STORIES FROM THE FIELD: Budget Cuts and Applying Lewin’s Phases of Change


Step 1


An unanticipated decrease in organization revenue resulted in a directive from senior leadership to decrease expenses by 20%. The food and nutrition leader scheduled a meeting with senior leadership to learn more about the timeline, identify if assistance from human resources would be available if workforce reduction was necessary, what flexibility would be possible related to service reduction, and which options were available to transfer staff to other locations. The food and nutrition leader then completed a detailed analysis of the current staffing model, open positions, services provided, and expenses and revenue associated with each; they determined that the best alternative was to close one retail location and reduce hours of operation in a second. As part of this process, the leader looked at the potential impact on customers and employees to assess the impact on satisfaction and potential reduction in revenue.


Step 2


The food and nutrition leader met with other departments whose staff was affected by the service reduction and revised several service cuts based on feedback. The leader also discussed options with other leaders within the region to identify potential open positions and the possibility of staff transfers; they then met with human resources regarding the realignment process for affected staff members.


The leader then shared the information on the budget cut with the team leaders in the department and the reasons for it, providing adequate time for the leaders to share their concerns. The leader obtained feedback on the proposed implementation plan and how to communicate the changes to the department team members. The feedback from the team leaders included many practical suggestions for lessening the impact on customers and staff. The leader revised the plan further, obtained ap- proval to roll out the change, and circled back to the team leaders to share the final plan, ensuring to articulate how their suggestions were incorporated.


In collaboration with team leaders, the implementation plan was finalized and included metrics to review, ways to address customer complaints, and methods to communicate with team members. As a result of careful planning and creative problem solving, such as implementing phased-in 37.5-hour workweeks to substantially reduce overtime, the implementation plan resulted in the realignment of only two employees, both of whom were given the opportunity to transfer to positions at other locations. In addition, use of a smartphone application for preordering meals suggested by one of the team leaders provided a meal service option for employees working when retail locations were closed.


Step 3


Once realignments were completed, the changes were communicated to staff at an all-employee meeting and then discussed in daily huddles. The food and nutrition leader met daily with the team leaders and performed rounds daily in all areas of the department to discuss individual employee concerns. Revenue, employee feedback, and customer feedback were all monitored and used to con- tinue to modify service delivery as needed.


Kotter Model: Eight-Step Process for Leading Change


John Kotter, DBA, studied successful change management leaders, extracted the success factors, and combined them into an eight-step methodology described next to lead change.30


Each step builds on the one before it, with each one being unique and vital to success in a stepwise manner.


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EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT IN NUTRITION & DIETETICS


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