineering initiative
	and a myriad of others.

Once a remedy has been identified, additional information may be needed before sponsors can make an informed decision to:  1) proceed toward implementation, 2) redefine the remedy, or 3) abandon the effort all together. An assessment of the organization's capacity and readiness for change may be required. As part of the assessment, early identification of key individuals or groups (sponsors and agents) who will be important to the success of the change effort can be identified along with their current willingness and ability to play the necessary role(s).

An important step that may be missed is the identification of key success indicators, key progress indicators, and known implementation constraints and supports. How will we know we are successful? What will be measured and monitored? What are the constraints the change implementation plan must be aware of, e.g., financial, time, human, etc.? What will support or facilitate the change process?