Description

Plan the Work
If the change leader’s approach to planned change has followed what this book
suggests, then much planning will have already been done. In addition, Beer, Eisenstat,
and Spector¹4 offer a prescriptive list of “steps to effective change.” Here are Beer et al.’s
steps:
1. Mobilize commitment to change through joint diagnosis of business problems.
2. Develop a shared vision of how to organize and manage for competitiveness.
3. Foster consensus for the new vision, competence to enact it, and cohesion to move
it along.
4. Spread revitalization to all departments without pushing it from the top.
5. Institutionalize revitalization through formal policies, systems, and structures.
6. Monitor and adjust strategies in response to problems in the revitalization process.
For many change situations, this checklist provides valuable guidance in the
development of an action plan. However, assuming a “one-size-fits-all” approach to
change is risky. For example, the above list assumes a fundamental cooperative
orientation. That is, there is sufficient commonality of goals that a shared vision is
possible. The list also suggests that change should evolve and not be pushed down by
top management. However, change agents will need approaches that allow them to face
situations in which cooperation and commonality of goals is weak or absent and where
changes are being pushed from the top. Table 9.2 below compares Beer et al.’s steps
with the prescriptions of others, which may be helpful in thinking about planning through
multiple perspectives.15
As well, the need for contingent thinking needs to be addressed. That is, an action plan
depends significantly upon the action-planning context. In complex and ambiguous
situations, plans and tactics must be able to adapt as events unfold. As such, it is useful
to remember the old saying: “No plan survives first contact.”16
In summary, while careful planning is critical, change leaders must also recognize that
planning is a means-not an end in itself. Don’t ignore vital emerging information just
because it does not fit with carefully conceived plans. The abilities to think contingently,
consider alternative paths forward, and adapt are important contributors to enhanced
adaptive capacity.17
Table 9.2 A Comparison of Four Models of Change
Table 9.2 A Comparison of Four Models of Change
Beer et al.’s Six Steps
for Change (1990)
Beer et al.’s Six Steps
for Change (1990)
Mobilize commitment
to change through
joint diagnosis of
problems.
Jick’s Ten
Commandments
(1997)
598
Jick’s Ten
Commandments
(1997)
Kotter’s Eight-
Stage Process
for Successful
Organizational
Transformation
(1996)
Analyze the
organization
and its need for
change.
Kotter’s Eight-
Stage Process
for Successful
Organizational
Transformation
(1996)
Establish a sense
of urgency.
Lueck’s Seven Steps
for Change (2003)
Lueck’s Seven Steps
for Change (2003)
Mobilize energy,
commitment through
joint identification of
business problems
and their solutions.Develop a shared
vision of how to
organize and manage
for competitiveness.
Foster consensus for
the new vision,
competence to enact
it, and cohesion to
move it along.
Spread revitalization
to all departments
without pushing it
from the top.
Institutionalize
revitalization through
formal policies,
systems, and
structures.
Monitor and adjust
strategies in response
to problems in the
revitalization process.
Beer et al.’s Six Steps
for Change (1990)
Create a vision
and a common
direction.
Separate from
the past.
Create a sense
of urgency.
Support a
strong leader
role.
Line up political
sponsorship.
Craft an
implementation
plan.
Develop
enabling
structures.
Jick’s Ten
Commandments
(1997)
Create a guiding
coalition.
Communicate,
involve people,
and be honest.
Develop a vision
and strategy.
Empower broad-
based action.
Communicate the
change vision.
Generate short-
term wins.
Consolidate
gains and
produce more
change.
599
Anchor new
approaches in
the culture.
Kotter’s Eight-
Stage Process
for Successful
Organizational
Transformation
(1996)
Develop a shared
vision of how to
organize and
manage for
competitiveness.
Identify the
leadership.
Focus on results, not
activities.
Start change at the
periphery, then let it
spread to other
units, pushing it from
the top.
Institutionalize
success through
formal policies,
systems, and
structures.
Monitor and adjust
strategies in
response to
problems the
change process.
Lueck’s Seven Steps
for Change (2003)
Reinforce and
institutionalize
change.
Source: Based on Todnem, R. (2005). Organisational change management: A critical review. Journal
of Change Management, 5(4), 369-381; and Beer, M., Eisenstat, R., & Spector, B. (1990, November-
December). Why change programs don’t produce change. Harvard Business Review, 1000, 158-166.
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