In this Random Thoughts post, I want to present a topic related to Week 1 of the Quick Start Action Plan. The objective for Week 1 is to “complete the Change Accelerator Project Dashboard in the Module 5 Activity titled Increase Change Management Capability.”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked into business and social enterprises over the last forty years where senior managers had spent virtually no time in preparing to lead their organizations through change. Yes, they may have created comprehensive project management plans with gantt charts, etc. But in the vast majority of cases, none of these plans addressed the “human side of change.” That is, there had been little thinking about how project and management teams would address key issues like “making the case for change” or “communicating the future vision” or “managing resistance and conflict.”
It’s no wonder the vast majority of strategic initiatives do not deliver sustainable results. As reported in Gender Wealth Strategy Key Finding #8:
- “44% of strategic initiatives did not succeed in the last three years.” (Project Management Institute, 2013).
- “60-80% of businesses fall short of the targets identified in their strategic plans.” (Kaplan and Norton, 2008).
- “Only 8% of large companies were able to deliver sustained organic growth of 5% or more over a ten-year period.” (Bain and Company, 2012).
This is the reason why I approached Jesse Jacoby, Managing Principal and Founder of Emergent Consultants, in 2016 about his Change Accelerator© change management platform.
The Change Accelerator© platform is the best I’ve seen since my days as a graduate student in the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Organization Development (MOD) programs at Bowling Green State University. In particular, I’d like to call your attention to the ACT™ Model section of the Change Accelerator website.
The Accelerating Change and Transformation Model is conceptually sound and practical. It’s a model refined and honed through 25+ years of real-world application in large corporations and mid-size enterprises across the U.S. Both the model and platform meet my requirements for a well-designed solution and tool. As you know from the Whose Needs Come First? section of Gender Wealth Strategy, I use the What, Why, How, and How Well criteria to design effective and sustainable solutions.
The ACT Model answers these design criteria in an exemplary manner:
- 6 Activity Checklists with a total of 60 performance expectations or tasks (addressing the “what” of change leadership and management)
- 68 Tools spanning all six phases of the ACT Model (addressing the “how” of change leadership and management)
- 6 Phase Health Checks with a total of 49 performance standards (addressing the “how well” of change leadership and management)
Of course, the “why” for using the ACT Model and Change Accelerator platform is built into the primary objective of Business Impact Accelerator©: to build a sustainable and high-impact enterprise that creates enduring social and economic value.
I recommend you and your team spend time to review the 6 Activity Checklists and 6 Phase Health Checks in Change Accelerator during the first two weeks of the Quick Start Action Plan. Make copies of these Checks in order to examine the “what” and “how well” of effective change management and leadership. As 50% of performance issues in organizations are created by unclear expectations and standards, these two checklists will enable you and your team to become “change masters” and navigate your enterprise through the trials and tribulations of organizational change, growth, and transformation.
In addition, I recommend downloading the Change Accelerator tool titled Change Management Overview Presentation. It’s a customizable presentation you can use with your team and staff to start the conversation about what it will take to lead, manage, and accelerate change across your organization. Note the slide titled Formula for Change Management Success (slide #6). Here’s a pdf of the presentation that Jesse Jacoby can help you customize:
Successfully leading and managing change is never easy. There will be constant challenges and issues to address during your journey toward sustainable growth and impact. However, the ACT Model and Change Accelerator Toolkit will make this long-term process much easier. Ultimately, your stakeholders and investors (if you’re planning to raise revenue-based growth capital on a crowdfund investment platform) will be happy and pleased!