Eden Alternative Tip of the Week: Bringing Change into Your Organization

Develop a sense of urgency around the need for change. Share with people why change is needed NOW.   This will spark the initiative to get things moving.  Get the conversation started! 

Form a powerful coalition of people that will assist you.  It takes strong leadership to convenience people that change is needed.  You will need visible support from key people within your organization. Form a support team by identifying the natural leaders, make cross-departmental selections, secure a commitment from them, and develop and deepen your teamwork within the team.
 
Create a shared vision for change.  A clear vision will help everyone understand why you're asking them to get on-board. To develop a shared vision, explore what values best exemplify the change you want to see, capture a short summary of this vision in writing, define a strategy for bringing it to life, and make sure that all on the support team can confidently describe your vision in five minutes or less!

Communicate your vision.  What you do with your vision after you create it will determine your success. Consider speaking frequently about your vision, openly address the concerns of others, apply your vision to all aspects of operations, and lead by example.  

Systematically remove obstacles. You can achieve this by examining your organization's structure and systems and affirming that they are aligned with your vision.  Leave no stone unturned.  Seek out those who are resistant to change and work with them, helping them see how they can be a powerful part of the solution.   

Stop and smell the roses!  Celebrate what you've accomplished along the way.  Create an oral history of your successes and repeat the stories often.  Make sure that word of these successes reaches beyond your doors. And lastly, set goals to continue building on what you've achieved so far.