A Model For Helping Think Through Organisational Change

I was sitting in the café at work scribbling my thoughts on a napkin.  I’d just been appointed to the role of “Head of Learning and Organisational Development” and was trying to get some clarity about what the organisation needed from me and the team. 

Oxfam hadn’t had an Organisational Development team before, the freedom to shape the work of the team was as terrifying as it was exciting.

A colleague saw me in the café, asked me what I was doing and declared that we were going to take my napkin to a meeting of senior managers in Nairobi and co-create the model together.

At the time I felt pushed into sharing my embryonic model.  I wasn’t ready, it wasn’t ready, I wasn’t at all sure about this course of action.

My colleague was of course right.  The best way to decide what an organisation needs is to bring in other people from the organisation and work on it together.  So many people shaped our thinking, but I have to give a special mention to Andriana Zavos and Maret Laev who were instrumental in developing our initial model and from whom I learnt so much.  

After several iterations I now use the “Jones Alignment Model” to help me and my clients think through how we will support change in organisations.  

Like all useful tools, it’s simple.  I use it to help me think through all the aspects of an organisation or team that are affected by or have an effect on change.

If you want to discuss how you can use it to help you and your teams think about and implement change, please get in touch.