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Having implemented change, there is a need to evaluate its effectiveness ʹ
recognising the strategic and operational gains that have been delivered and
learning from the experience to inform future change.

The bases for effective change evaluation start with the description of the
desired end-state, in terms of effective outcomes and results. You will also
need to establish what types of measures to use to assess the effectiveness of
change initiatives.

Finally, you need to look at how to go beyond simple evaluation to promote

individual and organisational learning to inform your approach in the future.

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0 Gnderstand how to evaluate the impact of change initiatives
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To enable the achievement of effective evaluation, there͛s a need to identify
appropriate ͚measures͛ (and means of measurement) for each criterion ʹ as
well as a means of measuring the effectiveness of the change process itself.

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è ÿital need to have a clear picture of the desired state, which is why
effective evaluation starts with the end in mind.
è Risk to focus upon some criteria to judge success and therefore omit to
considers others that were ultimately the keys to real success.
è Risk to evaluate too narrowly
[e.g. ͚Mission accomplished͛ speech from George W. Bush (1 may 2003)]

Need to have key performance indicators (both quantitative and

qualitative)

SR4, SR3
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÷valuation: involves assessing the strengths and weaknesses of programs, policies,
personnel, products, and organisations to improve their effectiveness. (American
÷valuation Association)

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 : establishing the fit between the desired outcomes of the
change initiative and the strategic goals of the organisation. In other words,
strategic evaluation seeks to ensure that planned change initiatives align with
and support the achievement of the organisation͛s strategic goals. There will be
(at least) two phases to strategic evaluation:

1. Proactive strategic evaluation

† takes place at the point of proposing a change initiative
† Does this proposed change initiative support the organisation in achieving its
key strategic ambitions?
† What is the strategic importance and impact of approving and implementing
the change initiative?
Ëey outcomes:
è is a form of quality assurance to both promote benefits and protect
organisation from harm
è is the development of a wider set of criteria to guide implementation
design and action and to produce a richer description of the desired state.

2 Retrospective strategic evaluation

† involves measuring and evaluating the criteria of the desired state to
determine success and promote learning.
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† Focuses on how well strategic change processes are deigned and desired
results delivered. It may focus on outcomes or on processes;
1. Outcome evaluation
è concerns the effectiveness of the change initiative in terms of results,
goal achievements and contributions to the achievement of the strategy,
è paying attention to, measuring and evaluating all of the criteria included
within the full change initiative spec.
è These criteria within the spec link the operational and strategic levels of
evaluation.
2. Process evaluation
è Concerns the effectiveness of the strategic change initiative in terms of
the processes by which the goals of the change are achieved.
è This may be more of a continuous monitoring process and often used as
an aid to identify where there are problems.

e.g. Where process difficulties are related to aspects concerning people

(issues of motivation, morale and lower performance), surveys can be of
particular use to reveal the causes of differences between groups.
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The change initiative spec should

è Identify and include the perspectives of different stakeholders (top
management, supervisors, workforce, shareholders interests)
è Wider criteria that describe in more detail effective operational
performance and required outcomes.

The modified Beckhard/Harris process of change model suggests aspects to

be considered when considering the current state and describing your desired
state from the ͚people perspectives͛.

SR1
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In many change initiatives there͛ll be some hard criteria and therefore hard
outcomes from the change initiative.
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These are desired targets and performance which can expressed as hard
data measures and may be measured directly:
è On-time achievement of stages in the plan
è Growth in revenue generation
è Increased number of enquiries
è Reduced processing time for transactions.

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It may be rather more difficult to establish clear measures and targets for
soft criteria. How easy is it to establish clear measures for change in
attitude or morale? What might be the appropriate units of
measurement?
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You may need to establish measures which relate to different stages or
components of the process itself.
The Beckhard and Harris process of change model may be of help to enable
you to establish measures:
- Does everyone understand the vision?
- Do people know what to do ?
- Do they believe the change will result in positive benefits and desired
outcomes?
- Is motivation and engagement sufficiently high?

Alternatively, it might be possible to use the steps in the Ëotter change model
to establish evaluation measures and monitor change effectiveness.

SR 6, 8
 Supporting resources

 
Beckhard, R.F. and Harris, R.T. (1987) â
  



  
 , Addison-Wesley
Ëotter, J.P., 1996, 

, Harvard Business Press

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3 http://www.quotesandpoem.com/videos/show-videos/people/george-w-bush
4 http://www.strategicevaluation.info/se/documents/104f.html
5 http://www.evaluationwiki.org/index.php/÷valuation_Definition
6 http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_82.htm