Managing Complex Change Diagram

I came across a useful diagram at work the other day while working on a big project at the largest hospital in our system.  While working there we were up against a staff that was very change averse.  An organizational psychologist was recommended by the administration team to talk with us regarding the hospitals work culture and we were given this diagram below to help us determine what our project was missing to get it on the right track.

The diagram shows high level pieces that need to be addressed in order to successfully help the person accept change.  Following the flow diagram from left to right, change will not happen as desired if any piece is missing.  The person going through change will then experience the far right outcome depending on the missing piece.



-  Vision:  This should often be determined before a project/change is undertaken.  A well crafted vision is necessary to start the change off on a good note.  Missing this piece results in questioning of why is this change even happening in the first place.  Even if a vision is present communicating the same vision to everyone is also critical.

-  Skills:  For this stage, it is important the person going through change needs comfort that they can do this.  If for example it requires new tasks, what is being done to educate them?

-  Incentives:  Difficult step, because often times change does not have the person's best interests in mind, but rather a company goal such as saving money.  Framing is important here for example, since ultimately an organization who is wary of their costs can thrive better in the long run.  If they do not see what is in it for them, likely they will be change resistant.

-  Resources:  Without proper resources to guide them along the process, the person getting affected by change will be hesitant.  They will be comfortable with how it is now, so the more resources to help them the easier it should be to accept the change.  This step is similar to "Skill" step.

-  Action Plan:  Key in laying out what all is involved in this change, a well structured plan can help them visualize what the change will result in.  By keeping them in 'the know' their frustrations should be less frequent.

As stated earlier all steps are important, but I think this diagram really helps a person working in an environment that involves change to better grasps where their project may be missing details, putting a barrier to their desired outcomes.  In our case, it was a muddy vision so right from the start we were doomed to experiencing the issues we did.  Lesson learned.