Preforming Change management at Washington state university at

Vancouver Lecturer: Dr. Maryati

Name: Mariam Afshar

Metirc No.: P67787

Definition of Change Management

Managing the process of implementing major

changes in IT, business processes, organizational

structures, and job assignments to reduce the risks

and costs of change, and to optimize its benefits.

Washington state university at Vancouver is a branch campus that was ten years old in 1999. It offers division and graduate level program. In spring 1995 dean’s of faculty for improvement of customer service response and increase of system support for faculty decided to integrate system of campus library, information technology and educational video conferencing.

Parts of task force: dean’s cabinet, the faculty, the information technology department and library.

Introduction:

Introduction:

The campus library, the information technology and the educational video conferencing departments should be merged into one division directed by the campus librarian who had previous experience with an integrated academic information services environment

Change management model

For this organization reference didn’t mention that which kind of model they used but I think we could implement steps of VIS’s( Vancouver information system) change in Prosci’ ADKAR model it has five step as follow:

1. Awareness

2. Desire

3. Knowledge

4. Ability

5. Reinforcement

Awareness1.understand needs for change: In spring1995 the campus dean convened a task force to study the delivery of computing services at the campus. He found that there is a gap in system so it is a good reason for change.2. understand nature of the change: for this project it is better that we know objectives of this change. VIS listed them as follow:To improve the customer service response of the information technology group.To organize effective system support for technology dependent campus library operation.To build a creative, co-operative culture within VIS in order to work with faculty on adapting the use of multimedia in the academic curriculum.

Desire:

1. Support the change: VIS began its existence by adopting a group process model for share decision making. By using the nominal group process, which involved brainstorming and voting on priorities, VIS staff members felt in control of their destinies. Everyone was encouraged on think creatively about program and that the integrated division could undertake while still continuing to champion their own profession, the support of campus’s dean’s was essential and every body trusted on his judgment .

2. Participate and engage: VIS allowing to employees to start with which change that they are more comfortable: in

Desire:

WUV managers teamed up most complementary staff together and the aim was to have group of staff that participate in solving problem in a professional principle. This approach helps employees to develop their idea and for team work.

VIS showed to staff that managers are also new in this area and it is normal if they are confused. At first every one reject changes and they are worry about their ability to adaption with new changes in roles, technology and relation. VIS knew that someone in VIS had such a experience so it helps them to be situated at the terminus of Oregon trail.

Knowledge:

• 1. How to change: They provided instructional program which offered frequently, short, free classes co-taught by approachable teachers and capable technologist, and note that every thing must not implement in the first time , this ensure staff that they are able to work in new situation.

Knowledge:

2. Implement new skill and behaviors: First finding what is the biggest need and being patient to implement changes in organization: for WUV Vancouver information system VIS find that the campus’s biggest need is skill training for computer and library. They provided instructional program which offered frequently, short, free classes co-taught by approachable teachers and capable technologist, and note that every thing must not implement in the first time

Ability :

• 1.Implementation of changes: In autumn semester three departments integrated their services as follow:

• Office work station maintenance, email management, database creation and support, audio visual services, LAN administration, liaison with the main campus IT department, technical assistance for professors using new technologies, staffing a computing laboratory for student use,

Ability:

• Library system support, video conferencing for state-wide classes and meeting, standard library services, including reference, inter-library and document delivery services.

• 2. Demonstrate performance: after getting feedback from client (student, faculty, staff,…) they found that clients are satisfied of integration of system.

Reinforcement:

1. Sustain the change: VIS show to staff that managers are also new in this area and it is normal if they are confused. At first every one reject changes and they are worry about their ability to adaption with new changes in roles, technology and relation. VIS knew that someone in VIS had such a experience so it helps them to be situated at the terminus of Oregon trail.

2. Build a culture and competence around change: building a culture for accepting change is one of the hardest part because we can implement technology change much more easier than changing culture of organization for this step VIS had some strategies as follow:

• 1. finding who can work with who and put them in one group. All employees are human and we can not put them in one group without considering about confliction of personalities and philosophies. VIS pair technologist and librarians together to sharing knowledge both of them have valuable skill and can learn from each others.

Reinforcement( build a culture and competence around change):

• 2. Communicating much more: collaborating outside of department is very useful. VIS offered a lot of workshop and the attendances are student, staff and faculty member. All of attendances has this chance to teach others on technology or software techniques. This helps to share knowledge and experience.

Reinforcement( build a culture and competence around change):

• 3. Motivating staff: VIS started a newsletter at the beginning of integration, this shows to staffs and members that their corporation is valuable and it informs clients about changes.

Reinforcement( build a culture and competence around change):

Achievements:

1. After 4 years working together team members have learned to differentiate personality difference form professional difference.

2. They can find similarity between their activities for maintenance of system.

3. IT staff found that with use of system they can keep computing agenda vital under supervision of librarian and the director felt that these tow group can teach each other’s professional priorities.

4. And the original difficulties within the IT group, begrudging service response and uncomfortable professional jealousies( luck of knowledge sharing culture) and within librarian irrelative pressure for speed up response time and professional superiority complex toward their collaborators, completely have been muted.

Reference:

• Penfold, Sharon. Change Management for Information Services. Bowker-Saur