Managing through times of change can be difficult. At XPLANE, we often work with clients who are change makers in their organizations. They recognize that change is needed, but the next step can feel daunting. We realized that an alignment tool was needed to help visualize at the simplest level how organizational change works. XPLANE developed a diagnostic tool called “the change lever,” which is used to help cast a clear picture of a company’s current and future state, in order to cultivate a targeted set of strategies and tactics to empower change.
The change lever works like a real mechanical lever. There is a load that can be lifted if the right amount of force is applied. In our model, the load is the organization and it’s behavior is what we want to move from where it is today to where it can be in the future. The interventions, strategies and tactics we apply to the organization will create this change. But the organizational context and capacity for change matters, too: does your business readily adapt to new ideas and ways of working or is it entrenched and difficult to shift? The more adaptive an organization is, the less force is needed and we can move larger loads longer distances. Entrenched organizations will require more intensive interventions, or should be moved in smaller increments.
The change lever has proven to be a successful tool in diagnosing our clients’ needs and scoping how we can help. It has become part of the XPLANE culture and a best practice in discovery sessions. What’s your current state? Where do you want to take your organization? And how do you plan to get there?