Part 5 – Other Systems of Change Management and The 3 Phases of Change Management Model (3PCM) (Model 7 of the 9LMM)

This is one of many parts to come of?The Nine Linked Management Models (9LMM)?of the Full Cycle of Sustainable Change

In part one we talked about the natural cocoon phase, the change curve, and natural lifecycles. The second part looked at the two orders of change 1st Order Changes (Continuous Improvement) and 2nd Order Change (Major Step Changes). Part three was all about the 3 types and the two results of change. In part four we talked about the Six Levels of Change. Here we talk about other change management systems and compare them to the 3 phases of change.

Comparing the Three Phases of Change Model (3PCM) to other Change Management Systems:

In general, the first 2 types of Change Management deal with the process of identifying, planning, and implementing changes in an organization to improve its performance. This can include changes to processes, systems, and structures, as well as changes to the organization's culture and values. Change management typically involves a series of steps, including assessing the need for change, developing a plan, communicating the plan to stakeholders, implementing the changes, and monitoring and evaluating the results. Effective change management requires strong leadership, clear communication, and the ability to manage resistance to change.

Although, there are several different change management systems that have been developed and studied in literature over the years. I like the one that Steven Gambrell and I developed in the late 80’s for the clients we were working with and we first published in the July/August 1992 edition of Industrial Management Magazine, Moving Through the Three Phases of Organizational Change (Before, During, and After the Change).

Here are some of the most popular and common types of change management systems and how they related to the Three Phases of Change:

1.????Lewin's Change Management Models: Developed by Kurt Lewin in the 1940s, this model is a three-step process that includes:

1. unfreezing,
2. changing, and
3. refreezing.

It is one of the most widely used change management models and is often used as the foundation for other change management models. This is directly related to the three phases of change (Before, During, and After the Change) that Steven Gambrell and I wrote about in the 90s in figure 2 below.

?1st Order changes: Kurt Lewin's quality cycle (1940s) refers to a four-step process for continuous improvement, also known as the "Plan-Do-Study-Act" (PDSA) cycle. The steps are:

1. Plan: Identify the problem and develop a plan to improve the process.
2. Do: Implement the plan and collect data to measure the results.
3. Study: Analyze the data to determine the effectiveness of the improvement.
4. Act: Based on the results decide whether to continue with the improvement or make further changes.

Others have used similar steps:

1. Shewhart (was first in the 1920-30s) Cycle or the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Adjust) cycle, which is like Lewin's PDSA but with the added step of "Adjust."
2. The Deming Cycle (1950s) or the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle, which is like Lewin's PDSA but with the added step of "Check."

The cycles are meant to be continuous, leading to ongoing improvement in the quality of processes and outcomes. However, each change in the cycle has a natural cocoon phase dip.

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The Change Curves: Developed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in 1969, this model describes the emotional stages people go through when facing change: denial, resistance, exploration, commitment, and acceptance. I first heard about the Valley of Despair from Lynn Fossum’s book (Understanding Organizational Change Converting theory to Practice)[i] and that lead us to the study of the Change Curves that became the Three Phases of Change (Before, During, and After). We then applied it to all other types of change and found the dip happens with or without human reactions and could also be related to confusion, learning curves, ROI, etc. Nevertheless, the cocoon stage will always be there with or without “despair.”

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2.????McKinsey 7-S Model: Developed by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman in the 1980s, this model examines the alignment of seven elements of an organization: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff, and skills.

Minimizing the cocoon stage of the three phases of change is directly related to how one applies these types of elements. This is one of the foundational models we studied to understand how to do just that. I apply the 9LMM in Figure 1 to understand the full cycle of change (which includes Strategy, Structure, and Systems). And fell back on the research of my mentor Dr. Westbrook to create the Seven Attributes of Excellent Management (7AEM model 2 of the 9LMM). These seven attributes are applied before, during, and after the change to optimize the change:

1. Building Excellent Leaders (Style) (empowering bottom-up as well as top-down Strategy)
2. Building an Excellent Culture around change (Shared Values)
3. Building Excellent Customer Focus
4. Building Up Excellence in People (Staff)
5. Building Excellent Core Competencies and problem-solving skills (Skills)
6. Building Excellent Continuous Improvement of Systems and Processes (Systems)
7. Implementing Excellence in Performance Measure

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?3.????Kotter's 8-Step Change Model: Developed by John Kotter in 1996, this model is an eight-step process that includes creating a sense of urgency, forming a powerful coalition, creating a vision for change, communicating the vision, empowering others to act on the vision, creating short-term wins, consolidating gains, and anchor new approaches in the company's culture.

The Kotter 8-Step concepts are in Excellent Leadership, Culture, and People (people skills include motivation, engagement, team building, conflict resolution, etc.) ?All the attributes of the 7AEM are applied before, during, and after the change.

4.????PROSCI ADKAR Model: Developed by Prosci in 1998, it is a five-step process that includes awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement. The ADKAR model is a change management framework used to guide individual change within an organization. The five steps of the model are designed to help individuals understand, adopt, and sustain change in their work and personal lives.

1. Awareness: The first step in the ADKAR model is awareness, where individuals become aware of the need for change and understand the reasons why change is necessary.
2. Desire: The second step is desire, where individuals develop a personal desire to support and participate in the change.
3. Knowledge: In the third step, individuals gain the knowledge and skills necessary to support the change.
4. Ability: The fourth step is ability, where individuals apply their knowledge and skills to support the change.
5. Reinforcement: The final step is reinforcement, where the change is reinforced through ongoing communication, training, and support to ensure its sustainability.

The ADKAR model can be used by organizations to guide change initiatives and help employees successfully navigate through the change process. It can be applied to a wide range of change initiatives, including organizational changes, new technology implementations, process improvements, and more.

I like the PROSCI ADKAR Model approach for the prescriptive steps, especially for 2nd Order Changes and it works well with the 7AEM. As leaders plan and prime the culture for a change, it covers People-centric issues and addresses building excellent core competencies and skills.

Although these are some of the most widely used change management models, there are many other models that have been developed over time and are often based on these models. Organizations and authors often use different models depending on their specific needs and context.

Some Background:

The Nine Linked Management Models (9LMM) was first named by one of my mentors, Dr. Jerry Westbrook who was then the Chair/Department Head of the Industrial and Systems Engineering and Engineering Management Department at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. After looking at linear feet of research, he developed two of the predecessors to this approach. During that time, I was one of his students who validated his earlier models and then developed the full-cycle systems approach to change management.

As an industrial/systems engineering consultant working with large organizations to improve processes and systems and manage change and as a Ph.D. student, I was driven to explain a full systems approach to how to manage change. When Dr. Westbrook first saw this, he said, never has he seen someone pull all the parts together to explain how everything fits. Then he named it the Linked Management Models.?There were six models at that time and since then I added three more when I incorporated Design Thinking, the Gates of Change, and Project Management. Before that, they were part of the other models.

In Memory of Dr. Rupy Sawney - later I incorporated the work from my longtime friend Dr. Rupy Sawney on Systems Thinking into my systems approach using loops and layers. (Rupy and I met in graduate school while at the University of Tennessee’s Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, he has just recently graduated to bigger things.)

The models in the 9LMM cycle are numbered but one could start at any location within the cycle. Therefore, I like to start by talking about the Process of Change.

Either change or become irrelevant!

Coming Next:?The Engine of Change – The Seven Attributes of Excellent Management

Invitation:

Contact me! Unlock your potential and take your career to the next level by signing up for one of our workshops. We have created some really nice gamified project management training where we look at all the issues of change and take a full systems approach to the application. Do not miss this opportunity to learn and advance your career!

"Our mission is to transform boring training into an exciting experience with our gamified approach to Project Management, Agile, Change Management, & Lean Six Sigma, and others. Boost skills & productivity while having fun!"

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[i] Lynn Fossett, Understanding Organizational Change Converting theory to Practice, Crisp Publishing, Inc. 1988-90ish.