MWT/Engage
 
Isn't change just about 'empowerment'?

'Empowerment' as your only tool for change can be like taking away somebody's bicycle and then asking them to peddle faster.

Unknowns must be dealt with and previously existing constraints must be explicitly removed.

People aren't comfortable unless they know the boundaries of their autonomy. Even if they are almost completely autonomous they react just as strongly to the uncertainty than to any previous lack of control they may have had.

   

MWT/Engage is a pre-packaged collaboration architecture for organisational change management. It provides a unique perspective on organisational change management which recognises the multiple concurrent change journeys which occur in an organisation undergoing change.

MWT/Engage recognises the differences between the management team and the change team; and how individuals can contribute and participate in each. It pays particular attention to shifts in the management process during the change and the need to remove old behaviors as well as creating new behaviors in the organisation.

Organisations under-going change have the following key features:

  • uncertainty across all parties; including those responsible for implementing the change
  • confusion between the 'change team' (responsible for implementing change) and the 'management team' (who likely must undergo the most fundamental changes)
  • initial widening of the gap between the change team and the rest of the organisation as the organisation endlessly waits in expectation of more information
  • skepticism about the benefits and impact of the change
  • a trackable progression through the 'pit of despair' as everybody personally struggles with the change and 'the new way is harder than the old way (as first)'
  • old behaviors, if not explicitly removed, are maintained while trying to implement new behaviors
  • management team is kept busy trying to keep up with the change and neglects performance management, team dynamics, grass-roots change, and escalation processes

MWT/Engage levels the playing field in organisations under-going change. It reduces the need for planning and communicating during organisational change by ensuring key messages are communicated to the entire organisation in a consistent manner.

By using MWT visualisation and business modeling methods communications regarding the change are less ambiguous while remaining relevant to the largest possible audience. These methods also ensure that previously communicated messages are explicitly retracted if they are not aligned to the intended change.

MWT/Engage takes a broad view of organisational change. It supports organisations that have decided to undertake a strategic change initiative, organisations forced to change, organisations embracing outsourcing, and organisations under-going merger and acquisition activity.