Working with the Change Monitor starts with customizing the approach to the specific change and situation in your organization. You also choose the focus you want to make, for instance with the Innovation Monitor or the Culture Monitor. People within the organization are then asked to complete an on-line questionnaire. The questionnaire gives each participant a chance to say what he or she thinks of the organization and of the proposed change.

Following the completion of the questionnaire, people who completed the questionnaire participate in a group discussion about their own results. During the discussion participants explore obstacles to success, what is working well, possible solutions and as important what things should remain unchanged. The discussions are lead by a certified senior consultant or the team’s or department’s own manager can also lead the discussion with the support of a senior consultant. In addition, the Change Monitor identifies common issues that need management attention.

A questionnaire helps to identify and define which things are going well and which are not going as well as they should. In the survey, people give their judgment of the organization, the approach of the change process, and the change strategy. The most important results are brought together in two comprehensive charts. The temperature measurement shows what people think of the organization and the change process. The strategy web shows how people experience the management of the change process.

In the discussion of the results participant focus on: the relationship among the obstacles, the reason for the obstacles, what can be done about them, and who will take responsibility for decreasing the impact of the obstacles. Once the obstacles are clearly identified the participants are ready to begin the action planning. Attention is also given to how the positive aspects can be sustained and reinforced. Discussing the results provides precise input for the action plan to make the change into a success.