Enterprise architecture development is a discipline that brings with it significant change in the
organizations where it is implemented. Change initiatives fail more than they succeed. When
change initiatives succeed it is important to understand why they succeed and how their success
can be leveraged in other change initiatives. The following deals with the characteristics of
successful change initiatives:
Connected to real work goals and processes
The change initiative must bring about real benefits. These benefits should be in the way it will
change the things happening where and when work is executed. This means, by applying the
change in the work environment, the processes that are executed in day-to- day work will become
easier and more efficient and the people involved in it can see and feel the benefits.
Connected with improving performance
Change initiatives must be connected in improving performance. People must be able to perform
better, without expending more effort. They must also benefit from the performance.
Changes should impact directly on the areas that are measured and reported on. Before changes
are implemented, the performance measures to be implemented and their significance should be
defined and communicated. This will establish, and reinforce, the expectations of the change
initiative.
Often stakeholders will keep track of the improvements privately and assess how the successful the
improvement is. By seeing the improvement, many of the sceptics and opposing forces may be
convinced to support the change initiative.
Visible performance improvement and the visible acknowledgement of the performance increase
will drive people to entrench good practices. This means that general acknowledgement should
come from the formal and informal channels in such a way that people see the improvement is
noticed and appreciated.
Across the enterprise, different people have power in ensuring the implementation of change
initiatives. Power bases lie in two different groupings. The first group is the people that can make
things happen within the formal environment. The other group consist of those that can convince
the stakeholders of the benefits.
Power does not necessarily lie in the hands of those in the formal structures, but also in those in
the informal structures.
By identifying these leaders and influencers (formal and informal) early on, and convincing them of
the benefits of the changes, the change effort will become easier. By actively involving these
people in the project and assigning responsibilities to them the chance of success is greatly
increased.
Over and above these strong role players, it is necessary to back them up with a strong committed
senior management team that are able to remove obstacles out of the way.
Winning over the stakeholders to change in some cases means actively managing; convincing,
removing or transferring people to other departments, and this is where senior management can
act quickly and decisively.
They balance action and reflection and thought
Good change initiates are successful in environments where a plan of action can be quickly
deployed and the changes can be followed up with reflection and assessment, and often
experimentation, to arrive at a suitable solution.
By rushing change initiatives, people will be forced to operate outside their comfort zones, which in
turn will lead to resistance. Given time and learning, comfort zones will expand to allow change.
It is important to give people time to make decisions. In pressure situations the likelihood of
making the best decision is low.
People have to have time to assess the change, understand the benefits and disadvantages, the
contingency methods and impact before the decision is made. In some situations this might take
some more time than in others.
By allowing positive inquiry and experimentation, people will feel part of the change process and
have the opportunity to contribute. This, in turn, leads to managing fear and often results in better
change suggestions that initially were planned.
It is important that action must not exceed the thought and reflection time to the extent that
stakeholders start to feel pressured and uncomfortable with the pace of change.
They intend to increase capacity
Successful change is almost always connected to an initiative that allows the individual and the
group as a whole to increase capacities. People need to be able to do more. By improving
capacities, people will perceive their results to be more powerful.
Increasing capacity allows for a more creative and efficient environment. It gives people the
opportunity to experiment with new ideas, focus on achieving their visions and contribute to the
enterprise in ways never explored before.
The most valuable result of increasing capacity will be the self-worth of stakeholders, empowered
to suggest new opportunities for improvement and growth and knowing that on merit these
initiatives will be implemented and that the enterprise will benefit as they benefit.
They focus on learning where and when it matters
Change initiatives must increase the skills and capabilities of the stakeholders. This increase in
skills and capabilities must be visible to the stakeholders and the rest of the enterprise. In order to
do this an environment must be created where learning is encouraged and facilitated.
References:
5. Leading Change, John P. Kotter, Harvard Business School Press, ISBN 0-87584-747-1 
