Lost Creek Press

Lost Creek Press Ltd. provides products and resources to organizations undergoing some level of significant change.

Our free online Change Quiz is written in the form of an assessment you can use to determine how well your organization is changing and what still must be done to change successfully.

The Top Ten List: Ten Essentials to Ensure Organizational Change Works

Honestly assess your current change efforts against the following ten essentials. You will receive your score results automatically, along with a free 7/10 HelpCard.

All fields marked with a green asterisk * are required:

1. There is a solid foundation for change. This requires clear and honest answers to the questions of "Why is this change necessary? ", "What is at stake if we don't change or are unsuccessful in our attempts?", and "Where are we going?
Foundation is unstable		Foundation is very solid

2. Communication is both excessive and effective. Communication during a major change must be frequent, timely and consistent, involving face-to-face contact between immediate bosses and their direct reports, rather than one-way emails, top-down announcements or long periods without any information.
Communication is inadequate		Communication is effective

3. Significant attention is given to transition management. A detailed transition plan supplements the strategic and change plans and includes ways of helping people let go of the old ways, get through and capitalize on the chaos and confusion, and ensure the new way becomes fully integrated throughout the organization.
No attention to transition		Tangible transition support

4. Middle and lower management levels are truly engaged. Middle managers, team leaders and front-line supervisors are the most critical levels to have fully committed and acting on their responsibilities to ensure the success of the change.
Middle levels not engaged		Strong ownership by middle levels

5. Senior leaders are pulling together. All members of the senior executive group are visibly supporting the change and moving in the same direction in a clearly united front throughout the organization.
Leaders headed in differing directions		Leaders are pulling together

6. No "old guard" factor exists. The "old guard" may be either specific groups or key individuals that have a vested interest in keeping things as they were, and they need help to get on board with the change or be dealt with directly, as early in the process as possible.
Strong "old guard" present		Everyone is on board

7. The change plan is clear and understandable. An effective change plan must clearly spell out time-lines, accountabilities, budgets, resources required, progress reports, feedback loops, etc. so that everyone in the organization trusts that there really is a good plan in place for the change.
Plan is very murky		Plan both clear and understandable

8. People know what is expected of them. There is a clear and definite link between the changes at the organizational level and what each person in the organization needs to do at the individual level to make the change successful.
People have no clue what to do		Everyone knows their part to play

9. All the changes are coordinated and prioritized. When there are a number of changes happening at the same time throughout the organization, it is critical they are grouped together and prioritized so they fit together in a coherent pattern and everyone knows what change is urgent this week.
Onslaught with no priority		Clear pattern with definite priorities

10. Old habits are not getting in the way. The organization is very intentional about not making the same kind of mistakes it has with past unsuccessful changes that are based on their collective "culture", "character" or "the way we do things around here".
"Here we go again"		Strong ability to learn from past experience

FREE 7 Principles/10 Reasons HelpCard

Our 7/10 HelpCard compliments the Change Quiz and is a helpful overview of 7 principles when communicating change and the top 10 reasons major changes fail.

Complete the fields below to receive your FREE 7/10 HelpCard by email.

All fields marked with a green asterisk * are required:

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