Performance Management

Change Management: Defining The Vision (E)

Why the change process need to have defined vision?

Posted: Apr 2010

Every organization has its vision. Still this vision may not be detailed enough to cover every aspect of the business. The change process should contain the vision of the change project.

The vision should be the factor that will motivate and guide all stakeholders to the change destination. The vision need to clarify the future that will be different than the current state. The successful vision should contain different elements:

Imaginable – vision need to bring a clear picture of what will the future look like
Desirable – vision should show long term interest and benefits to stakeholders
Feasible – Goals should be realistic
Focused – Actions should be clear enough
Flexible – Ensured option for alternative solutions
Communicable – Vision should be easy to communicate and can be explained quickly

The main reasons of failure of vision is the fact that desirable objectives are not realistic or they are too general. Nothing can happen quickly. The change need some time to be implemented. The vision is useless if it is not implemented. The vision is the base for the next steps and it should be treated as such.

The vision should be short, simple and inspiring. The vision should not be the paper hang or the wall or the phrase in the corporate newsletter. The vision should be lived by all employees and managers.
 

Related Reading:

Change Management - Introduction
Step 1: Engaging & Creating the Change Environment
Step 2: Building the Change Team 
Step 3: Defining the Vision 
Step 4: Building the Communication Plan
Step 5: Motivating, Empowering and Inspiring for Action 
Step 6: Supporting the Change process