Summary
The case study presents a 2005 article by Roberto and Levesque entitled “The art of making change initiative to stick.” According to the authors, managers of different organizations are always coming up with strategic initiatives to improve the performance of their organizations. However, most of the time, these initiatives do not produce long-lasting impacts. Therefore, for a change initiative to have long-term effects on the organization, it must be well planned.
As the authors argue, the institutionalization of change initiatives involves four processes viz. chartering, mobilizing, aligning, and learning. How the organization will carry out these four stages will determine the success of the change initiatives. The chartering process will involve defining the scope of the changes and the role played by individuals in the organization. The learning process is where managers gather information to test what can work and what cannot work. Mobilization underscores the process of resource marshaling to enable the accomplishment of the set goals and objectives.
Finally, the realigning process is where job and other performance metrics are changed. All these stages underscore the process of institutionalization and if followed correctly, success is almost guaranteed.
Key Learning Points
In this article, Roberto and Levesque emphasize that the planning process is very important before undertaking any major changes in the organization. Managers and all the other stakeholders who are involved in strategic change initiatives need to plan the whole process before any implementation starts to ensure that these changes have long-term impacts on the organization and not simply temporary results such as short-term performance improvement.
The four critical processes that are needed before implementation are well presented in this article. Any successful change initiatives require managers to gather all the necessary information to help in testing the processes that are viable and those that are not viable. All those who are taking part in the changes also need to be well prepared and informed. Resources mobilization and realignment also play a crucial role in the success of the initiatives.
Critical Analysis
This article presents a very good analysis and description of how organizations and more so managers can prepare before undertaking strategic change initiatives. It is very true that though many organizations are always undertaking change initiatives, they do not last for long. The main reason why there is shortsightedness in this plan is poor preparation. Managers and organizations in general spend less time in preparation before undertaking the whole process.
The authors in this article present the four processes very well which can be followed by organizations to undertake changes that have lasting impacts. However, the article does not appreciate other factors that may also affect the success of the change initiatives undertaken such as political environment and other external factors.
Learning Reflections
Quality management is very important for the success of any business plan. Managers are required to look at the impacts of their decisions more in the long term and not the short term only. Quality decisions will result in long lasting impacts. Good preparations and planning will guarantee the success of the change initiatives both in the short and long run. The planning part is the most crucial stage of any business plan preparation and implementation. A well-designed business plan with clear guidelines on how to do what and when will likely prosper in the long term.
Reference
Roberto, L. A., & Levesque, L. C. (2005). The art of making change Initiative stick. MIT Sloan management review, 46(4), 52-62.