commentary on organizational change applied project herman

Running head: COMMENTARY ON ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE 1

Commentary on Organizational Change Applied Project

Herman J. Najoli

DOL 750: Change, Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Professor Dr. Jim Freemyer

August 29, 2009

Revised: June 3, 2010

Current Revision: February 2, 2011


Commentary on Organizational Change Applied Project

The change sought in this project entailed planned change of the sustainability and

character coach training processes at Winners Walk Tall (WWT) in Cincinnati, Ohio. WWT runs

youth programs in various schools within the tri-county area of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.

Each of these schools has a volunteer character coach who works alongside teachers in the

classrooms to teach life skills to youth. It is through volunteer work that this writer developed a

relationship with WWT. Volunteer character coaches are community leaders who invest time

with students to help them develop “into tomorrow's winners through a character-building

program that teaches fundamental values and life-changing skills” (Winners Walk Tall, n.d.).

This project is grounded in a sequence of phases developed by Kotter (1996) and refined by

Kotter & Cohen (2002). The eight phases of change were selected because they offer a “flexible

framework…, as opposed to a more conventional, rigid approach…” (Cohen, 2005, p. 1).

Team Members and Roles

The four key leaders at WWT, David, Karen, Josh, and Ben, were contacted at a board

meeting and also via email (Appendix A). Responses were received from Josh, chairman of the

Board (Appendix B), and Karen, Associate Director (Appendix C). Each had different

assumptions, interests, feelings, and knowledge as depicted in the reflection matrix (Appendix

D), a tool for drawing the „inner realities of the various interested parties” (Dunoon, 2008, p.

133). According to De Caluwè and Vermaak (2003) the context of an organization is shaped by

actors who drive change. This project had five key actors. The change initiator in this project is

the writer. All four key leaders at WWT served as sponsors, charged with the task of ensuring

that support is developed for executing planned change. Karen orchestrated the process by

“safeguarding progress toward the planned ambitions‟ (De Caluwé, & Vermaak, 2003, p. 84).


David and Ben provided support for the change project and to aid in championing a sense of

urgency. The five individuals identified in this narrative, the change initiator and four key leaders

at WWT, served as the guiding coalition (Kotter, 1996) for this change project.

Presenting Problems

Problem A: Inability to sustain the organization for the long-term. The first problem

that came to light from the email exchanges, reports provided and the interview with Karen is the

dire revenue straits of the organization. In an email exchange Josh, the board chairman stated

(Appendix B) that “priority one for us are ways to raise sustainable sources of revenue” (J.

Gerth, personal communication, July 5, 2009). Karen seconded this in her email (Appendix C)

and stated that the organization‟s continued existence is in peril due to lack of revenue sources.

Problem B: Inefficient processes for developing character coaches. Karen stated that

it takes up to ten hours to complete initial training of character coaches. A fellow character coach

lamented that there is no process for the continued development of character coaches once they

have been assigned to a school. Karen acknowledged this and indicated her desire to have a plan

in place but identified the financial limitations and over-extended nature of current resources.

Project Milestones

As the change initiator, this writer pointed out that it would be a significant achievement

to accomplish a business process redesign (BPR) that results in revenue savings for the

organization. According to De Caluwè & Vermaak (2003) a “BPR is a set of methods designed

to chart work processes, to analyze them, and to redesign them using a number of logical,

rational rules” (p. 243). A second major milestone was the introduction of a development process

that uses volunteer efforts in ensuring that WWT continues to be a learning organization. These

milestones and the flow of actions are visually presented in a Gantt chart (Appendix E).


Flow of Actions Gantt Chart

According to Jones (1988) Gantt charts “are widely used to represent production plans,

schedules, and actual performance” (p. 893). A Gantt chart was chosen as the most effective

means for creating a visual representation of the flow of actions. Kumar (2005) explains, “in a

Gantt chart, each task takes up one row.... As the project progresses, the chart can be updated by

filling in the bars to a length proportional to the fraction of work that has been accomplished on

the task” (p. 15). As depicted in,the Gantt chart (Appendix E) there were clear timelines for the

project‟s main actions, which included: Information meeting with Karen as part of organization

study process; Creation of reflection matrix (Dunoon, 2008) based on insight from Karen;

ARCTIC framework (Black & Gregersen, 2003) meeting with guiding team; Reception of

feedback from Executive Director through Associate Director; Implementation of chosen change

initiative using Kotter‟s (1996) eight-step strategy; Training session with character coaches in the

Pilot Project Team; and Continued execution of change at WWT. The change plan was bound in

booklet and presented to the guiding team in both book and PowerPoint format (Appendix F). It

was essential for this writer, as the change initiator, to adopt a “relational stance” (Dunoon, 2008,

p. 30) from the very beginning, which required a commitment to listen to the concerns of

WWT‟s leadership and respect their request for confidentiality.

Project-specific exchanges between the initiator and the guiding team were recorded in a

communication plan (Appendix D). The communication plan aided with the organization,

facilitation, and orchestration of the change process (De Caluwè & Vermaak, 2003). Essential to

this phase of the process was the need to disseminate information to each member of the guiding

team. Both the change initiator and the change orchestrator did this through email, with the


orchestrator‟s email messages geared towards informing team members of the progress while the

initiator‟s messages empowered the change actors and generated support for each phase.

The writer discussed the ARIES practices as a tool to enable team members sort through

“complex and contentious issues” (Dunoon, 2008, p. 115). By contemplating WWT‟s “present

realities” (p. 132), both the change initiator and the change orchestrator arrived at the conclusion

that the board sees it fit to have steady guidance given the current economic problems facing the

country in general and many social service organizations in particular. The facilitated a joint

conclusion that there were real benefits for implementing a BPR. This implementation consisted

of contacting a number of organizations in Greater Cincinnati for collaboration opportunities. As

evidenced in the recommendation letter the Literacy Network/Cincinnati Reads came on board to

facilitate new directions for WWT (Appendix G). Intervision groups were established using the

eight-step process for leading successful change (Kotter, 1996). The selected team of coaches

became champions of change for the coach development process. Black & Gregersen (2008)

point out that “change champions are needed exactly where the rubber meets the road” (p. 102).

At the current stage new information continues to be analyzed by asking questions. The

underlying philosophy used for asking questions was “the five ARIES practices - attending,

reflecting, inquiring, expressing, and synthesizing” (Dunoon, 2008, p.113). The ARIES practices

require the analyst to be perceptive rather than task-oriented, contemplative rather than action-

oriented, inquisitive rather than solution-oriented, communicative rather than assumption-

oriented, and integrative rather than contentious (Dunoon, 2008). The reflection matrix

(Appendix D) was a valuable resource in working with Karen on the need for intervision groups.

Feedback received by this change initiator continues to indicate that WWT‟s leaders are working

diligently in continuing the positive results of the change plan.


References

Black, J. S., & Gregersen, H. B. (2008). It starts with one: Changing individuals changes

organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Cohen, D. S. (2005). The heart of change field guide: Tools and tactics for leading change in

your organization. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

De Caluwé, L., & Vermaak, H. (2003). Learning to change: A guide for organizational change

agents. London: Sage Publications.

Dunoon, D., (2008). In the leadership mode: Concepts, practices, and tools for a different

leadership. Trafford Publishing.

Jones, C. (1988). The three-dimensional Gantt chart. Operations Research, 36(6), 891-903.

Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database.

Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Kotter, J. P., & Cohen, D. S. (2002). The heart of change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School

Press,

Kumar, P. (2005). Effective use of Gantt chart for managing large scale projects. Cost

Engineering, 47(7), 14-21. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database.

Winners Walk Tall (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2009 from www.winnerswalktall.org


Appendix A: Collaboration Email from Herman to WWT Leadership


Appendix B: Josh Gerth‟s Response to Collaboration Email


Appendix C: Karen Volk‟s Response to Collaboration Email


Appendix D

WWT Reflection Matrix and Communication Plan


Appendix E: Flow of Actions Gantt Chart


Appendix F: Change Presentation

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: PROJECT FOR WINNERS WALK TALL

Developed in partial fulfillment of requirements for

DOL 750: Change, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship

Indiana Wesleyan University

Professor: Dr. Jim Freemyer

July - August, 2009

O V E R V I E WE X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y

W H A T T H E O R G A N I Z A T I O N N E E D S

T H E O R E T I C A L F O U N D A T I O N : J O H N K O T T E R R E V I S I T E D

T H E E I G H T-S T A G E P R O C E S S

C H A N G E I S K N O C K I N G A T T H E D O O R

B U S I N E S S P R O C E S S R E D E S I G N

I N T E R V I S I O N G R O U P S

T H E W A Y F O R W A R D

W h a t t h i s o r g a n i z a t i o n n e e d s

Establish Urgency

THEORETICAL FOUNDATION

Build the Guiding Coalition


Develop a Vision and a Strategy

Communicate the Change Vision for Buy-In

Empower Employees for Broad-Based Action

AttendingReflectingInquiringExpressingSynthesizing

Generate Short-Term Wins

Consolidate Gains and Produce More Change

Anchor New Approachesin the Culture


Changing Hearts and MindsRed Print, Yellow Print and Blue Print Thinking

Sustainability Analysis through Business Process Redesign (BPR)

Character Coach Training Through Intervision Groups

CHART PROCESSES

Mental Maps

IT Systems

AUDIT PROCESSES

Melting icebergs

Diagnose the Past

EVALUATION

Yellow Prints

Key Suggestions

IDENTIFY LEADERS

Outsource Training

Rubber Meets Road

DEVELOP GROUPS

Four to Six People

Close Proximity

SHARE MATERIALS

Online Medium

Anchor Change

No More Jumping Through

Hoops

Black, J. S. & Gregersen, H. B., (2008). It starts with one: Changing individuals changes organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Creating Character in only 10 Minutes, (n.d.). Retrieved July 28, 2009 from http://www.winnerswalktall.org/index.asp?pgid=5

de Caluwé, L., & Vermaak, H. (2003). (2003) Learning to change: A guide for organizational change agents. London: Sage Publications.

Dunoon, D., (2008), In the leadership mode: Concepts, practices, and tools for a different leadership. Trafford Publishing.

Garvin, D. (1993). Building a Learning Organization. Harvard Business Review, 71(4), 78-91. Retrieved from Business Source Premier Database.

Head, C. W. (1997). Beyond corporate transformation. Portland, OR: Productivity Press.

Jansen-Vullers, M., & Reijers, H. (2005). Business process redesign in healthcare: Towards a structured approach. INFOR, 43(4), 321-339. Retrieved

from Business Source Premier database.

Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Kotter, J. P., & Cohen, D. S., (2002). The heart of change: Real-life stories of how people change their organizations, Boston, MA: Harvard Business

School Press.

Kotter, J. P. & Rathgeber, H. (2005) Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and succeeding under any conditions. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Morgan, G. (1997) Imaginization: New mindsets for seeing, organizing and managing. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Robert Mauk helped teach kids character (2008). Retrieved June 2, 2009 from http://winnerswalktall.org/index.asp?pgid=35.

Rosenstiel, L. V., & Koch, S. (2001). Change in Socioeconomic Values as a Trigger of Organizational Learning. In M. Dierkes, A. B. Antal, J. Child, & I.

Nonaka (Eds.), Handbook of organizational learning and knowledge. New York: Oxford University Press.

Stoddard, D., & Jarvenpaa, S. (1995). Business process redesign: Tactics for managing radical change. Journal of Management Information Systems,

12(1), 81-107. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database

Sustainability Analysis (n.d.). Retrieved August 2, 2009 from http://www.cfsd.org.uk/events/tspd6/tspd6_abstract24.html

Thompson, J. D. (1967). Organizations in action: Social science bases of administrative theory. New York: McGraw Hill.

Winners Walk Tall (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2009 from www.winnerswalktall.org


Appendix G

WWT Testimonial for Change Project

commentary on organizational change applied project herman

Documents