Seven principles for effective change management
Sustaining stakeholder commitment in higher education
To improve the odds of implementing an effective change management initiative in your higher education institution, take these seven principles to heart.
Change management in higher education
The higher education community is under significant pressure to change—in all sorts of ways. Various change process initiatives include efforts to:
- Become more operationally efficient and effective
- Improve student outcomes
- Increase access to higher education
- Control costs
- Recruit and retain top faculty and researchers
- And more
Effective transformation requires an enterprise-wide approach to improve and enhance organizational models, operating processes, technology, leadership, and talent models. Yet in many cases, the organization’s resources are focused solely on the project itself and not on stakeholder commitment.
The primary goal of stakeholder commitment (or “change management” as it’s commonly referred to in consultant-speak) is to facilitate and sustain the enthusiastic acceptance and adoption of new strategies, technologies, and processes. But far too often, change management in higher education is given short shrift. The unfortunate result: sub-optimal outcomes.
Seven principles for effective change management
What can colleges and universities do to deliver more desirable outcomes? Take these seven change management principles to heart.
1 A nod to “Begin with the end in mind,” which is step two in Stephen R. Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change.
2 This is a modification of Covey’s “Think Win-Win,” the fourth habit in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”
3 See The Organizational Challenge by John R. Curry and Susan Mehringer, as well as further elaboration by Debra E. Meyerson in “Radical Change, the Quiet Way,” which appeared in the October 2001 issue of Harvard Business Review.
Jeffrey Bradfield
