1.5 - About University

5. Planimplementationof the change.6. Follow throughand evaluateimplementationof the change.Decide on the bestway to implement thesolution (i.e., thechange).How do we make surethe solution is working?How do we refinethe solution, ifnecessary?You may need manypeople to buy intothe change. Thechange may not fitwell into the existingsystem.Implementingdifficulties alwaysoccurs in real life. Ifnot dealt with, thesedifficulties will causeadditional problems.[☛ 5.9 Resistance]Use a projectmanagement orchange leadershipmodel to implementthe change.[☛ 5.1 ChangeEquation]Have a followthroughprocess inplace, and ensure thateach step of thechange is supportedand realigned asconditions change.Develop a workableplan for implementingthe change.[☛ 7.6 PotentialProblems]Evaluate the changeimplementation, andcomplete a “lessonslearned” review tocontinuously improveyour changeinitiatives.The difficulty with a general model such as this one is that you may need a more powerfultool to deal with a highly unique problem. Here are other tools found elsewhere in thisbook that will help.If your difficulty is:Too few ideas or potentialsolutionsPeople being vested inpositionsHandling data in asystematic wayLook at these tools:☛ 1.9 Paradigms, 5.10 Appreciative Inquiry, 6.6 Six-Hat Thinking, 6.7 Creativity andInnovation, 6.9 Brainstorming, 7.1 Problem Framing☛ 6.2 Assumption Analysis, 8.5 Metacommunicating, 8.7 Active Listening, 9.5 Negotiation,12.7 Dealing with Conflict☛ 5.1 Change Equation, 6.3 Complex Situations, 6.5 Force-Field Analysis, 7.3 FindingCause, 7.5 Decision Making, 7.7 Quality Tools, 10.10 Closure, 10.11 Priority SettingH OW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL“The most effective managers were also the best investigators. ... From the announcement of a problem until itsresolution, they appeared to follow a clear formula in both orderly sequence and the quality of their questionsand actions. In fact, when something went wrong, without a ready explanation, these managers asked remarkablysimilar questions to determine whether available information was relevant or irrelevant, important or trivial,critical or marginally useful. Since the same information, in the hands of equally experienced and intelligentmanagers, might result in distinctly different results, it was evident that successful problem solving involvedmore than the availability of information. Equally critical was the quality of logic applied to that information.”—Charles Kepner and Benjamin Tregoe, THE NEW RATIONAL MANAGERGeneral tools such at this one work best when adapted to your unique organizationalneeds (but not made more complicated). Adaptations might include:❑ Use language that is currently being used in your organization.❑ Integrate this tool with other accepted problem-solving, cause-finding, and decisionmakingprocesses (e.g., quality tools, project management, systematic troubleshooting).❑ Integrate this tool with meeting planning processes [☛ 11.1 Process Cycle, and othermeeting tools in Section 11]Adapting this tool to your workgroup or team may involve any or all of these steps:❑ Prepare a wall chart and other visuals to track the path of problem solving.SECTION 7 TOOLS FOR PROBLEM SOLVING, DECISION MAKING, AND QUALITY 205