Organizational Change Tactics in an Initiative to Improve Child Welfare Programs in 13 Counties: Impacts and Perspectives on Project Success

Background and Purpose:  The literature on organizational change typically uses only case studies or descriptions of change principles, with no reported studies of specific change tactics based on existing theory. This study addresses these limitations by using an instrument to measure the use of organizational change tactics. Study questions are: (1) to what extent are change tactics used, (2) to what extent are tactics related to project success, and (3) do perceptions of the use of tactics and project success vary based on respondents’ position in the organization and role on the change project?  

Methods:  This is part of a larger study of an effort to improve child welfare outcomes through implementation of a new practice model in 13 counties in a Western state. The Organizational Change Tactics Questionnaire (OCTQ), which includes questions regarding the use of 22 organizational change tactics which literature suggests are key to successful organizational change, was administered online to all staff as part of a larger survey. Respondents provided demographic data (including their position and their role in the change process) and indicated the extent to which they observed each tactic and observed goal accomplishment of the project. Spearman’s rho was used to assess the extent to which tactics were associated with perceptions of project success and to assess how a respondent’s position and role affected the extent to which they reported viewing change tactics and saw the project as successful.  

Results:  Data from five counties with >50 respondents (N=533 – large for such research) were analyzed. A new variable - total change tactics - was created by combining the 22 tactics. This global measure of the use of tactics was significantly correlated (p<.01) with perceived success of the change project (implementation of the new practice model).  The overall mean for the observation of tactics was 3.4 (between Neutral and Agree that the tactics were observed). Respondent role (manager, supervisor, line staff) and involvement in the change process were both significantly correlated with perceptions of the use of the change tactics, with those at higher levels and those more involved in the process being more likely to observe the tactics.

Practice Implications: The findings that respondents did observe the change tactics and associated them with project success suggest that the use of these tactics can enhance prospects for success of an organizational change initiative. Because those at lower levels observed the tactics to a lesser extent, managers should work to ensure that all levels of employees are aware of and involved with change activities. Because this instrument gathers information on specific tactics from all levels of the organization, it provides more robust information than only qualitative discussions of change from the perspectives of executives, which is normally reported in case studies; and shows promise for further study using larger samples and more objective measures of change outcomes.  The OCTQ can be a powerful tool to advance the evidence base in organizational change related to organizational outcomes and other variables such as leadership, change capacity, and culture.