Creating a Change Management Plan: Lewin's 3-Step Model & Action Research - Essay Sample

Abstract

Change management plan is a document that helps in managing a change process in an organization. It also ensures that there is a control of scope, communication resources, schedule and budget. Change management plan minimizes the effect of a change on employees, customers, business, or any other stakeholders. Lewin's model of planned change gives emphases on how change can be attained. Action research is put in place to inform Lewin's 3-step model of change. The model explains how organizational change is actualized.

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Lewin's 3-step model has three key steps to follow to attain change. These steps are: unfreezing, moving, and refreezing. The first step involves recognizing the need for change in an organization. Unfreezing also includes encouraging an evolution of the old behaviours and attitudes. The second step of Lewin's 3-step model is moving. It is also known as changing and at this stage, change is implemented through talking a particular action. During this step, employees learn new points of view or concepts. The mentors, role models, experts benchmarking results are useful mechanisms of change.

Third and the last step of Lewi's 3-step model is refreezing. At this stage, changes are reinforced and then stabilized. Leaders integrate the changed attitude of behaviours into a usual way of doing things. Modelling and coaching help in strengthening the stability of change. This essay gives a change management plan and a detailed report explaining the project.

Executive Summary

Since the expectations of New York City and its police department is changing, there was a need to come up with a Transformational Task Force (TTF). The fundamental expectations are collaboration and inclusiveness, transparency of information, high openness, accountability, decision making, affordability and sustainability. The final report suggests how police services are organized and delivered. The recommendations of the report touch on every aspect of policing Service including community-centred service delivery model, culture change, new investments in technology and people, reconfiguration of New York police divisions across the city and a powerful approach to the management of public funds,

The vision of New York Police is reflected in a model of community-centred service delivery with the following three goals:

• Be available to the public when they need the Service the most.
• Embrace partnership with other stakeholders to create a safe community.
• Focus on the needs of New York City.

We have an opportunity to revitalize, redefine, and modernize the New York Police Service to achieve a new level of leadership and excellence. Implementation of recommendations will recognize the need for local strategies and solutions. This implementation will strengthen the trust between police and our communities/neighbourhoods. The proposed New York Police Service delivery model gives unprecedented change for our city and the Service. Successful implementation will require alignment of members of the board, elected officials, members of the Service, and senior leadership of the Service.

Introduction

Change management is defined as the tools, techniques and the process to manage a change to achieve the required business results. The New York Police Service Strategic Management Unit (NYPSMU) has a mandate to oversee the implementations of reports and recommendations. NYPSMU comprise of several sub-units, and its focus is on: organizational change management, evaluation and performance measures, project management, business and crime analytics, and inclusiveness and diversity. Developing a change management plan is new to New York Police Service; as a results, this change management plan has been done with the collaboration and support of the New York City Community of Excellence.

The scope of this change management plan is to focus on different change strategies, and they are based on project work that is being done (Shirley, 2013). This change management plan is used throughout the New York Police Service, as the scope and size of these initiatives give an impact to each area of the Service. Every individual workstreams and recommendation will have their tailored change management plans.

There are seven project workstreams, and they are explained below:

• Technological improvements. This workstream project is an initiative which advances the technical capabilities of the Service.
• New Policing Model. There are initiatives which reconstruct current practice to improve service delivery and optimize resources.
• Service Reallocation. It involves initiatives used to assess non-core policing functions to determine if alternatives exist and if they can reduce cost and create efficiencies.
• Paid Duties, Special Events and Public Safety. Initiatives that majorly focus on improving Service to member. For example, Overhauling Paid Duties and Public Safety Response Team.
• Stakeholder Engagement. It is a project workstream Initiative that focuses on the strategic engagement of external and internal stakeholders, for example, Association Engagement Strategies, Service Member, and the Public.
• Accountability. It is an initiative that focuses on improving Police Service accountability to both the internal and the external stakeholder group, for example, a Modernization Scorecard and Quarterly Progress Updates.
• Culture change and Human Resources. Initiatives that will cultivate the potential of the people of New York while improving and modernizing the culture of the Service. For example, HR Strategy and Culture Change.
• Organizational Change Management Plan is different from Culture Change Plan (Shirley, 2013). Developing a change plan which implements the recommendation is one of the steps towards a culture change. However, changing the culture of an organization is broader than just culture change.

Change Plan

The first step of Lewin's 3-step model is refreezing. It provides a significant level of change in an organization. At this stage, we consider factors, for example; budget, support needed, timelines, stakeholder's involvement and other significant factors. The substantial nature of change makes use of initiatives and frameworks to ensure the success of the modernization process. Every recommendation made by Transformation Task Force is in the scope for the change plan.

Two areas of the change management plan; sustainability strategy and learning and development strategy will later be added. The two approaches will be based on individual workstreams, such as business requirements and needs that are being defined. Even though sustainability is a critical area in planning, it is very early to develop it at this stage.

Planning and Sponsorship

A communications strategy is very critical to the success of the project (Burnes, 2004). Communication strategy is an integral part of the change management plan. Communication is a one-way channel when it comes to providing valuable information. Therefore, stakeholders engagement strategy offers an opportunity for two-way feedback. The relationship between engagement and communication is significant since effective communication is the initial step in creating stakeholders' transparency.

Both external and internal stakeholder engagement is playing a pivotal role in achieving the Service's modernization goals. To be useful in planning, there is a comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement Strategy. Through engaging, every stakeholders will ensure transparency and creates a dialogue between those that are affected by the change and the Service.

Internal engagement strategy involves all actions which are needed to communicate the changes that are occurring and also help the members prepare for these changes. It is also vital to assess members readiness for change and then respond to their level of preparedness. A change management plan plays a very critical role in the success of the project. The main reason for this strategy is for the project to be transparent and to involve the Service Members.

The external engagement strategy is another factor of planning, and it defines the approach to create opportunities for community groups, youth groups, residents, and other stakeholders. This engagement strategy also involves all the actions needed to build awareness of clear outlines and modernization efforts

There is an approach for preparing and utilizing leadership as a sponsor of the project to promote, gain support and then drive the adoption of the change (Burnes, 2004). In New York Police Service, the leadership is made up of Chief of Police, three Deputy Chiefs of Police overseeing Operational Support Command and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

Awareness

A benefits realization strategy provides the New York Police Service with a framework that monitors and measure benefits brought about by the proposed change and determines whether the intended results will be achieved. Quantifiable and metrics targets based on the Service's goal are vital in monitoring the rate of change adoption.

Some of the tactics employed to create awareness include:

• Conducting annual community surveys which include questions on modernization.
• Measurement of website analytics.
• Public reporting through New York Police Service.
• Employee engagement surveys are done twice a year. The study will be including change readiness.

Learning

A communications strategy was developed during the Transformational Task Force (TTF) concerning organizational change management. Research into best practices has contributed to the development of this change plan to facilitate the implementation of Transformational Task Force.

Community consultations were publicized on diverse and numerous forms of media, even though the attendance was small (Burnes, 2004). The feedback indicated that this was as a result that the plan was widely accepted. Feedback on the consultation was that they were very few and insufficient.

Readiness and Adoption

Continual assessment of preparedness has been integrated into the implementation process. Each project workstream is assessing readiness and adoption on an ongoing basis. The quarterly reporting to the New York Police Service Board to ensure that the public well knows preparedness and adoption.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Viewing the field of Police Service from the historical perspective, it is straightforward to see that change has been a constant factor in the area. We can expect history to repeat itself, and it will be forced to deal with another significant difference in the Policing Service. Lewin's basic three Steps Model serves a platform the above change management plan.

Appendix

Give the scope of the project Uses existing skills/workforce Change to processes, technology, or staffing model A shift in organizational structure and processes Transform or shift operations The unprecedented move, groundbreaking What is the priority of the project to the organization? It is included in the resources and business plan Proper alignment which is included in the business plan Policy-driven or legislative Explicitly and directly aligned

It is directly aligned to strategy and critical priority. DETAILED REPORT ABOUT NEW YORK POLICE SERVICE CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN

The New York City Police Change Management plan followed the Lewi's 3 stage...