Change management plan for RI organization using charismatic transformation

¶ … Change Management Plan

For RI

Mike Lucas

The role of change

"Change is so pervasive in our lives that it almost defeats description and analysis" -- (Mortensen, 2008)

Change at any level, individual or collective (communal/familial, societal, or organizational), is a complex and challenging process that requires time, energy, commitment, and often some level of distinct intention and sacrifice, on both the front and back ends of the process. Change describes both the action(s) and the result(s) of any type of alteration, modification, transformation, or exchange of one behavior/idea for another from smaller-scale individual changes to large-scale organizational (or social systems) changes.

At any level, the process of change needs to be managed to some degree. Generally, individuals can manage their own processes of change and in many individual cases, change may happen more spontaneously. Change that occurs in systems, like organizational change, requires a more strategic (or structured) approach to move through the transformation/modification process both efficiently and effectively and ultimately achieve the desired result.

It is this approach that leadership is necessary to keep the process on track and moving forward no matter how slowly or quickly. The speed of the process may change at different times, and it may appear to move backwards, which is fine, as long as everyone stays engaged and work is done to get back on track.

Underestimating the significance and challenging nature of change for any individual or organization is generally a mistake. Change is about implementing new ideas, processes, and/or behaviors. Change can happen without preparation in the lives of individuals and some collectives (i.e. families, communities) as part of a larger developmental/evolutionary reality but healthy (positive) change at the organizational level rarely happens without intention, preparation, and management.

A variety of theories and models exist for creating change management strategies, each with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. The following change management plan has been created specifically for RI, as a result of the preparation process undertaken over the last several months. The three lead facilitators of this charistmatic transformation plan for RI, as nominated and confirmed by the team, are Jaelyn, Kent, and Carson. In Section II, a brief summary will be presented, followed by a survey of the current landscape of the RI organization in Section III. Section IV contains an explanation for the choice of a charistmatic transformation and a description of this specific model of change, followed by a clarification of the specific goals for RI in Section V. Section VI clarifies the roles of individuals and the team in the implementation process, followed by a discussion of anticipated challenges and expectations in Section VII. Section VIII presents the timeline for implementation and evaluation followed by a discussion of evaluation strategies in Section IX.

II. Summary of preparation

"Change is challenging because people generally misinterpret the value and safety of the status quo and often find it too difficult to accurately project/assess the value of what they stand to gain with any such transformation." -- (Melissa Anderson-Hinn, 2011)

In the beginning of our consulting process, we talked about the way things (generally) change and the specific goals for transformation for RI. As a small organization, your early conceptions were as follows: (1) That change would be easy to plan; and (2) That change would happen instantly once the goals were established. In the early weeks of our preparation; however, you realized that commitment to the process was equally as important as commitment to the goals. Further, you also realized that within smaller organizations, there is a greater need for everyone to take ownership of the new direction; thus, it was important to build a much higher level of trust for each other and for engaging the process together than in larger organizations where leadership is far more hierarchical and decisions are may occur much differently.

From the beginning, as Founder and CEO of your organization, you made it clear that you did not want to hand down decisions or micro-manage your personnel. First, we built the process around your own personal leadership and management goals. Second, we engaged a team process of trust building, goal setting, and outcome predictions. Third, we talked about processes of integrating the new ideas for direction and purpose with each person's role in the organization and with the organization as a whole. Fourth, we created and signed contracts as a sign of commitment to one another. Finally, we are ready to launch into the transformation process with this change management plan created as your reference.

The decision to pursue an entirely new direction is one that evolved from structured processes of discernment and planning among all stakeholders in the RI organization, which includes Mike, Founder and CEO, as well as all 12 employees, and all 7 members of the Board of Directors. The seeds of this process were planted more than a year ago (per your assessment) with pursuance of an outside consultant to provide substantial leadership shortly after those seed were planted.

In our first meeting together, we discussed the purpose of consulting as well as your earliest thoughts on the type of transformation you hoped could come to pass for RI as an organization. You told me the story of the organization and your desire to move into more of a team leadership structure with less micromanagement and more ownership for your team. Moreover, you expressed your desire to see the entire focus, purpose, and direction of the RI organization change at the same time. We discussed the nature of such charismatic transformation and the significance of such a process as well as the resources required to make it both actionable and sustainable. We discussed this model of change as a radical type of change. Even with a small organization, organizational change requires an intentional, strategic, and highly energized management process.

At the end of our first meeting, we agreed to pursue this process. We established a timeline as represented in Section IX that began with 6 months of leadership and management development that involved working with you, as Founder and CEO, as well as the Board of Directors, followed by almost 6 months of team development and planning for change.

Any change process first requires a foundational understanding of your story, where you have been and where you are right now.

III. Current organizational condition of RI

"We are chameleons, and our partialities and prejudices change place with an easy and blesses facility, and we are soon wonted to the change and happy in it." -- Mark Twain

RI is a small organization with 1 Founder/CEO, 12 employees, and 7 Board members. It is a faith-based nonprofit organization based in an urban location in the United States. RI was incorporated nearly 12 years ago as an organization with a community focus. In its present condition, RI is the largest it has ever been with 20 stakeholders in the organization and a community of about 50 participants and a larger-community of about 150 supporters plus a newly forming community layer of readers (of Mike's new book).

For the last 12 years, Mike, as Founder and CEO of RI has been heavily involved in the ongoing direction and management of the organization. For some time, Mike (along with his wife) was the only "employee" of RI. Slowly it evolved to incorporate more staff leaders and eventually into the structure that exists today. Over time, the nature of the organization has been one of constant incremental change. In fact, upon founding the organization, Mike intended for this to be the case.

Existing literature suggests that incremental change is often integrated in the startup phase or when an organization is in its most mature and stable condition. Mike always wanted to remain open to the evolutionary processes and the consistent ebb-and-flow of new ideas and creativity. Incremental change; however, still requires some consistency of leadership and management development, or more accurately, a willingness and ability to evolve at the same pace in leadership and management. In the last 4-6 years, RI has attracted a different type of leader and participant than Mike ever intended or than he was prepared to manage.

For a while, the founding principles of Mike's organization were somewhat unique but over the last decade these same principles have become more mainstream in faith-based culture and have been advanced far passed RI. Thus, for a while Mike attracted young "intern types" who helped him implement his agenda, which still evolved incrementally, but the larger cultural and global contexts changed radically, and continue to do so (it seems). More recently, Mike started attracting emerging leaders with their own unique and innovative ideas and potential and a willingness/ability to pursue their own funding as well as manage part-time jobs to supplement this fundraising (as everyone, including Mike, at RI is self-funded through fundraising).

Mike consistently met with his Board of Directors, which evolved from 3 members in the first 7 years to 5 members in the 10th year and more recently reached 7 members last year. In the last few years, these meetings often became stressful and tense as well as the ongoing operation of RI. In our early meetings, Mike and I realized that this had a lot to do with Mike's lack of development as a leader and manager, particularly with the nature and number of his newest employees who need his approach to evolve and advance. In other words, Mike does not have the natural ability or the formal training to lead at the level to which his organization has grown and empower the types of leaders he has attracted and employed. We also realized that Mike's own personal goals have changed and need to be reflected in the larger RI operational model. Further, we realized that Mike's tendency to micromanage under stress as well as the lack of communication channels in the organization is causing a significant amount of unhealthy tension in the organization for everyone. It is not the way Mike wants to lead/manage or the way that his employees need to be led.

In meetings with the Board of Directors, they feel that Mike has engaged an appropriate discernment process to move forward with a new direction, new ideas, etc.…. And offer their full support in the transformation. The employees are equally energized by the transformation process and will provide their full support as well.

After a thorough discussion of the current conditions, Mike's hopes and expectations, and meetings with the Board of Directors, we decided on a strategic change model in the category of charismatic transformation.

IV. Selection of Charismatic Transformation

"Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times." -- Niccolo Machiavelli

Charismatic transformation is a category of change in the Stace and Dunphy (1994) strategic change model. Per our conversations, it was clear that Mike and the Board (and later the staff) desired revolutionary change. Stace and Dunphy (1994, p. 98+) differentiate between 4 categories of change in their strategic model with charismatic transformation representing revolutionary change that consists of new direction, new structures, new behaviors, and new systems. Further, they suggest that this category of transformation is good for organizations with the level of support necessary for such "radical re-positioning" (Stace and Dunphy, 1994).

This category is distinct from a turnaround in that turnarounds do not necessarily involve the level of support that is available in RI. In this case, the transformation is not going to be coercive or threatening to anyone. In fact, after a substantial amount of time with RI, I would say that this category of transformation is the one thing that gets everyone what they want and allows everyone a chance to thrive in the organization; thus, allowing the organization to once again begin thriving as a whole. This transformation could create a beautiful model of leadership and change management for other organizations to follow.

V. Clarification of goals

"All is connected ... no one thing can change by itself." -- Paul Hawken

The process of clarifying goals happened in four parts as follows (and under my facilitation):

A. Goal setting with Mike

B. Goal setting with Mike and the Board of Directors

C. Goal setting with Mike and the Team

3. Founder and CEO (Mike)

C4. The team agrees that once the transformation is complete, the re-commitment to an organization that values incremental change, as the landscape of culture and the world evolves/changes, is important. In fact, the clarification of goals in this plan is more broad than specific as the team would like the opportunity to work together and build a presence together.

C5. The team agrees upon a definition of social entrepreneurship as follows: society's change agents; creators and innovators that disrupt the status quo and transform the world around them for the better (influenced by The Skoll Foundation, 2011).

C6. The team selects Jaelyn, Kent, and Carson, to present to the Board and facilitate the transformative process.

The Board's response to their presentation:

D1. The Board offers their full support

D2. The Board insists on the thorough development of job descriptions and roles/expectations as quickly as possible, emphasizing the need for each person to be primary author of their own descriptions.

D3. The Board insists upon the development of effective and rigorous evaluation strategies and accountability structures.

VI. Clarification of roles

"Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed; the culture reflects the realities of people working together every day." - Frances Hesselbein

In an intense 18-week process, the team and Mike met with me to discuss the current conditions, the hopes for the future, and participate in trust building and team development as well as the development of this change management plan. The first operational activity upon implementing this change management plan is to cultivate the foundations for the new direction in a weeklong team retreat. Emerging from this retreat will be finalized job descriptions and expectations for self and one another.

The structure is as follows with greater description:

1. Community Impact -- to provide ongoing assessment of needs, human rights education, and transformative learning labs in local contexts and encourage the development of grassroots efforts.

i. Jaelyn -- CI Team Manager

ii. Chad -- focus on research and mobilization iii. Bronwyn -- Co-manage creative development and social media

iv. Cade -- Co-manage creative development and social media

v. Jeff -- focus on curriculum

2. Global Impact -- to transfer what they do locally to the world and build a stronger global presence

i. Maya -- GI Team manager

ii. Leo -- focus on research and mobilization iii. Kent -- focus on curriculum

iv. Kaylee -- field operations and mobilization

v. Price -- creative development and social media

2 formal administrative roles as follows:

4. Director of Operations (Carson) -- for the purpose of ensuring the sustainability and health of the flat leadership structure and ongoing adherence to the team of social entrepreneurs model as well as sustaining healthy channels of communication and design.

5. Director of Development (Via) -- for the purpose of expanding the reach of the organization to new donors as well as expanding the funding base of RI to include grants.

Founder and CEO -- Mike -- will focus on overall leadership and management of both teams. Primarily his role will be to represent RI and communicate what his teams are doing through mediums/communities to which only he has access. He will focus on the development of each team member and help ensure that everyone is both equipped and empowered. He will also oversee the ongoing evaluation process and particularly the work of Carson and Via. He will be available to support the work of each team.

VII. Discussion of challenges and expectations

"Every generation needs a new revolution." -- Thomas Jefferson

As with any change process, there are always challenges. One of the reasons that we focused so much on trust building and team development is to act preemptively to avoid any trust issues or clash of expectations/assumptions. One of the biggest challenges in any organization, especially during processes like these, happens in the communication sphere. We have established really effective goals for communication and ways for everyone to express their needs and ideas. Though the organization RI is small, it is still complex for 20 people to express their needs and ideas and for the integration of these needs/ideas to be managed. Thus, we created the clear divisions of teams and the commitment to operating as teams of social entrepreneurs.

Another issue in change processes tends to be a lack of planning, but this organization is working hard to be prepared and to be open to a less structured process. Even though the nature and impacts of the organization (as results of change) are expected to emerge over time and change incrementally, there is a clear understanding of goals, roles, and expectations as well as a plan to develop thorough strategies for evaluation and accountability during the weeklong retreat designed for creating job descriptions and the compass for the organizational future.

I do not feel that fatigue is going to be an issue for this organization. Everyone is ready to move forward after thorough deconstruction and trust building as well as commitment to the goals and support of new direction and ideas. Everyone involved seems highly energized by what is possible.

VIII. Creating a timeline

"I'll go anywhere as long as it's forward." -- David Livingstone

January 5, 2010 -- Seeds of change are planted

March 3, 2010 -- Consultant invited into the process

March 25, 2010 -- Contract is created for a 2-year consulting relationship

April 1, 2010 -- Consulting work with Mike begins

April 5, 2010 -- Mike's leadership and managerial development goals begin

To continue as long as productive

April 25, 2010 -- 4-part goal setting process begins

March 25, 2011 -- Team finalizes their presentation to the Board

March 30, 2011 -- Team presentation to the Board

April 2, 2011 -- Change management plan finalized

April 15-22, 2011 -- Weeklong retreat

October 15, 2011 -- Evaluation I with consultant

April 15, 2012 -- Evaluation II with consultant

April 15, 2013 -- Final Evaluation with consultant

IX. Evaluation strategies

"The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew" -- Abraham Lincoln

Mike, the Team, and the Board of Directors understand the necessity of rigorous standards for evaluation and strategies for accountability on goals and roles and expectations. These evaluation standards and strategies will be specifically created at the weeklong retreat so they specifically serve the results of the job descriptions and new mission/vision statements.

Overall, the intent of the evaluation strategies will be as follows:

1. To ensure that constant, healthy communication is encouraged and supported

2. To ensure that every team member understands his/her role and continues to thrive as social entrepreneurs in the larger operation of RI

3. To ensure that the impact is truly being felt both locally and globally

4. To measure only what is supposed to be measured, which is all seemingly qualitative, and not get lost on numbers

5. To increase the level of participation and the development aspect of the organization

6. To safeguard the process by establishing specific strategies for changing course and ideas for what that may look like in case the organization is struggling or someone is not thriving