Change Management Toolkit

Use some of your “goodwill” points to ask members to do the hard things relative to the change.

Show your energy and optimism about undertaking the change.

Speak publically about your enthusiasm for the change.

Make your reasons clear for pushing the change.

Consider using a slogan that captures the positive consequences of the change (i.e. “Maxwell finalist next year” or “10 new associates in fall 2010”)

Use the Profile of Success Factors for Change two or three times along the way to gauge your progress.

Create “losers” by making the change—find something positive in it for everyone.

Let rumors or gossip about the change get in the way—answer them in public.

Worry about who gets credit for making good things happen.

Assume the change will sell itself.

Try to do it alone.

Realize that people don’t support change unless they become convinced that standing pat is not an acceptable option.

Accept that part of your job as leader is to help others let go of unproductive ways.

Be able to summarize the short- and long-term consequences of making no change; develop an elevator speech.

Strive first to get agreement on the intent of the change, rather than on the specific actions. Let that agreement drive the actions.

Discount the value of everything and everyone connected with the past.

Ignore other points of view—instead, try to understand them; have someone play devil’s advocate with you to challenge your view of the change.

Think that members will hear your message about change the first time you speak it—remember, the bigger the change, the more times you have to repeat the message for it to be heard.

Think that you have to win over 100% of members—you need a critical mass of support, not unanimity.

Make opportunities for involvement; establish a steering team for bigger changes.

Use benchmarking—many people assume they are doing pretty well until they see what other groups are accomplishing by doing things differently.

Identify phases or steps of change implementation, if possible.

Think that “vision” means something grand and mystical—it isn’t; it is just a statement of the future state where you are heading.

Get stuck making lofty plans that no one can implement.

Ignore your members in shaping a vision.

Does it describe a fairly complete picture of how we will operate after the change?

Does it serve the long-term interests of the chapter?

Is it realistic and attainable?

Are we flexible enough in the vision to incorporate additional good ideas that members might have?

Can it be clearly explained to someone in less than three minutes?

Put yourself in the shoes of other stakeholders and consider how they view the change and what questions they will have.

Identify opinion leaders in the chapter and enlist their support.

Inform BOG members, chapter advisors, greek advisors, or other stakeholders about the change; ask for their support and advice.

Use the chapter website, when appropriate, to inform others of the change.

Start implementing the change until or unless you have enough support built to sustain the effort.

Confuse the will to make a change with the skill to do it—you need supporters with both.

Ignore the political realities of making a change—people with more influence can help you more than those with less influence.

Make a list of all the documents, practices, and communications that are affected by the change; ask all officers to identify other systems or structures that should be on the list. Examples:

Chapter bylaws

Chapter meeting agenda and officer reports

Executive Council meeting agenda

Recruitment materials

Membership Orientation

Officer duties

Chapter website

Alumni newsletter

Reports to the Executive Offices

Make assignments for each item on the list to be updated to be consistent with the change.

Create a long lag between introducing a change and aligning systems and structures.

Make a public commitment to report progress to the chapter on a specific schedule.

Create opportunities for members to provide feedback and comments on progress of the change.

Look for small wins to help maintain momentum and build confidence in the change.

Be alert to the positive ripple effects of the change; let others know about these secondary benefits.

Assume that everyone knows how things are going.

Exaggerate progress of the change.

Hesitate to remind members why the change was undertaken in the first place.

Provide evidence that the change is worth the effort.

Help validate the vision.

Keep supporters on board.

Build momentum by turning neutrals into supports, reluctant supporters into active helpers.

Make it difficult for resisters.

Anticipate that other chapter priorities might lead members to shift attention away from the change, or withdraw their support.

Integrate the change into the “normal” way of doing things.

Be consistent in the use of new ways of operating.

Assume that it will go as planned.

Underestimate resistance—it might go underground and show up at a later point.