Responses

Jaime Discussion:

Once a change has been initiated and put in place at an institution, the institution’s job is not done when it comes to change. Oftentimes the best intentions lie with a big change initiatives and things may change for a short timeframe, but soon leaders and stakeholders may get frustrated if things are not changing as fast as they anticipated and thus many will go back to their old way of thinking and thus negating the change set forth (Larson, n.d.). Strategies and techniques need to be put in place so that this cycle does not start.

First and foremost, one must always remember the goals and ROI of a change. During set increments, the head of the change initiative (or a set employee(s)) needs to measure the change to ensure it is meeting its target goal(s) and ROI. If it is determined that it is not, then the change initiative needs to be looked at to see what can be done to ensure that the institution does not go backwards in their approach and moves forward in the proper manner. Another technique is to get the stakeholders involved in maintaining change. If there was a steering committee to help bring the initial change to light, then this group can remain and meet at set intervals to discuss the positives and negatives of the change and how to assure it is as successful as possible. Surveys can be given out to other stakeholders not in the steering committee to gather their opinion on the change initiative. Even if the initiative is meeting the proper goals and bringing in a ROI, that does not mean that ideas cannot be brought forward to make it even better. Getting stakeholders involved will help them feel that their voices are being heard and may be more willing to make changes in the future.

If all tools and techniques are extinguished and the change is not successful or costing the initiative money, this needs to be addressed. Not every change is going to work or be successful. Some changes look good on paper and the best ideas were there, but it does not mean that it will work in real time.  Institutions have to be willing to part with some changes if it winds up costing the institution more than what the change brings to the community and stakeholders.

Reference

Larson (n.d.). Six anchors to make change stick In Isixsigma. Retrieved from

https://www.isixsigma.com/implementation/change-management-implementation/six-anchors-to-make-change-stick/

Michael Discussion:

Hello everyone,

Instilling a change initiative at a higher education institution is an incredibly laborious process.  After gathering stakeholders, getting commitment and action, funding and implementation, and then reviewing the results, it is a large amount of work.  However, some would argue that this is only half of the process.  The rest is accomplished by sustaining and even in some cases growing the initiative after inception.  One of the ways that this second stage of work is accomplished is through a system of audits.

To accomplish a system of audits that continually monitors the program for desired results, an institution can install a continuous monitoring program.  According to international audit and consulting service Deloitte, a continuous monitoring program “enables management to continually review business processes for adherence to and deviations from their intended levels of performance and effectiveness” (Deloitte, 2010).  Thus, a continuous monitoring system sets specific target points at which leadership audits the results to ensure that the end goal is being met and adjusts the program if not.

The key to a continuous management system is ensuring that data points are specific, include key personnel, and that the results are accountable to someone else on campus.  For example, in an admission initiative, the department would need to set key times to meet and review results, make sure that those results specifically apply to the desired outcome (ie… 20% increase in admits), and that the results are accountable to the President.  By this means the original change initiative becomes sustainable through accountability and the results can be adjusted for growth.

Reference

Deloitte LLP (Deloitte). (2010, October 29). Continuous monitoring and continuous auditing: From idea to implementation. White Papers. Retrieved from: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/audit/us-aers-continuous-monitoring-and-continuous-auditing-whitepaper-102910.pdf