In a unit on change, we have been connecting with our colleagues and engaging in discussions around change a management in digital learning environments. I have been employed by Algonquin College during ambitious change initiatives in the adoption of online learning within existing programs and connected with four of my colleagues to gain insight into their experiences of these initiatives. There were significant differences in the examples my colleagues gave; different relationships to the change, success rates, and level of involvement of leadership, to name a few. However, certain themes still emerged in these discussions. My colleagues detailed challenges and resistance to change; management struggled to gain buy-in from delegates, faculty struggled against the implementation of what was perceived to be ill-fitted for their goals. Often, these challenges were not perceived as having been overcome. This should not be surprising as 70% of change initiatives have been found to be unsuccessful (Kotter 1996). What emerged, from both the literature and the interview process is not an exhaustive list of steps for successful change management, but reflects some core factors that could impact the success of change initiatives

Some elements that my colleagues perceived to have affected the success of change initiatives were strikingly consistent. Three out of my four colleagues detailed trust in shared values and/or competence as being central to the success or failure of change initiatives. In describing values-based leadership, O’Toole points to the perception of integrity and selflessness, and to the importance of aligning values (O’Toole, 2008). One example given of a change initiative that was perceived as successful in my discussions was not initiated by formal management and was purported to be adopted without notable resistance. The reasons given for this adoption were the mutual respect between colleagues, trust in the natural leaders shared goals and values, and trust in their competence in the decision.

Another consistency from my discussions was the importance of the presence of an argument for change or an expressed desire to understand why a change was necessary before teams or individuals would buy-in. Several of the change models in our readings have steps to address this. Kotter’s eight-step model encourages creating a sense of urgency (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015), while Ulrich’s seven-step model includes creating a shared need.

In the examples of successful initiatives, teams and individuals were highly engaged in the implementation. In some instances, this engagement was described as a struggle with management, in some instances, as having the support of management. This engagement was felt by faculty to positively impact the implementation of change initiatives in the unique context of individual programs. One colleague spoke of the need to feel like a co-creator as a motivating factor, which, according to O Theory, may have longer lasting effects on the commitment and performance of employees (Biech, 2007)

Supporting faculty through transitions was also seen as contributing to the success or failure of initiatives. Specifically, lack of support was seen by some as contributing to negative outcomes of mandated implementation, while active support was perceived as contributing to the appropriate contextualization. The fifth step of Biech’s six-step change model is Guiding Implementation (Biech, 2007). In this step, Biech details what managers can do to encourage engagement including seeking people from underrepresented groups and meeting with teams to provide advice and ask for feedback. This may help ensure that implementation is appropriately contextualized.

Finally, the importance of follow-up from management was highlighted by one colleague. Feedback is one of the three steps outlines in Weller and Anderson’s resilience model (Weller & Anderson, 2013). This step can help evaluate outcomes and highlight gains which can cement the change into institutional culture (Biech, 2007).

References

Al-Haddad, S., & Kotnour, T. (2015). Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), 234-262.

Biech, E. (2007). Models for Change. In Thriving Through Change: A Leader’s Practical Guide to Change Mastery. Alexandria, VA: ASTD [Books24x7 database]

Weller, M., & Anderson, T., (2013). Digital Resilience in Higher Education. European Journal of Open Distance and E-Learning, 16(1), 53-66.

O’Toole, James (2008). Notes Toward a Definition of Values-Based Leadership. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 1(1).

Kotter, J. P. (1995). Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail.