ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

The process of facilitating this series of events is motivation. Motivation is not a thing; it is a process. To motivate someone to change, a compelling reason for change must be developed and communicated to that person in a language the person understands. If this creates the desire to change, the intention to change may grow if the way to achieve change is developed and communicated. If the person believes that the way is credible, plausible, and likely to result in success, the person will develop the intention to change. If trust has been established between the person and the organization of which he or she is a member, the person will act on that intention and begin to change. At this stage, change is still delicate. If there are no positive results that are obvious to the individual, he or she may revert to old patterns of behavior, or even worse, hunker down and wait for the storm to blow over. This behavior is devastating to the organization. However, if positive results are obtained in the early stages, and the individual sees the long-term perspective, significant change can be effected.

The processes of change in an organization therefore become the "Four E's". If the organization ennobles, enables, empowers, and encourages, positive change will result. The result of the Four E's is a fifth E, enjoyment. The people in the organization will enjoy what they are doing even if the change path is difficult.

Much has been written and said about empowerment in today's business world. Its virtues have become almost common wisdom, and it is offered as a panacea for almost all problems. But empowerment without ennoblement and enablement is a recipe for disaster. Just telling people that they are empowered to change without giving them the tools of change and the channel for change is sure to fail.

The ennobling process gives people the reason for change and thus justifies the extraordinary risk and hard work it takes to go through change. To ennoble someone is to give them a higher purpose and give meaning to their work. And as work is the main activity of most people's lives, if their work is ennobled, their life can become ennobled. In strategy development, ennoblement is provided by the vision.

Enabling means providing the tools for change, giving the people the weapons they need to fight the battles of change. Many of these extend beyond the scope of strategy development, but the two elements of strategy that do apply here are mission and goals. Missions and goals can be hierarchical, subdivided down so that every individual sees how their piece fits into the organization's strategy. The strategic plan empowers individuals to act. It tells them how to go about the process of change.

Encouragement is provided by feedback of the positive results. This is one of the reasons why a good measurement system must be established. Measurements can also be hierarchical, so that each individual can be measured on their contributions. Measurements can also be time phased. Some measurements can be developed that will show results earlier than those that reflect the significant organizational change.