cameron and green making-sense-of-change-management

The applicationsCASE STUDY ONE: ALIGNING THE ORGANIZATIONThis case study sets out our analysis and recommendations for an organizationfacing major strategic and cultural change. Some of these recommendationswere taken up, and some withered on the vine, but theprocess of analysing and recommending is thought-provoking in itselfand we felt worthy of inclusion here.Summary of key points arising from the case study• Even if employees sense the need to change, and want to change, thisis not always enough. In this case study, people were asking for a clearsense of direction. A clear vision is often required to catalyse action,especially if it translates well into specific tasks.• The greater the depth and breadth of people involved in diagnosingthe current state, developing a vision of where the organizationneeds to be heading, and generating solutions to bridge the gap, thenthe more chance the organization has of gaining sufficientmomentum for change. In this case study, many people wereengaged in the analysis, which led to increased interest and energyin making things happen.• The greater the clarity of focus (towards the end user) the greater thechance one has of aligning people, processes, systems and structuresto this end. Business-as-usual and change initiatives have to be dovetailed.It is no use if there are 101 initiatives that are not joined up andworking with one another.• Processes and standards must support the desired behaviours. Anorganization cannot strive for a quality service, for instance, if theculture does not support people doing quality things. It is of littlevalue if the customer services assistant is exceedingly pleasant but notempowered to take decisions when the customer needs a decision.• Managers and staff need to be supported through the transitionprocess with the necessary coaching and training. For the organizationto become more focused, efficient and effective people have to bedoing something different. Speedier rubbish collection will notimpress the public if a trail of litter is left after each collection. Not only262