Wave of Change: the phases of a change process

The different phases of change in organisations are as fluid and dynamic as a wave. A wave builds up, towers, breaks, runs out and ebbs away, and it does all this in countless complex patterns and cycles. The Wave of Change model comes from Blank/Bents Future Systems Consulting.

Those responsible who set such a wave in motion with a change process have to manage it. They have to keep track of and coordinate the planned success and the planned implementation at the same time, as well as people’s needs and concerns and the organisational structures.

The energy of the change cycle can have a transformative effect. Those involved learn to engage with adjustments again and again, to accept them and to value the energy of the transformation.

In every restructuring or realignment, the challenge lies in locating which phase of the process the individual, the team or the organisation is currently in. Six elementary phases can be distinguished for this assessment of the situation.

In each phase the focus lies on different topics. It is like surfing: each phase of the wave requires a particular posture that constantly adapts to the dynamics of the movement. The transitions from one phase to the next are dynamic and smooth.

Before any change process begins, the organisation sets up the project planning. It is phase 0 and creates the conditions for the actual wave.

Project planning comprises three elements. At process level, the process architecture is developed. In the analysis, the current situation is examined, including the needs. Finally, the planning produces the concrete project plan, for example with resource planning, budget and schedule.

In phase 1, awareness of the purpose of the reorientation is created and a sense of direction is developed. A vision takes shape in the minds of those involved and those affected.

The rationale is that people are goal-oriented beings. They depend on meaningful structures in their social environments and need guiding mental patterns that can be connected with their own experience, such as language, culture, contexts, products and organisational structures, and that at the same time create new images and ideas. Visions therefore have to build on existing ideas and patterns of thought and culture while sketching an attractive future.

It is not enough to communicate the direction and corporate strategy on paper, on slides or through assertive statements. Clear images of meaning have to form in people’s minds, and the purpose of the realignment has to be conveyed in an understandable way.

The learning goal of this phase is that those affected and involved form an idea of the future and experience exchange as well as their interdependence with other areas, products and colleagues. The skill required for this is developing an attractive future as a discursive process. If only targets are set, those affected will not open up to the vision. Only through questions are one’s own ideas called into question and compared with new ones, so that the new picture of the future is adapted to one’s own ideas. Only in this way does the vision communicated by management gain traction.

An attitude of openness is required. It does not arise from instructions or threats; management appears clearly and as a mediator and engages in dialogue. The method of this phase is to create a vision, to give clear and concrete information about the strategy and to convey the purpose and structure of the realignment in an understandable way.

In phase 2, personal identification with the change process develops. It is the decisive phase for lasting success. If those involved do not buy into the process, their willingness to perform and their identification drop markedly in difficult phases, up to the point of inner resignation.

The rationale is that people are not wired for the survival of the fittest but demand trust. The background information refers to research in game theory, for example by Reinhard Selten in 1994, and to neurobiological research findings. Aggression and refusal usually arise from a lack of trust, as does the sealing-off of insider groups against management.

What matters in this phase is not discussion but listening to one another. Different experiences are not debated; they are met with acceptance. It is desirable for those affected to talk about their emotions too. People’s values reside in their emotions, and values always have an emotional connection. They are the basis on which people buy into an idea or a project.

Four elements shape this phase. Self-perception is the basis for self-management; self-assessment tools such as GPTP or ARP, in which people reflect on their inclinations and the extent of their ability to exert influence, can be used for this. With self-acceptance, the people in the process have or develop a positive self-image, and limits are named and accepted. In listening to one another, feedback rules are discussed and the foundation for a feedback culture is laid. In listening and understanding, the facilitators practise acceptance and make sure that topics are not debated, but that each person expresses their subjective opinion and every contribution is valued.

This phase lays the foundation for a culture of trust. Trust is a hard factor in the change process.

In phase 3, the concrete projects and strategies of the change process are discussed. Once the first two phases have been completed successfully, knowledge and information have to be brought in at this point. Knowledge management, project management and strategic competence are called for.

Four elements determine this phase. Strategy calls for strategic thinking: the new strategy that has been set becomes transparent and understandable, and tactical measures are considered. Analysis requires analytical ability, conceptual thinking and an understanding of cause and effect, as well as a methodical approach, for example following the Z model. It leads from the framework conditions and targets via options and courses of action and their critical evaluation to acceptance by those affected.

Consequence means considering the effects and impact of decisions. Finally, discussion is results-oriented: the aim of the discussion is to arrive at results that lead to decisions in the following phase.

In phase 4, the discussion leads to concrete plans. Those involved take responsibility for the success of the measures agreed. Coordination and synergetic models are agreed in line with the vision and strategy.

The rationale is the experience that most measures fail because of a lack of commitment or because the framework conditions change in the course of the process. What is decisive, therefore, is that decisions and plans are binding. This is the case if the process has led to empowerment by this point: the individual is more important in the process than the group, and shared success is more important than the individual’s task.

Four elements belong to this phase. With commitment, what matters is the degree to which individuals commit to their measures; the critical question about realistic effort is important, because intuitive people sometimes have unrealistic ideas about time. Decisiveness means making no vague statements, taking a clear position and showing the will to succeed. Responsibility means that those involved reflect on the effect on those affected and plan support strategies. For documentation, the measures agreed are recorded.

In phase 5, the measures agreed are implemented on site. A monitoring system with meetings, current metrics and information on the implementation of the projects is important here.

The rationale is that reality is always imperfect: statistically, only around 60 per cent of agreed goals are achieved. A culture of learning from mistakes cannot be taken for granted, but it has to be named as a real factor. Strategies and tactical measures have to be tested under realistic conditions and, where necessary, included in the correction of goals in the next run through the phases. The implementation process is a learning process and serves to optimise the goals pursued.

Three elements shape this phase. Motivation recognises that people have different motivators; leaders have to keep an eye on their environment and know how to inspire those around them. Determination means demonstrating a determined attitude again and again; the will to act is required as an approach and an attitude. The method of this phase is action.

In phase 6, phases 1 to 6 are evaluated, and above all the results achieved so far are celebrated.

Celebrating successes is an important impetus for the next wave cycle. Celebrating requires symbols. For every social group, symbols describe its shared history and the interdependence it has experienced, and they secure a shared future. In this phase it is important that a positive, forward-looking spirit can be felt. This process, too, is evaluated.

Two elements shape the evaluation. In creating transparency, the monitoring system is tested; creating transparency is a skill that is learnt or called upon in this phase. Processes are assessed and shortcomings identified.

Transparency can only arise if those involved trust one another. Glossing over things is a sign of incompetence or a lack of trust. A culture of learning from mistakes is a value-creation factor, and it only works in a context of trust.