Guidelines and Resources for Whole Systems Change in Organizations
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© Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.
Sections of This Topic Include
Understanding the Nature of Organizational Change
Also consider
Related Library Topics
Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Organizational Change
In addition to the articles on this current page, see the following blogs which have posts related to Organizational Change. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog.
- Library’s Consulting and Organizational Development Blog
- Library’s Leadership Blog
- Library’s Supervision Blog
What is Whole Systems Organizational Change?
Whole systems change is a type of large-scale intervention to accomplish transformational — radical and fundamental — change in an organization. There are a variety of approaches to accomplish wholes systems change, for example, Marv Weisbord’s Future Search Conference, Dick Axelrod’s Conference Model Redesign, organizational redesign and roles, and cultural change. The approaches seek to involve all stakeholders in the intervention and where that is not possible, representatives are involved.
It is based on the premises that people will not accomplish significant change unless they have strong ownership in the approach to change. That, in turn, comes from each person’s understanding the need for change, helping to articulate the vision for change, participating in the selection of the most suitable approach to accomplish the change, and doing his or her part to implement the change. That is, the entire system needs to be involved in accomplishing the change. Large-scale interventions are often done in a highly facilitative and collaborative manner with participants.
The need for whole systems change is brought about by the organization’s needing to respond to dramatic changes in its external environment, for example, globalization of cultures and markets, changes in technology and new sensibilities among populations regarding the nature of leadership and change. See New Paradigm in Management
Whole systems change is based on whole systems thinking, that the parts of a system are all connected and, therefore, influence each other. In turn, all systems are connected, comprising a much large whole, including collaborations, communities and societies.
- What is Whole Systems Thinking?
- Embodying Change: A Whole Systems Approach
- [6 Key Questions in] Whole Systems Thinking
A Definition of Whole Systems Change (Whole Systems Transformation)
There are a variety of different models of whole systems change. Roland Sullivan provides the Whole Systems Transformation (WST) model. In his blog article, Whole Systems Transformation: An Effectiveness Paradigm Shift for Strategic Change, he defines it as an enterprise-wide breakthrough led by aligned leaders engaging the critical mass to join in strategic accomplishment. More specifically it is:
- A methodology for the organization to reinvent itself with the latest social psychology. Small and large groups technology using organization dynamics is foundational.
- A process for breaking down borders so participants can create business intelligence from diverse data and establish collaborative relationships across boundaries and between levels in the organization.
- A search for common ground and clear focus for the organization to be effective in an external environment that is perplexing, quickening, and in flux.
- Based on the premise that effective change must come from within rather than from external experts or change managers.
- An enabling journey whereby the critical mass creates a new more effective culture and meaningful customer experiences in real time.
- Philosophically based, utilizing appreciative inquiry, social constructionism, positive social psychology, applied behavior science, and polarity management depending on the situation.
- The use of microcosms that transcend borders and represent the entire range of levels, functions, geography, and ideas in and beyond the organization–that is, customers, industry experts, supply chain entities, and so forth.
- Engaging and empowering the whole system to put into use evolved twenty-first century action research to sustain a change journey embedded in an agile organization. He also shares the elements of the WST model.
Additional Descriptions of Whole Systems Change
- Whole Systems Transformation (how Roland Sullivan uses the approach)
- Whole System Transformation (Roland Sullivan shares results
- Whole Systems Transformation: An Effectiveness Paradigm Shift for Strategic Change
- Whole Systems Change (top-level explanation of why it works)
- Why Today’s Businesses Need Whole Systems Chang (straightforward description of why it works)
- Whole Systems Transformation; The New Paradigm in Strategic Change for the 21st Century (includes steps in the process)
- How to Do Whole System Transformation (a how-to video)
- Whole System Transformation: The Consultant’s Role in Creating Sustainable Results (includes description of the WST Macro-Model)
- Suggests Whole-Systems Leadership
- Facilitating Large Group Meetings That Get Results Every Time
- Accelerating Strategic Change Application of the Whole-Scale Approach to Leading and Managing Change
- Whole Systems Change (case study in school district)
- Unleashing and Combining the Wisdom: Rapid, Whole-Systems Change in Public Organizations
- Whole Systems Approach to Doing Business
Also See These Closely Related Topics
- Overview of the Field of Organization Development
- Competencies and Resources for Organizational Change Agents
- Organizational Transformation
- Using Real-Time Strategic Change
- Large-Scale Interventions
- Large-Group Interventions
Additional Library Resources in the Category of Organizational
Change and Development