Three types of change management methods

I was putting together examples of change management methods for a potential client and realized that there are really three types that have different applications:

The first type is the large scale change process.  For example, Lewin’s Unfreeze > Change > Refreeze concept, or John Kotter’s eight-stage method in his book Leading Change.  The large scale change process tells the global organizational steps to take, such as building a sense of urgency, developing a vision, or creating small wins to gain momentum.  They provide guidance and set expectations for how change unfolds effectively in an organization.

The second type is the analysis tool, which helps you decide what needs changing.  Force-field analysis, in which you examine the forces pushing for and against change, is one example.  Gap analysis is another.  The Change Starts Here workbook is an example of an analysis tool that helps you determine what to change.  In general, these tools help you identify or diagnose the barriers you need to overcome, or the strengths on which you should build.

The third type of change management method helps you overcome the barriers to change.  They are situation specific or topical.  For example, using the principles in Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team might help fix an ineffective leadership team.  The Beyond Buy-in workbook provides steps to raise leadership support for your initiative.  These methods are more prescriptive in nature and help you determine how to make specific improvements.  Once you have identified the problem, use these tools to create the small (and not so small) wins.

What tools are you using to manage change?

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