Step 4 - Implementing the Change
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Here it is vital to be clear on the purpose of the change team. They are responsible for introducing the change, and not for the change itself (although this is unlikely to be perceived clearly by the wider organisation!). Thus their responsibility includes any issues and decisions involved in the process for introducing the change e.g. the running of a transition period, the communication involved, or the other issues that will arise alongside the change. Any desired amendments to what is introduced (the change itself) should be passed back to the individual or group who are responsible for the change. This is likely to occur during the planning process for implementing the change, and the introduction itself, no matter how well the planning group has tried to anticipate the change. |
Two tools that can help introduce the change are :
- A timetable for change - either published to the
wider organisation, or kept as a tracking document by the change team.
- A task list, with a member of the change team
nominated as being responsible for ensuring that each task gets done, someone nominated to
do the task itself, and a date by which the change needs to be completed. It can be useful
to pull these together on one sheet of paper and regularly update this. This can be shared
with the whole team so that each team member can see how their tasks fit with the broader
picture.
Handling Resistance
One of the largest pieces of work to be done in introducing
change is to help those who will naturally want to resist the change to come to terms with
it. One of the distinctive features of a Christian organisation should be that it handles
resistance with a loving approach to members, and a clear separation of the people from
the issue.
Brian Pearson, in an excellent Administry "How to" guide on change, wrote
"It is both an unachievable aim, and an inappropriate one to eliminate resistance
completely. There will always be a residue, even if it remains well concealed. Its
presence (in moderation) is a valuable leaven which can be a productive agent in the
overall process."
The change team needs to group its actions into two elements. There are some actions which
can be handled with the whole organisation or in large groups, by clearly communicating
how the change will NOT see people's worst fears realised. This will require the change
team to prepare by talking with people sensitively in order to understand what their fears
are.
The second group of actions is to identify those individuals who are likely to resist the
change and to talk with them. Very often the process of empathetic listening and careful
explanation can help to encourage those whose resistance is based on misunderstanding or
personal fears. Where there is room for flexibility within the change, it should be
accommodated. Indeed, the whole process of handling resistance to the change can make a
significant contribution to the change itself, by forcing a critical appraisal of the
change, and by allowing an organisation to vigorously debate the issues associated with
it.
