Organizational Development and Change

Breakthrough Strategic Project

My project will empowering leadership to refocus the organization on fiscal due diligence and generating revenue rather than purely upon reducing costs by leveraging an urgent in-year goal to find new revenue or save/avoid cost and taking advantage of what appear to be an easy win short-coming in our billing process (p24 para 2). Sporatic checks have suggested that our business unit is underbilling for services offered. This change will move my team from storming and norming to performing and ensure that revenue opportunities are considered going forward. It will also provide leadership with hard cold facts allowing the larger organization to unfreeze and begin moving as well.

1) What actions will you take in your BSP to insure that you successfully unfreeze, move and refreeze?

Looking at this change from Lewin's perspective I may need significant force to help decrease those maintaining status quo (p23 paragraph 3). Fortunately our executives have already assigned a goal earlier in the year which could use our assistance to meet. This will allow me to create the perception of a crisis for which we have little other option than to act. We will also utilize past information as to where true opportunities may exist to create a plan against which we can execute with less resistance and greater short-term success potential. Lastly, educating them on what success means will provide a compelling case for change. We will be focusing on what we completely control which will allow me to more easily encourage and support the team to change.

Refreezing will most likely be more difficult than causing the movement itself. By focusing our efforts on the components we control and heavily celebrate and communicate wins quickly we will be able to keep the the process moving forward. As larger wins occur, we will take the time to talk about their significance and future implications. Taking the time to allow others to share stories about their work and exhibit excitement about the revenue finds should provide me with the energy needed to freeze us. Once we have a chance to freeze we will set new, achievable goals for subsequent work which will ensure our change is now the norm and base from which we operate. Finally I will work with my leadership to formalize their accomplishments and socialize our wins with other teams. This should allow me to refreeze the group successfully after the change.

2) OD skills I possess and need to build for a successful BSP?

The change agent skills for which I have experience and will leverage within my BSP are analysis/diagnosis and process consultation. I will need to build upon my knowledge of designing/choosing appropriate interventions and facilitation. When working through change I tend to internalize and force