CONCEPT: Implementing Change in an Organization

APPROXIMATE TIME: 1 hour

1. Define organizational change.
2. Describe why change is important to an organization.
3. Describe the fundamental concepts of implementing change within any organization.
4. Describe ways to minimize the negative effects of change.

SUGGESTED MATERIALS: No additional materials are required. Refer to the Instructor Information   link in the User's Guide for the basic materials to teach a class.

If an organization is going to get better then processes and procedures will have to change to facilitate this improvement. Too often change is looked at as a negative thing. However, when change is directed towards improving the organization, it is actually a very positive thing. Our goal is to be the best organization we can be, which will require us to understand some basics about implementing change within the Civil Air Patrol.

In this lesson we will discover what is meant by organizational change, and why change is important to an organization. We will look at some fundamental concepts for implementing change within any organization, and a few key quality principles to help us in this endeavor. We will also look at the Performance Management Process Model, and conclude with a brief discussion on ways to minimize the negative effects of change. The main points of the lesson are to emphasize to the students that change is a positive thing, and that change is required if an organization is going to get better.

1. Define organizational change.
2. Discuss why change is important to an organization.
3. Discuss quality principles for implementing change within an organization.
4. Discuss the fundamental concepts of implementing change within any organization.
5. Discuss and apply the Performance Management Process Model.
6. Discuss ways to minimize the negative effects of change.

Attention Step: (Slide 1) If an organization is going to get better then processes and procedures will have to change to facilitate this improvement. Too often change is looked at as a negative thing. However, when change is directed towards improving the organization, it is actually a very positive thing. Our goal is to be the best organization we can be, which will require us to understand some basics about implementing change within the Civil Air Patrol (CAP).

Lesson Objectives: (Slide 2) In today’s lesson we will discover what is meant by organizational change, and why change is important to an organization. We will look at some fundamental concepts for implementing change within any organization, and a few key quality principles to help us in this endeavor. We will also look at the Performance Management Process Model, and conclude with a brief discussion on ways to minimize the negative effects of change.

INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Emphasize to the students that change is a positive thing, and that change is required if an organization is going to get better. These are two primary objectives we want them to get out this lesson.

Main Point 1: (Slide 3) Organizational change can be defined as developing systematic approaches to improve the way an organization conducts its mission. Although we sometimes don’t want to admit it, there are always better ways of doing our job. Think of change as an opportunity for improvement.

Main Point 2: (Slide 4) Question: What level of quality are you willing to accept?

Anticipated Response: People expect a high level of quality from an organization, and the Civil Air Patrol is no different.

The point is we have to be striving to be the best. Since CAP is made up of such a diverse group of people with great ideas, there is no reason to accept the status quo. Accepting change is essential for you to be able to maximize your opportunities within CAP.

Main Point 3: (Slide 5) In order to implement change, you have to start with some basics. Change requires more than just time. You’ve got to be willing to increase training, document new processes and procedures, and allow teams to learn, grow, and make mistakes. We must constantly work and apply new techniques, methods, and ideas. If we don’t, we risk reverting back to past behaviors.

(Slide 6) There are two kinds of change:

1. Change as a result of external influences (like reductions in our budget, which affects the resources of our organization). We cannot control this type of change, but it does influence internal change.

2. Change as a result of internal influences (like our own restructuring initiatives, which may redistribute resources). This type of change we can control.

(Slide 7) Before we discuss the Performance Management Process model for implementing change, it is worth noting a few of the quality principles that provide a road map to help us reach our goals.

INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Step the students through each section of the definition. Ask them to give examples of each of the quality principles.

(1) Leadership involvement…sets the pace for our journey by establishing the vision, policies, priorities and strategies. Leaders communicate these by creating an environment that supports trust, teamwork, risk taking, initiative, reward and continuous improvement. Leaders initiate and sustain quality in the culture, a responsibility that cannot be delegated.

(2) Dedication to the mission…is reflected in all we do as a team. No matter what the role – from flightline to family care – every person is critical to achieving our goals in the Civil Air Patrol.

(3) Respect for the individual…happens as we recognize everyone’s skills and contributions. Rank and level of responsibility shouldn’t be the measure for respect. Success comes when you understand and appreciate each person’s contributions to the team.

(Slide 8) (4) Decentralized organization…breaks down functional walls and eliminates layers of bureaucracy. By aligning an organization to support critical processes, both customer and stakeholder prosper. Decentralizing organizations returns decision-making authority to the appropriate level.

(5) Management by Fact…uses realistic measures to help indicate when, where and how to improve the most important processes. Data driven decisions help identify smarter, more productive ways to accomplish the mission.

(6) Empowerment…giving peoples the tools they need to do their jobs. Leaders who have learned to use empowerment find their roles enhanced – not weakened. The goal is to create an environment in which properly trained subordinates can continually improve the organization. This encourages innovation and risk taking. However, empowerment is a two-way street. Once a leader empowers an individual, they must accept the responsibility and accountability that comes with empowerment.

Transition: These principles are not just a haphazard collection of good ideas; they are essential to your understanding of operationalizing quality and where you impact the Performance Management process.

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(Slide 9) Discuss and apply the Performance Management Model. Performance Management is the Air Force’s construct for a continual performance improvement system that focuses on mission accomplishment and is applicable to the Civil Air Patrol. Components used with the Performance Management process are goals, priorities, mission essential tasks (METs), performance measures, and standards, and task assurances. Performance Management employs a plan, do, and assess approach to operationalizing quality and addresses the requirements for goals and performance measures. The Performance Management Model graphically depicts the phases of Performance Management.

INSTRUCTOR NOTE: Using the slide, step the students through each section of the model. A description of the sections is listed below. Encourage group interaction by asking for personal examples in each of the sections.

The Performance Management process occurs at two levels: the solid arrows indicate the formal process of (recurring) mission performance by the Command and Senior Staff. The dashed arrows indicate the day-to-day actions taken by leadership and personnel to measure and improve performance, the basis for Task Assurance. During Task Assurance (or the ASSESS circle in the model), the commander continuously assesses how well the wing performs its tasks, making corrections, improvements, or resource allocations as needed to ensure mission accomplishment. Finally, successful performance of day-to-day tasks should translate to successful performance during external assessments. The information gleaned by the commander’s continuous internal assessment will be used as an information source by inspectors during Quality Air Force Assessments (QAFA) and No Notice Flight Safety Inspections (for squadron level commanders).

(1) PLAN: Performance Planning. During the planning step, the commander and the senior leadership of the organization identify the organization’s goals, priorities, and the mission essential tasks (METs). Based on this information, a game plan for reaching those goals is developed. This becomes the unit’s performance plan and supports MET accomplishment. Below is the Change Checklist, which is a list of questions you should review before attempting changes within an organization.

INSTRUCTORS NOTE: The Change Checklist is provided here, but you are not required to include it in the lesson:

Adapted from John C. Maxwell’s book "Developing the Leader within You," (p. 62).

___ ___ Will this change benefit the followers?

___ ___ Is this change compatible with the purpose of the organization?

___ ___ Is this change specific and clear?

___ ___ Are the top 20 percent (most influential members) in favor of this change?

___ ___ Is it possible to test this change before making a total commitment to it?

___ ___ Are physical, financial, and human resources available to make this change?

___ ___ Is this change reversible?

___ ___ Is this change the next obvious step?

___ ___ Does this change have both short- and long-range benefits?

___ ___ Is the leadership capable of bringing about this change?

___ ___ Is the timing right?

(2) DO: Mission Execution. This step of performance management is accomplishing the mission; the day-to-day operations and functioning of the unit. Performance is focused on accomplishing tasks to meet mission requirements. It is the responsibility of the leadership of each unit to use good judgment to select the tasks that best represent the unit. The process is designed to give maximum flexibility in identifying unit mission essential tasks.

(3) ASSESS: Task Assurance. To assess performance is to identify opportunities for continual improvement. Each time we measure our tasks and compare them to standards, we look for the opportunity to improve. Performance measures gauge progress and provide feedback to commanders. Commanders must ensure Civil Air Patrol (CAP) units can perform the mission, remain in compliance with directives, and perform tasks effectively and efficiently. These measurements provide a way to gauge progress by providing feedback to commanders at all levels on the effectiveness of their units in supporting CAP Goals. Commanders at all levels are accountable and, as appropriate for their level, each CAP member has the same accountability.

The units will evaluate their performance using the same measures throughout the chain of command. The review process will be on going to ensure continuous performance improvement. Task Assurance, done well, ensures a unit’s preparedness for Operational and Compliance Assurance assessments.

Operational Assessments: The operational assessments (e.g., Quality Air Force Assessment) are a responsibility of the Headquarters CAP and Headquarters CAP-USAF Inspector General (IG), and are invaluable as an independent, third party verification of a unit’s capability. They give commanders a critical and unique level of confidence that subordinate units are mission capable. In this sense, the operational assessment will continue as an integral part of the Civil Air Patrol’s overall assessment system.

Compliance Assessments: Compliance assessments (e.g., Flight and Ground Safety, Financial Accountability, CAP Operations), also a responsibility of the IG, are necessary to ensure we, as an institution, comply with established standards. There are other designated "critical" areas we will continue to evaluate against established standards, including those items mandated by law, Executive Order, DoD Directive, safety, or designated by individual commanders. Compliance assessments are the responsibility of the CAP commanders.

Plan, Do, and Assess can only benefit our overall operations when supported by a fundamental commitment to continuous improvement. Our core value of "excellence in all we do" speaks to the degree our organization has internalized our need to be second to none. We cannot afford to limit our improvement efforts to just the unit level—we must share improvement strategies and innovative ideas with all units of the Civil Air Patrol to generate the best value for our improvement efforts.

Transition: Once you have committed to implementing change in an organization, there is a good chance that people will resist your efforts.

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Main Point 4: (Slide 10) Here are some things you can do to minimize the negative impact that change can have on your people.

1. Effective communication—it is important for the management to communicate the reason for the change, and the positive impact the change will have on the organization (and the people).

2. Team building—developing a cohesive team builds confidence in the team members, and they are willing to accept change as they work towards a common goal.

3. Time to adapt—give the members of the organization time to adjust to the changes you are recommending.

4. Show resolve—be committed to implementing new ideas. This will help foster creative thinking from the members within the organization.

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(Slide 11 & 12) Summary

We must embrace change within the Civil Air Patrol to ensure we do not become complacent and allow our organization to decline. Change is positive if it is focused on process improvement. Tracking and assessing performance is a continuous and deliberate process that takes place at all levels. As our performance targets (goals) are redefined with each iteration of the Performance Management Process to assure continuous improvement of our mission performance. Thus as we improve, we need to "raise the bar" in succeeding iterations of performance standards to make the Civil Air Patrol the best organization it can be.