Creating & Managing Complex Change

 Now you've got a new vision of what is possible, a new excitement about what God just might do among your people group. All you've got to do is get back to work, right? If only it were that simple! There are several key ingredients to introducing and guiding complex change. As you return to your team or network of co-workers, you'll need more than a vision to bring about lasting change. Your colleagues will need the skills, incentives, resources and concrete action steps necessary to see this vision through to fulfillment.

Too often, real change is aborted because the leader fails to put into place the necessary pieces to ensure its success. If your team is confused about the change you've introduced, perhaps your vision hasn't been clearly communicated. If they've grasped your vision but are still anxious about their ability to pull it off then they may lack the skills needed to carry out the strategy. If vision, skills and a good action plan are in place, but progress is still painfully slow, you may need to introduce some incentives (rewards) to reinforce intermediate goal fulfillment. Learn to celebrate the little victories along the way that encourage prompt and exemplary change.

An absence or scarcity of resources results in frustration. If this sounds like a description of your team, spend some time getting to know the larger Body of Christ and the resources that a mobilized network of fellow believers can bring. For vision, skills, incentives and resources to come together, you'll need a strong action plan. For action plans to be effective they need good feedback from like-minded peers and continual revisiting. Use your action plan to track measurable progress; revise it periodically to ensure that you are learning well from your experiences-both the positive and negative ones!

Keep learning and leaning toward the vision!

 

 Creating & Managing Complex Change: (note how missing elements bring different results) 

Vision +	Skills +	Incentives +	Resources +	Action Plan =	Lasting Results
	Skills	Incentives	Resources	Action Plan =	Confusion
Vision		Incentives	Resources	Action Plan  =	Anxiety
Vision	Skills		Resources	Action Plan  =	Gradual Change
Vision	Skills	Incentives		Action Plan  =	Frustration
Vision	Skills	Incentives	Resources	=	False Starts