The Change Kaleidoscope

Change Kaleidoscope model developed by Hope Hailey & Balogun composes of outer ring and inner ring.
The outer ring indicates organization contextual features which are time, scope, preservation, diversity,
capability, capacity, readiness, and power. Whereas inner ring provides design or implementing choices which
are change path, change start point, change style, change target, change levers and change roles. The details
of organization contextual features and implementing choices will be as followings:

Organization Contextual Features

1. Time – The period of time which change need to be accomplished
2. Scope – The degree of change which can be separated into realignment and transformation
3. Preservation – The organization assets, practices, or characteristics which needed to be retained during
change (also look at the cultural web – artifacts)
4. Diversity – The level of difference among groups of employees and divisions, who/which will be
effected of change, in terms of attitudes, values, and norms
5. Capability – The organization competency to implement change in terms of managerial skills and
personal knowledge and ability
6. Capacity – Organization resources needed for change investment including cash, human resources,
and time
7. Readiness – Employee’s level of change awareness and readiness
8. Power – The power needed for initiating change (this is based on degree of change and level of urgency
of change)

Design or Implementing Choices

1. Change Path – The types of changes can be categorized into 4 types of change base on nature and
result of change which are Evolution, Adaptation, Revolution, and Reconstruction
2. Change Start Point – Change start point indicate where the change is initiated which can be divided as
following;
 1. Top-down change – Change is initiated from top management.
2. Bottom-up change – Change is initiated from bottom line.
3. Pockets of good practice – Change is initiated by taking advantage of good practicing in
individual part of organization as model for remaining parts.
4. Pilot sites – Change is initially implementing in only one individual part of organization

3. Change Style – The way to manage process of change can be divided into 5 styles as following;
1. Education and Delegation – Small group briefing and discussing of change applied to gain
change support from employee
2. Collaboration – High employee involvement on decision of what and how to change
3. Participation – Limited employee involvement on decision of how to delivery desired change
4. Direction – Directing and controlling of change from change leader
5. Coercion – Imposing of change with authority

4. Change Target – There are 3 types of change targets which are outputs, behaviors, and values
5. Change Levers – The level of levers and intervention needed for organization change. The cultural
web can be applied to identify organization culture and current change barrier. From below of culture
web, intervention into all components of culture web which are symbols, power
structures, organizational structures, control systems, routines and rituals, and stories, is inevitable to
develop change successfully.

Uses of Change Kaleidoscope

To apply change successfully, organization context needs to be analyzed in order to select appropriate
implementing options. Change kaleidoscope can be utilized effectively as it provides both available range of
implementing options and contextual features analysis. Change awareness from organization aspect is
encouraged by using this tool. Organization need to examine contextual constraints and enablers to change in
order to evaluate its change ability and consider implementing choices of path, start point, style, target,
interventions and roles. Using change kaleidoscope allows organization to understand the reason why design
choice is appropriate or inappropriate to particular context. Change kaleidoscope is normally used by change
agent group to solve change problem through three steps which are assessing contextual enablers and
constraints, determining change path, and selecting other change choices. However, to achieve complete
change design, other tools such as cultural web need to be implemented together with change kaleidoscope.
Although change kaleidoscope establishes well structure for transition state, challenges of this tool is occurred
from interventions of other changes during processing which need to be synchronized over the time. Due to
complexity and resource consuming in transitioning, competencies of analytical, judgmental, and
implementation skills cannot be deficient for change agent. In addition, even though change kaleidoscope can
be implemented in different change circumstance, it is most appropriate to planned change which aims to
achieve particular goal.