This week, we read about leading organizational change and a phase model that describes such change. In the pre-launch phase, one of the activities is that an organization provides clarity through establishing a vision and direction.

Three weeks ago, I began a new job--well, a job that is similar in title to my old job (Director of Quality Assurance), just at a new organization. I cannot explain how vastly different my day to day job duties are at this new place, despite having the same title and purportedly doing the same kind of job.

This organization is in transition, and I would say that they are in the pre-launch stage. I say that because one of the things they don't have is a vision statement, any formally or informally articulated vision for the organization's future. Their current vision statement (2 pages long) is also 6 years old.

The staff recognize the need for an organizational vision. Each of the service areas have created vision statements, but those vision statements don't feed into something more global. The COO has acknowledged the need for a vision statement and there is now a task force whose job it is to propose a vision statement to the COO. This seems like a recipe for disaster to me, for as our text also indicates, leadership during change is critical. What message does it send if a task force drafts a vision statement & presents it to the COO for who knows what will happen? And where is the CEO in all of this? I'm not sure this is the way to go.

The CEO and COO have launched a series of town hall meetings in which they have presented the current state of the organization and in loose terms begun to articulate a future state. The CEO is fond of saying that it's time to close the book on the history of this organization and begin to create the future. These town hall meetings have been helpful to me to get a sense, in one sitting, of the organizational culture and direction. I suggested that they use the dialogue that results from the town hall meetings as fodder for establishing an organizational vision. I think there is also an opportunity here for me to provide some leadership during this change process--they are definitely in it--and help the organization identify, articulate, and become the kind of future state they desire!