How to build and communicate a case for change within your organisation

1. How to define and build a case
for change
© The Change Source 2013 – All Rights Reserved

2. “There is nothing more difficult to carry
out, nor more doubtful of success, nor
more dangerous to handle, than to
initiate a new order of things.” Niccolo
Machiavelli

3. Overview
A clear vision of the desired future state, or what the
organisation will look like after the change, is an important
foundation for any change effort. This includes:
• What services/products the organisation will deliver;
• What technology will be used to support day to day
activities;
• How it will operate;
• How it will be structured;
• How its stakeholders will interact.
Envisioning the future state helps the organisation to
determine the extent of change required, the resources that
will be required to implement the change and the vision that
stakeholders will need to embrace.
Stakeholder
Interaction
Org
Structure
OperationsTechnology
Services and
products

4. Purpose of a Case for Change
The purpose of a case for change is to introduce the change
and explain the following:

5. What is the driver for your change?

6. What is the type of change?

7. Key questions to consider to build your case
• What are the drivers for change both internally and/or externally? E.g.
merger, technology enhancements, cost cutting programmes, changing
customer needs etc.
• What is the type of change? Developmental, Transitional or
Transformational?
• What is the scope of the change?
• Is the change aligned to the overall business strategy?
• Which stakeholders will be impacted by this change?
• Who is the sponsor for the change?
• What benefits will this change bring to the organisation?
• What are the timescales?
• Which resources will support the change initiative? e.g. core project
team, business design team, change agents, change champions etc.
• How will we communicate details about the change?
• What are the risks of not changing?
• What are the dependencies with other initiatives?
• Will job roles be impacted?
• What are the critical success factors?
• How do we plan to elicit feedback?
• How will we measure the success of the change?

8. Communicate the Case for Change
Communicating the case for change isn’t a “sales pitch” but rather a
way for people to envision the future state for themselves.
Storytelling methods is one way to provide a creative way of helping
stakeholders or leaders visualize the desired future state and see
themselves as a part of it.
For example, creating day in the life scenarios of the future
organisation will enable stakeholders to visualize the future
environment. In addition, this is an opportunity to set expectations
for how leaders and stakeholders will be able to help design or test
solutions to ensure they can develop a sense of ownership and
accountability for the success of the change effort.

9. Gain support for the Case for Change
To gain support, it is important to engage stakeholders in a dialogue,
listen to their concerns and then address their questions. During
these conversations, employees will be closely watching to
understand if leaders’ intentions and actions are authentic, building
relationships and trust in the early stages of a change effort is
critical.
For example a road show or an informal gathering is a great way to
engage stakeholders in a two way dialogue and provide the
opportunity to voice any concerns they may have in an open forum.
Additionally, this helps to identify areas of potential resistance. As a
result, you and your change management team will be better able to
mitigate issues and increase the likelihood of acceptance. In short,
this initial communication is a critical process for aligning your
team/department with the leaders and identifying the conditions that
will ensure successful change.

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