MAKING CHANGE IN ORGANIZATIONS

Research has been done on factors that affect the implementation of change. Results identify several key items that can act as predictors of eventual success or failure.

The factors can be used as a checklist to assess where the trouble spots might be in programs or projects that never get off the drawing board, or that fail to get implemented.

NEED FOR THE CHANGE

Is there a real need for change? If there is, how many people recognize that what is being proposed is better than what they have now? People will support something that meets an important need. If they don't see the relevance of the proposed change, its significance or its benefits, then they will likely withhold their support, or they will resist.

HOW THE CHANGE IS ADOPTED

Is the process used to adopt change a fair one? Do a majority of the key actors in the organization support it, and were enough people involved in the decision-making? Sometimes new initiatives are pushed through without enough discussion, or with only a few people present. If enough of the important players are involved and the decision-making process is allowed thorough discussion, then problems about how the initiative was adopted will be minimal. However, if things moved too quickly or the initiative lacked real support, then the necessary commitment to implement will not be there.

THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE CHANGE ITSELF

People are more likely to implement a new program or change if:

• It is simple to understand
• It is seen to be better than what currently exists
• It fits with the organization's ways of going about its business
• It can be tried out first on a limited basis before being implemented across the whole organization