Strategy Survival Guide

End Result
Transformation
Realignment
Incremental
Evolution
Adaptation
Nature
Big bang
Revolution
Reconstruction
The resulting types of change vary in scope. Adaptation and reconstruction do not fundamentally challenge
an organisation’s beliefs, and so are often easier to achieve. Evolution can take a long period of time, but
results in a fundamentally different organisation once completed. Revolution is likely to be a forced, reactive
transformation using simultaneous initiatives on many fronts, and often in a relatively short space of time.
It is essential that those responsible for creating the change are aware of the implications of the type of
change they are trying to achieve. This can only be done by carrying out a detailed analysis of the context
within which change will sit. Useful features to assess when determining context include:
• Time scale: how quickly is change needed?
• Scope: what degree of change is needed?
• Preservation: what organisational resources and characteristics need to be maintained?
• Diversity: how homogeneous are the staff groups and divisions within the organisation?
• Capability: What is the managerial and personal capability to implement change?
• Capacity: what is the degree of change resource available?
• Readiness: how ready for change are the staff?
• Power: what power does the change leader have to impose change?
Some of these dimensions can be assessed relatively easily, e.g. time and scope. Others are likely to
require more direct consultation with front-line staff and other stakeholders, for example assessing
organisational readiness for change. The organisational analysis already undertaken in the Research and
Analysis phase should have laid the groundwork for this task.
If the organisation has a low capacity or readiness for change, this could negatively impact the success of
the new strategy. Depending on what is hampering change, the first approach should be to assess whether it
is practical to change the organisation to deliver the new strategy e.g. through additional training and reorganisation
or through recruitment of staff with suitable skills. Only if this is impractical or excessively costly,
should the project team consider changing the policy objectives. This situation should not arise if the
organisational analysis was adequately considered during the policy development phase.
Key Success Factors
At all stages of the organisational change flow chart there are some "Golden Rules" which should be
followed in order to create successful change:
• Compelling vision for action
• Committed leadership
• Rigorous project management
• Securing stakeholder support
• Effective communications
• Infrastructure alignment.
Strategy Survival Guide – Strategy Skills
Page 183