Navigating Change:
Understanding and
Leading Staff through
Organizational Changes
Alicia Koné, The Aclara Group
Illinois Leadership Institute
August, 2012
Workshop Overview
! Welcome
and Introductions
! Section One: Understanding Personal
Capacity for Change
! Section Two: Dynamics of
Organizational Change
! Section Three: Communications Plan
Group Exercise
! Wrap-up
Introductions
Please introduce yourself:
! Name
! Office and position
Change is the law of life.
And those who look only
to the past or present are
certain to miss the future.
-John F. Kennedy
Section One
Your Experience with Change
Understanding Our Responses
to Change
!  Your
own experience of change
profoundly affects how you approach
and lead change.
!  Increasing your self-awareness will help
you help your staff successfully navigate
change.
Self Reflection:
What Have You Learned
about Change?
1. 
2. 
3. 
Recall a time in your life when you
experienced a significant change. Think about
the event, for example, what happened?
What challenges did it present? Recall how
you felt about the change experience.
How did you and others around you respond
to the change?
What led to your acceptance of the change
and how did you ultimately participate in it?
Observations of Change:
Small Group Discussion
!  Discuss
with your peer group what you
have learned about how people deal
with change:
o 
o 
What are the typical reactions, responses,
and behaviors associated with change?
What have you learned about yourself and
others through your experience with
change?
Large Group Debrief
!  What
has change taught us?
Change Style Indicator
Self-Reflection
!  What
is your preferred response to
change? In which category do you see
yourself?
Self-Reflection
!  Have
you ever faced any of these pitfalls
in dealing with change? How did you
overcome the pitfalls?
Increasing your Change
Style Flexibility
!  Consult
with someone who has a different
style than your own
!  Understand the perspectives of styles
other than your own
!  Step back and be aware of your initial
reactions in a situation, especially when
you are responding emotionally
Large Group Discussion
!  What
have you learned about your
response to change and what that tells
you about your leadership of others
through change?
Section Two
The Dynamics of Organizational
Transitions
The Five Elements of
Organizational Change
How Leaders can Successfully
Lead Organizational Change
!  People
will consider making changes if the
following are true:
o  The changes fit with their own personal
value system.
o  People feel involved in the change and
have time to adapt.
!  When people feel they are valued
participants in change, they are more
motivated to make it successful.
A"Model"for"Leading"Change
Assess
− Organizational5
−
−
−
−
culture
Awareness5and
understanding
Leadership5555
competency
Staff5readiness
Operational
capacity
Plan
− Vision
−
−
−
−
−
−
Structure
Process5
Messaging
Communication
Training
Business
transitions
− Metrics
Prepare
− Communication
materials55and
channels
− Training
curriculum5and
materials
− Readiness
activities
− Metrics5reports
Execute
− Communicate
− Conduct5training
− Coach5staff
− Execute5business555
transitions
− Measure5and
report5progress
− Gather5feedback
− Make5course
corrections
Sustain
− Monitor
implementation
− Provide
encouragement
and5support
− Reward5and
recognize
− Continue
execution5
Your Role in Leading
Organizational Change
! 
! 
! 
! 
! 
Provide the vision and a sense of urgency and are out
front communicating it
Support the change by answering the concerns raised
by individuals as to how a change will impact them
personally and professionally
Involve others in designing and implementing the
change process
Provide individuals with the tools, training, and time to
learn the changes
Provide feedback throughout the transition process to
the leaders sponsoring the change
Central Office and Local Office Administrators
Human Services Case Managers
Lead and champion the change
Champion the change – get engaged
Live, lead, and model the behaviors and
attitudes that are supportive of change
Live, lead, and model the behaviors and attitudes
that are supportive of change
Help direct-report managers understand what’s
coming
Prepare and coach staff
Communicate the vision frequently and
proactively
Communicate the vision frequently and
proactively
Be the conduit for determining what managers
and staff need to be successful
Listen to and report on what staff are saying – be
the voice of the field/end user
Anticipate problems and make it safe for line
managers, supervisors and leads to escalate
issues
Understand current business processes and LEAN
techniques for improving processes
Provide data and input to executives so they
understand the impacts and implications of
decisions
Escalate issues so barriers, challenges, and
concerns can be addressed quickly
Encourage feedback about the changes to
determine what is working/not working
Correct misinformation and misperceptions
Section Three
Your Staff Communication Plan
The Importance of
Communication
A clear vision for the change
!  The purpose of the change
!  A broad overview of how the organization will
transition to the future state
!  The role that each person will play in making the
changes
!  An awareness of different communication/
interaction styles
!  Tools and support
!  How people can get more information
!  Where to go with questions
!  Specific timeline for the change
! 
You Can’t Over Communicate
!  Research
has shown that most
organizations don’t communicate
enough about change- by a factor of 10.
!  Communicate, communicate, and then
communicate some more
Communication Tips
!  The
two most effective methods for
communicating change to employees
are:
o 
o 
One-to-one or face-to-face discussions that
are honest, straight-forward, and offer
details of the change on a personal level.
Small group meetings to share information,
brainstorm ideas and discuss new or
changed work processes.
Small Group Discussion
!  What
are the messages we need to be
communicating about changes that are
happening now or that will be happening
soon?
!  What is the best channel or delivery
method for each message?
Large Group Discussion
!  What
are the highest priority messages we
need to communicate now?
Developing a
Communications Plan
!  Communications
planning takes some
time and effort
!  That investment will pay off in the long run
because it will help you make it a priority
Key Messages Outline
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
Messages about your organization today
Messages about the change
Messages about how the change
impacts employees
Status updates and progress reports
Small Group Exercise
Step One: Pick an important change that
will impact one or more offices in your
region. Develop key messages:
!  What
is the rationale for the change?
!  What might happen if the change is not
made?
!  What are the objectives of the change?
!  WIIFM from the employees’ perspective?
Step Two: The plan
!  For
each key message you developed in
step one, identify:
!  Timing
!  Delivery
mechanism/channel
!  Sender (of the message)
!  Date(s)
Communications Checklist
Did you answer the question “why is this change
happening?”
!  Did you answer the question “what are the
benefits and how does the change affect me?”
!  Are you using the right channel to deliver
communication?
!  Are you using face-to-face communication?
!  Are you creating opportunities for two-way
communication?
!  Are you repeating key messages five to seven
times?
!  Are you using effective ways to reach employees?
! 
Large Group Debrief
!  What
are some of the actions you came
up with?
!  What thoughts or insights came up as you
thought about what you need to be
doing?
!  What are your “take away’s” from this
workshop?
Questions / Comments?