Section 1
In this section, you will design a formal step-by-step plan (3-5 pages) for removing barriers to change and providing employees the necessary tools to empower action toward your vision. Outline the tools you will need and specify the necessary resources.
Also include the following in this section of your plan:
o Identify structural barriers that could potentially prevent employees from feeling empowered to change and describe how you would remove these barriers.
o Identify the necessary training for employees to be successful with this change.
o What changes would be needed to align current systems to the new vision?
o What is your plan for dealing with potentially troublesome supervisors?
o Describe how your plan empowers others and discuss the benefits of employees feeling positive towards the change process and feeling empowered to participate.
Section 2 : Generating Short-Term Wins
As you consider ways to create short-term wins, complete the exercise on quick wins presented on page 140 in the course text, The Heart of Change. Include your answers to the exercise as part of this section of your Plan of Action.
After narrowing your list down to the top five, use the "Quick Wins Diagnostic" from the article "The Quick Wins Paradox" (located in Day 5 of this week), to evaluate the potential impact of the items on your list.
Next, respond to the following:
o Which item do you think should be given top priority in creating a quick win?
o Develop a plan for creating this win. Outline the steps you would need to take to help this plan succeed.
Section 3 : Consolidating Change
In a 1- to 2-page paper, develop a plan for the consolidation of short-term wins into the production of more change. Be sure and consider each of the elements in Exhibit 2, "What Stage 7 Looks Like in a Successful, Major Change Effort," on page 150 of the Leading Change course text. Include the following in your plan:
o How will you maintain the sense of urgency?
o Once you have achieved short-term wins, what is the next set of changes that should be addressed? How would you approach these changes?
o In what ways are you structuring the changes to avoid trying to address too many changes at once or pushing others too hard?
o How would consolidating your wins bring others on board and build confidence in your vision?
Section 4 : Anchoring New Approaches
For this section of your paper, you will need to consider the culture of your organization. As you make the changes you have outlined in your plan of action, there are likely to be areas where the new changes will conflict with existing cultural standards and traditions.
In a 1- to 2-page paper, describe how you plan to make your changes permanent. Include a discussion on:
o What will be the greatest obstacle to making changes permanent in your organizational culture? How will you address this?
o What are methods you can use to keep employees informed of the progress and effects of changes?
o How can you continue to have buy-in for new changes?