In today’s world of constant organizational change and with so many change management approaches and methodologies, it can be hard to know what your organization needs to successfully navigate the change process and measure its progress. Recently, Turner Change Management obtained the exclusive North American rights to the Change Monitor -- a measurement tool that is achieving great success in Europe.

Developed in the Netherlands by Dr. Kilian Bennebroek Gravenhorst, the Change Monitor is an organizational intervention tool designed for use by companies with well-developed management teams and an awareness of organizational issues. The aim of the Change Monitor is to help you assess your organization’s capacity for the changes being implemented and what action to take as a result. Unlike other change management measurement tools, the Change Monitor takes a more integrative approach. Usually problems in an organization are seen from only one point of view, typically the management side. With the Change Monitor, all kinds of explanations and theories have been brought together to form the basis of the questionnaire and explore multiple viewpoints needed for successful sustainable change.

The Change Monitor is not the first step in the change process, rather it has been designed as an early evaluation tool. Once the change has been defined and leaders/stakeholders have an understanding of the change, the Change Monitor allows them to assess their progress and it guides the planning to enable a successful transition.

The Change Monitor can provide valuable information and feedback to the leaders and transition team engaged in the change process but it is not for every organization. Reaping the benefits of the Change Monitor like successful sustainable change, requires leadership that is committed to carrying through with the change process and willing to create and maintain an environment where open dialogue about the transition is encouraged.

"In my experience, the best organizations to work with are the ones who are open to new approaches, who value learning, and who are undergoing some already defined changes. However, I have to say that organizations also have to appreciate that this is not a quick-fix, so it’s not good for organizations in a real hurry; the ones that are rushing though change", said Gravenhorst.

Using the Change Monitor is a facilitative process that begins with a tailor-made questionnaire in which the leaders/stakeholders engaged with the change initiative provide insight into three main areas of the change initiative – the organization, the change process and the change strategy.

Through a facilitative process, the leaders/stakeholders that completed the survey discuss and interpret the results, exploring what the results mean for their organization and the people affected. Then, with a clearer understanding of the issues and areas that will enable or impede success, the leaders/stakeholders work to define the actions needed to improve the less positive results and identify how to make better use of the strengths of the change and the organization.

According to Gravenhorst, this last part is often the most difficult but the most interesting. "More often than not, people focus on the negative than the positive. The Change Monitor helps people learn how they react individually and as a group to the change or changes and to switch their thinking from a negative reaction to change to a positive one."

Most leaders feel the pressure of time when implementing change but time spent in the early parts of the change process can dramatically improve results and shorten the overall length of a change initiative. The Change Monitor is time well spent; it adds to your understanding of what is needed for success and this can lead to better and more effective change planning. Implementing the Change Monitor requires time to customize and administer the questionnaire, and a recommended full day session for the participants to review the results of the Change Monitor and begin designing the actions needed. The facilitative discussion should take place within two weeks of the questionnaire closing. This ensures the information remains timely and relevant to the people who completed the form.

The Change Monitor is based on real and definitive change management science and over a decade of research with 50 different organizations and projects. It generates a mixture of both information organizations expected, and information they did not, and produces concrete action plans and new ideas for next steps.

"People want quick results but that doesn’t mean lasting results. It takes courage to do this. We have a lot of scared leaders out there. Approximately 75% of people involved in change don’t know what it’s about, that’s why the Change Monitor is so important," said Gravenhorst.

The Change Monitor was created by Killian Bennebroek Gravenhorst, a member of the International Council on Organizational Change, a group founded and chaired by Dawn-Marie Turner. Kilian is also president of Plus Pulse, a change management company based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Turner Change Management holds the exclusive North American rights to the Change Monitor.

Click here to read more about the Change Monitor.