GROUP 2

LEADING LARGE-SCALE CHANGE

1. What is Large-Scale Change?

Large-scale change (LSC) is defined as “the emergent process of moving a large
collection of individuals, groups, and organizations toward a vision of a fundamentally
new future state, by means of: high-leverage key themes, a shift in power and a more
distributed leadership, massive and active engagement of stakeholders, and mutually-
reinforcing changes in multiple systems and processes, leading to such deep changes in
attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that sustainability becomes largely inherent.”

2. Planning questions for large scale change

At the outset of your large-scale change journey it may be helpful to consider this list of
powerful questions to guide your initial and ongoing planning efforts for LSC:
 What is your goal for change?
 What would it look like if that change had come about?

You cannot know everything that will happen, and you need to be open to the idea of
evolving your plans as you go along. Taking action will change the dynamics of the
system and that may open up new opportunities that you had not seen before, while
closing down others. With this in mind:
 Limit your initial planning cycle (we suggest 30 days) and then start doing
something concrete
 If there are disagreements in your team, launch 30-day exploratory cycles to test
the options
 Re-visit these questions at least every 90 days or so to modify and update your
plans as things emerge.

3. Theories of change, logic models and driver diagrams

 Theory of change is an explicit hypothesis that links actions with goals: ‘if we do
this, this and this, we will produce that result.’
 A logic model provides a full strategic depiction of a LSC program. As well as
setting out the links between activities, outcomes and overall goal, the model
captures current issues, challenges and opportunities. It provides a good
framework on which to base monitoring and evaluation as the key activities and
outcomes of the LSC are very clear.
 Driver diagrams focus on the links between activities, outcomes and goals.
They are similar to logic models and are particularly helpful in focusing on
discrete projects.
 Theories of change, driver diagrams and logic models are for use by a small
group of leaders overseeing the LSC

4. Managing Complex Dilemmas

The very nature of a large-scale change effort is profoundly different to simple problem
solving. LSC is riddled with complex dilemmas, dualities, and multiple ‘right’ answers
that are polar opposites.
 The goal of managing polarities is to gain the advantages of the upsides and minimize
the downsides. A well-managed polarity is one where you benefit from the tensions that
exist between the two poles and get the advantages from the synergy between both the
two poles and achieve the higher purpose.
To effectively manage the polarity requires us to see the whole picture, to understand
the whole map, to understand the dynamic that creates the tension, and to accept that
the tension inherent within the polarity needs to be managed over time. Polarity maps
look at such issues on a two-by-two matrix.

5. Measuring Large Scale Change

This section introduces you to measurement for improvement so that you can capture
and understand what difference your LSC program is making. Our purpose is to provide
broad guidance about how to measure in a way that is manageable, appropriate and
proportionate, knowing that specific choices and the details of what to measure will vary
greatly from one LSC effort to another.

Types of measurement. There are a number of different reasons why we would seek to
measure what is happening and not all may be helpful within a LSC project:
 Measurement for judgement/accountability. This form of measurement allows
us to consider whether we have achieved a comparative level of performance
and often takes the forms of monitoring against targets or benchmarking against
similar competitors.
 Measurement for research. This form of measurement is aimed at generating
new knowledge.
 Measurement for diagnosis. This form of measurement is used to better
understand what is happening within a system so that its performance can be
optimized. This can be a useful technique, especially early in the LSC process.
 Measurement for improvement. This form of measurement looks at the effects
of an intervention and helps us to consider whether the improvement we are
trying to accomplish has been achieved. It can test whether change is happening
in processes, if outcomes are changing or if key performance indicators are
shifting.

6. What is Continuum of Commitment Analysis?

Continuum of commitment analysis, a classic tool used in organizational development. It
is used to add a level of depth to stakeholder analysis and provide insight into how much
and what sort of influence leaders might need to exert.
You have to know and understand where that stakeholder is currently in terms of
commitment, and where you need them to be to achieve your purpose. 
The key here is to analyze your stakeholders and identify where they belong. Some
stakeholders, may it be an individual or a group, who is currently neutral to the LSC
vision, but is key to get engaged in active, committed, distributed leadership. We might
plan a 30-day cycle of framing the change in a way that will move them towards
commitment.
7. Systems and stakeholder’s analysis
When working in a system, it is likely that you will need to engage a wide variety of
stakeholders – either to influence them to see issues in a new way, or to come together
on the basis of a shared ambition in order to take action. In this case, it helps to map
who the stakeholders are and where they sit. This will help you understand the ways in
which different people can and will exert their influence over what you want to achieve.

Not everyone will automatically see things from your perspective. The more you can
understand where other people are coming from, the more likely you are to be able to
collaborate effectively and exercise systems leadership.

Stakeholder analysis can be a useful tool in identifying those who have influence in a
system. It can provide frameworks to help understand the needs that they have and how
to respond to them. This is important because by knowing the characteristics of your
stakeholders, you can understand how you can frame your responses in terms that
make sense to them.

8. Explain the 30-60-90 Day Cycle

The 30/60/90-day cycle tool is a way of helping you to identify, prioritize and implement
actions to take your improvement program forward.
Instead of working on linear project plans, the main unit of your planning horizon
becomes the next 30 (or 60 or 90) days and you focus your decision-making around
these. Each cycle you define should include a clear and specific objective and a clear
timescale (choose between 30/60/90 days). You should also think ahead on decisions
about what will happen next... so if you are successful you will do X and if you are not
successful you will do Y.
Great example would be our current situation. Every 15 days, the IATF decides what
classification of community quarantine they’ll place the provinces.

9. Plan, Do, Study, Act

For any change to work, we want to be as sure as possible that the changes will be
successful. We want to be assured that our changes will achieve better outcomes, be
affordable and efficient, and understood by staff, patients and other stakeholders. The
larger the change, the riskier this all seems.
The Plan-do-check-act cycle (Figure 1) is a four-step model for carrying out change. Just
as a circle has no end, the PDCA cycle should be repeated again and again
for continuous improvement. The PDCA cycle is considered a project planning tool.
The Plan-do-check-act Procedure
 Plan: Recognize an opportunity and plan a change.
 Do: Test the change. Carry out a small-scale study.
 Check: Review the test, analyze the results, and identify what you’ve learned.
 Act: Take action based on what you learned in the study step. If the change did
not work, go through the cycle again with a different plan. If you were successful,
incorporate what you learned from the test into wider changes. Use what you
learned to plan new improvements, beginning the cycle again.
10. Managing in a VUCA World.
The United States Army War College was one of the first organizations to use the VUCA
acronym, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Military planners were worried
about the radically different and unfamiliar international security environment that had
emerged, so they used VUCA to describe it. VUCA stands for:
 Volatile – change is rapid and unpredictable  in its nature and extent.
 Uncertain – the present is unclear and the future is uncertain .
 Complex – many different, interconnected factors  come into play, with the
potential to cause chaos and confusion.
 Ambiguous – there is a lack of clarity or awareness about situations.

11. How to Counter VUCA

A. Counter Volatility With Vision
 Accept and embrace change  as a constant, unpredictable feature of
your working environment. Don't resist it.
 Create a strong, compelling statement of team objectives and values ,
and develop a clear, shared vision  of the future. Make sure that you set
your team members flexible goals that you can amend when necessary.
This allows them to navigate unsettled, unfamiliar situations, and react
quickly to changes.

B. Meet Uncertainty With Understanding

 Pause to listen and look around. This can help you understand and
develop new ways of thinking and acting in response to VUCA's
elements.
 Make investing in, analyzing and interpreting business and competitive
intelligence  a priority, so that you don't fall behind. Stay up to date
with industry news , and listen carefully to your customers  to find out
what they want.
 Review and evaluate  your performance. Consider what you did well,
what came as a surprise, and what you could do differently next time.
 Simulate and experiment with situations, so that you can explore how
they might play out, and how you might react to them in the future. Aim to
anticipate possible future threats and devise likely
responses. Gaming , scenario planning , crisis planning , and role
playing  are useful tools for generating foresight and preparing your
responses.

C. React to Complexity With Clarity

 Communicate clearly  with your people. In complex situations, clearly
expressed communications  help them to understand your team's or
organization's direction.
 Develop teams  and promote collaboration . VUCA situations are often
too complicated for one person to handle. So, build teams  that can work
effectively in a fast-paced, unpredictable environment.

D. Fight Ambiguity With Agility

 Promote flexibility, adaptability  and agility . Plan ahead, but build in
contingency time and be prepared to alter your plans  as events unfold.
 Hire , develop and promote people who thrive in VUCA environments.
These people are likely collaborative, comfortable with ambiguity
and change , and have complex thinking skills .
 Encourage your people to think and work outside of their usual functional
areas, to increase their knowledge and experience. Job rotation
and cross training  can be excellent ways to improve team agility.
 Lead  your team members but don't dictate to or control them. Develop
a collaborative  environment, and work hard to build consensus .
Encourage debate, dissent and participation from everyone.
 Embrace an "ideas culture."  Kevin Roberts, of advertising agency
Saatchi and Saatchi, coined this alternative VUCA definition: "Vibrant,
unreal, crazy, and astounding." This describes the kind of energetic
culture that can give teams and organizations a creative, agile edge in
uncertain times.
 Reward  team members who demonstrate vision, understanding, clarity,
and agility. Let your people see what kind of behavior you value by
highlighting innovations and calculated risk-taking  moves.