- Change management diagnostics and performance measurement
- Benefits of change diagnostics
- Designing change diagnostics pragmatically
- Measuring change management success
1. Change management diagnostics and performance measurement
Effective change processes in organizations start with appropriate diagnostics and involve continuous measurement of success. This allows adjustments of measures to be made repeatedly according to the situation and goals.
In the diagnostic phase, we capture the current and desired state. In doing so, we uncover potential for change and improvement. Three important questions frequently arise in the diagnosis of change processes:
- What advantage does thorough change diagnostics bring us?
- How can we pragmatically conduct the diagnostics?
- How can we measure the success of our change process?
2. Benefits of change diagnostics
A pragmatic diagnosis at the beginning of a change process helps our clients in several ways:
Understanding and transparency
All stakeholders gain a more precise understanding of the challenges. The picture of the current state, the necessary changes, the reasons behind them, and the change goals becomes clearer. With a combination of psychological expertise and solid consulting skills, we delve deeply into relevant areas while also approaching the process in a structured and pragmatic manner. Our clients receive a picture of underlying causes, including logic trees that illustrate analytical relationships. Simultaneously, the structured processing of diagnostic results makes complex connections visible and enables a comprehensive understanding of key starting points. Only then we can truly design targeted and individually fitting measures.
Assessing change readiness
We can assess "Change readiness" (for example, with the change readiness survey) using diagnostic methods. This allows us to uncover, right from the start, together:
- ... how departments, groups, and key individuals perceive the change (e.g., along the lines of change typologies)
- ... in which stages of the change processes in organizations certain resistances are likely
- ... how well employees have understood the need for change
- ... how open individuals are to changes in behavior and mindset
Change diagnostics as interventions
Change diagnostics is simultaneously an initial intervention. Leaders and employees realize that something is meant to happen and their involvement is important. They begin to contemplate, for instance, through in-depth interviews with a sample of organizational members. Ideally, you conduct some of the interviews yourself to gain a direct sense and show your interest to employees. We're happy to provide training for this.
We systematically analyze data from various sources, resulting in both analytical logic trees that illustrate relationships, as well as metaphors and images that speak volumes. In "feedback workshops," you will receive the results mirrored back to you. Here, we muster the courage to address critical issues and provide appreciative yet direct feedback—even in "shoot the messenger" cultures.
3. Designing change diagnostics pragmatically
We keep the diagnostics pragmatic and effective. After 10 or 15 qualitative in-depth interviews, we usually know almost as much as after 30. Short diagnostic workshops, analyzing existing data and documents, as well as customized short surveys ("pulse checks"), complete the picture with minimal effort.
If you want to quickly get an overview of one or more of your units or locations, we recommend our "Rapid Scan." One week of data collection, one week of analysis - done. In no noteworthy time, a clear picture of the core issues in the organization and initial solution approaches emerges.
4. Measuring change management success
For many clients, at least initially, it is important to know clearly what measurable results will demonstrate the success of change processes in organizations. Change success can be measured quantitatively and qualitatively.
Measuring change success quantitatively
There are many meaningful ways to measure the success of change processes quantitatively. For instance, a successfully implemented strategy may be reflected in the revenue generated from new products developed as a result of the strategy. A truly embedded culture of efficiency may be evident in the average duration of meetings. Surveys on employee and leadership satisfaction, pulse check results—the methods are diverse. It is important to focus on action orientation when evaluating KPIs: "Now that we know this, what do we do differently?" Focusing on a few truly meaningful KPIs and having a clear analytical understanding of their relationships, for example, with a "value driver tree," is crucial.
Measuring change success qualitatively
Equally important is the "soft side": You can feel a successful change process within the organization. For instance, the highest efficiency operates based on trust. In a trusting environment, the need for endless coordination and political maneuvering drastically decreases. And you can feel this trust when you enter a room. Often, this clear palpability leads our clients to want to neglect measuring success throughout the change process. We then remind them that while the uncertainty about whether the change is successful or meaningful has dissipated, measurements still provide important guidance for future actions.
