Know the seasons and rhythms of your organisation to be effective

When planning change interventions it is key to understand the boarder seasonal and community context in which you are delivering the change. Whenever planning activities on your change calendar there are a range of key dates to block out:

• Seasonal holidays (Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Bank holidays)
• Key holidays periods for carers: school breaks (where staff may be taking leave)
• In addition to this there may be holidays relevant to the communities that you serve. Community events and special holidays.
• Peak times for organisation activities: Renewal times for policies, regular sales events where staff are otherwise pre-occupied.

Timing the change interventions when they are most effective is critical. During the times which aren't optimal activity should be kept to a minimum if they are unable to be actually rescheduled another time.  If you are unsure of the organisations activities to be able to identify these peak periods it is best to ask and map them out. 

What happens if activities are still undertaken?

When too much change happens or when timing isn't optimal, the results are always sub-optimal. Often it takes longer to achieve a level of engagement or deliver the required training. A longer tail is required to embed the change.

While a change plan can mitigate the risk of too much activity, ultimately it is the Sponsors responsibility to make sure that clearance is given to give the change plan every chance to deliver effectiveness and this includes making sure the timing is appropriate.

So this Christmas be sure to consider when the 'cut off' is for change interventions so that any change efforts are as effective as possible.