Developing Urgency for Change

“I am not sure where to begin.” or “I haven’t had the time to dig into all of the data.”  Our team has heard these statements from many leaders.

During the last 10 years, the e|solve team has researched change initiatives that are most successful. As a result of this research, we have learned that developing a sense of urgency for change is vital.

Launching an initiative with a sense of urgency is critical to organizational success.

When a leader chooses to engage with our team, we begin by gathering key information that helps us determine where to begin developing urgency. This information includes: 1. Setting A Clear Vision, 2. Analyzing Organizational Guiding Documents, and 3. Reviewing Relevant Data.

1. Setting A Clear Vision

There are a variety of ways that leaders develop and organize their vision. When we discuss a leader's vision, we are not talking about the short vision that is often posted alongside the organization’s mission. We are looking for a narrative that outlines the core of the organization’s purpose and how the leader envisions the team working together to accomplish this purpose. First, we review the leader’s most recent vision for the organization. In addition, our team meets with members of the leadership team to determine their understanding of the vision. It is critical to ensure the entire leadership team is aware of and committed to the vision. 

2. Analyzing Organizational Guiding Documents

Strategic plans, facility studies, financial reports, and other guiding documents should not simply sit on a shelf until it is time to create a new one. The e|solve team compiles this information to provide a complete picture of the organization.  The information from these plans is used to develop the change narrative. For example, we recently worked with an organization that had decades of facility studies that all repeated the same data. We used this information as part of the change narrative, thus developing a sense of urgency. 

3. Reviewing Relevant Data

Storytelling through data is critical to helping stakeholders understand change. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, our team gathers and synthesizes data relevant to the initiative.  Additionally, the synthesis of data leads to intentional conversations with the leader and her team to discuss possible solutions aligned with the vision or the adjacent possibilities. After reviewing this data, e|solve works alongside your leadership team to develop a SWOT analysis, which is used to determine the Strengths, Weaknesses,  Opportunities, and Threats aligned to the possible change.

When to Begin

You may be wondering when you should consider beginning an engagement with the e|solve team. While we offer several onramps to becoming a partner with e|solve, we encourage leaders to contact us early in the process. This provides our team with the time to learn about your organization and start working with your team through the change process. There are some signs that would indicate you should reach out to begin discussing next steps. 

• Reduction in population

• Funding changes

• New market competition 

• Launching programing 

• Workforce turnover 

• Community disengagement

This isn’t a complete list of indicators that change may be necessary. We have found that many of our clients find themselves facing one or more of these challenges. When our team is able to engage with your team early in the process, we can assist your team with developing a sense of urgency for change.  

If you are a leader of an organization that is facing any of these challenges, our team would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and discuss some of the potential ways in which we could partner with you to support. You can reach out to us by emailing info@esolvesolutions.org.