Environmental Forces |
The dynamics of the larger context within which organizations and people operate. These forces include social, business and economic, political, governmental, technological, demographic, legal, and natural environment. |
Marketplace Requirements for Success |
The aggregate set of customer requirements that determine what it takes for a business to succeed in its marketplace. This includes not only the actual product or service needs, but also requirements such as speed of delivery, customization capability, level of quality, need for innovation, level of customer service, and so forth. Changes in marketplace requirements are the results of changes in environmental forces. |
Business Imperatives |
Business imperatives outline what the company must do strategically to be successful, given its customer's changing requirements. This can require systematic rethinking and change to the company's mission, strategy, goals, products and services, e-commerce position, pricing, or branding. Business imperatives are usually identified through the organization's strategic planning process. |
Organizational Imperatives |
Organizational imperatives specify what must change in the organization's structure, systems, processes, technology, resources, skill base, or staffing to realize its strategic business imperatives. Examples include reengineering, restructuring, or work redesign. |
Cultural Imperatives |
Cultural imperatives denote how the norms, or collective way of being, working, and relating in the company, must change to support and drive the organization's new design, strategy, and operations. |
Leader and Employee Behavior |
Collective behavior creates and expresses an organization's culture. Behavior speaks to more than just overt actions; it describes the style, tone, or character that permeates what people do and how their way of being must change to create the new culture. Leaders and employees must choose to behave differently to transform the organization's culture. |
Leader and Employee Mindset |
Mindset encompasses people's worldview, assumptions, beliefs, and mental models. Mindset causes people to behave in the ways in which they do; it underlies behavior. Becoming aware that each of us has a mindset and that it directly impacts our feelings, decisions, actions , and results is often the critical first step in building individual and organizational capacity to change. Mindset change is also required to catalyze and sustain new behaviors in both leaders and employees. A shift in mindset is usually required for organizational leaders to recognize changes in the environmental forces and marketplace requirements, thereby being able to determine the best new strategic business direction, structure, or operation for the organization. Mindset change in employees is often required for them to understand the rationale for the changes being asked of them. |
| From The Change Leader's Roadmap, published by Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2001. |
We Can Help
Are you hearing a wake-up call that suggests (or demands) that you are about to, or should, face a significant change? Has something dramatic just happened in your marketplace — or in your own organization — that has you and the rest of your team staying awake at night worrying about how to respond? Are you being forced to consider transformational changes in the way you go to market?
Let's be honest; change is frightening. Sure, you are supposed to see everything as an "opportunity," but the reality is that the unknown is scary. We can help ease some of that concern by providing a framework for you to manage the changes ahead. Catalyst has extensive experience facilitating participative change in organizations of all kinds. Please give us a call for a free telephone consultation regarding how we might be able to help you better manage the major changes on your horizon.
You may also want to peruse our pre-packaged workshop and seminars; you may find just the tool you're looking for to help you and your organization better understand how to manage (survive?) the changes ahead.
