Change Management at UNDP India – Phase 1 41647 Essay Example

introduced new challenges. Additionally, the country's growing economic self-sufficiency has reshaped the relationship between the Government of India (GOI) and UNDP. To maintain engagement with GOI and enhance its role in the country's development framework, UNDP must demonstrate greater knowledge and influence capacity and diversify its partnerships.

This transformation will have an immediate impact on UNDP's way of working. The organization must strengthen its delivery capacity in capacity building and policy influence, as well as improve internal competencies through clear accountabilities, processes, and structures.

Regarding organizational change, UNDP India's traditional structure and processes involve collective leadership of programs and operations.Assistant Resident Representatives at UNDP play an essential role in the leadership of UNDP. They must embrace and adjust to change and then guide it throughout the organization's higher levels.

Every level of the organization needs to contribute to change and be part of its success. The different Units at UNDP have traditionally evolved in response to short-term needs, which has sometimes resulted in a lack of alignment among its functional units. For instance, the Management Support Unit was created to support top management and key program units in following high standards of program management and collecting best practices and knowledge insights.

Over the years, the organization has found that certain units have been under-utilized and have taken on tasks that they could have empowered other units to handle. For example, the Communications ; Advocacy Unit has taken on internal employee engagement communication that could have been handled by HR. This realization led to the understanding that there is a need for realignment of functional units to improve accountability and interdependent processes. Without this alignment, the organization's potential for effectiveness

and efficiency is limited.

The current challenges involve aligning the organization's expectations with its internal systems and processes.

As a result, UNDP India has begun implementing changes in structure, roles, and processes to achieve greater efficiency and performance within specific timeframes.

At the beginning of this realization and sharing of thoughts by senior management with different components of the organization, the process of change was perceived differently by different levels of leadership. Therefore, it was necessary to establish a common ground that everyone could agree upon and work towards together. For instance, while it was believed that the Programme function should take more accountability for its outcomes, fund utilization, and project completion, it was also recognized at certain levels that program efficiency suffered due to partner inefficiencies (e.g., the Government of India) and the allocation of resources for implementation rather than capacity building and monitoring ; evaluation work. This, in turn, resulted in the underutilization or misuse of valuable intellectual and human resources that the organization had built over many years of work. Furthermore, there was a lack of a deliberate system for collaboration and regular teamwork among strategic support units like MSU, C;A, and Finance, which led to extended periods of independent or disjointed work.

The lack of awareness and resistance to change at the leadership level hindered the acceptance of the need for change, despite efforts by senior management. The current drivers for change are the convergence of country and organizational challenges. By addressing these challenges together, the organization can recognize the urgency to transform into a more cohesive and strategically driven entity, respected by stakeholders and partners. For example, a strong Programme function, supported by other

key functions like MSU, C, and Finance, would enhance its credibility with the government and donors. It is important to respond to change promptly; delaying a response can have consequences.The country's growing economic and intellectual independence, along with the rising number of developmental partners, is making the situation as competitive as it would be for a business player in a rapidly growing market.

The history of organizations has shown that a quick and strategic response is necessary in situations like these. If there is a failure to respond promptly, even strong and successful organizations can become forgotten or marginalized in their field of work. Therefore, UNDP India needs to view change as an opportunity for growth and sustainability, rather than a luxury that can be addressed slowly and steadily.

The process of change at UNDP India involves approaching it with consensus. It is important to anticipate internal challenges that may arise during the change. Not everyone within the organization sees the need for change in the same way, which highlights the importance of involving all members of the organization in high impact and strategic changes. This involvement is crucial to create awareness about the need for change and to move forward together. It also helps build a sense of ownership and contribution among the members, speeding up the implementation process and allowing for a more organic assimilation of the changes throughout the organization.

• UNDP India planned a high impact change process that would affect all levels and functions of the organization, including habit change, process change, competency change, role change, and structural change.
• To achieve this, UNDP India decided to use a highly participative Change Process based on the
  

UNDP Change Management Toolkit.

Map for the Change Management Process at UNDP India, the following step details were worked out in collaboration among the organizational leadership, HR and the external Change Management Facilitators-Maps ‘n’ Grow Consulting (MnG).

• Module 1 – Free Expression
  Objective: Understanding self-perception of change, sharing this perception with team members, listening to others’ perception of change, capturing everyone’s perspective
  Methodology: Facilitated retreats
  Suggested role division between UNDP &Maps ‘n’ Grow (MnG): Co-facilitated retreat(s) by UNDP &MnG, detailing by UNDP, documentation & support by MnG
• Module 2 – Change Visioning
  Objective: Evolving a collective big picture for change that is optimally inclusive, achieving commonly understood articulation of its functional, individual and collective impact as well as external and internal goals
  Methodology: Facilitated retreat combined with leadership and functional leadership sessions on a one-to-one basis. Collation of different articulations and evolving of common articulation
  Suggested role division between UNDP &

Maps ‘n’ Grow (MnG) facilitates retreats, UNDP conducts functional sessions, and MnG leads leadership sessions. MnG also handles collation and documentation. Module 3, titled "Building Guiding Coalition," aims to develop consensus and logical teams around critical components of the change vision and its processes. The objective is to create ownership goals and commitments, clarify resources and support mechanisms, and voice individual commitments to change. The methodology involves one-to-one sessions with leadership levels followed by facilitated retreats, some of which are collective while others are task force based. The suggested role division between UNDP and MnG includes UNDP creating task forces and MnG providing advisory support. UNDP

is responsible for gaining task force commitments in terms of timelines and support issues.

Module 4 is titled "Roles/Processes/Functional Mapping," with the objective of evolving role definitions, process maps, functional definitions, and comparing old versus new. The goal is to prepare a competency development plan that aligns with the new roles, functions, processes, and structure. The methodology includes facilitated task force retreats, leadership one-to-one sessions, facilitated presentations, and a facilitated collective retreat. The suggested role division between UNDP and MnG in this module involves MnG facilitating retreats, UNDP handling back-end work and collation, and both parties collaborating on documentation.Support for MnG Module 5 - Reengineering Action: The objective is to move forward with the implementation of new roles, functional definitions, process definitions, and competency development plans. The methodology includes conducting visit-based reviews to track progress, documenting milestones achieved and addressing any challenges or deviations. Leadership presentations are also included. The suggested role division between UNDP and MnG is for UNDP to review and make corrections, while MnG provides documentation support.

Support for MnG Module 6 - Final Review and Success Sharing: The objective is to conduct a medium-term or long-term review of the achievements of the change process and to create shared celebrations of success. Additionally, a shared review of further corrective actions, if needed, will be conducted. The methodology involves an extended review, interactions with leadership, and facilitated or internally conducted celebration retreats. The suggested role division between UNDP and MnG is for all activities to be carried out by UNDP, with advisory support from MnG.

Work Plan and Communication Plan as part of the Change Process: In alignment with the aforementioned approach to Change Management, the

organization has developed a detailed Work Plan and Communication Plan. These plans aim to ensure that the entire change process is carried out in a participative, timely, and planned manner.

The work plan for the Change Process had to be adjusted several times due to various factors. At each critical stage, it was realized that more time was needed for discussions and decisions or key members were unable to allocate scheduled time due to delivery pressures. As a result, the organization made adaptations to the change process Workplan while maintaining the essence of the process. In order to create a common ground for change at UNDP, a four-step approach was agreed upon. This approach included a single day ARR retreat to gather inputs, sharing these inputs with the Management Team and incorporating their suggestions, and identifying and selecting Change Management Team members from different sections and levels of UNDP India.

Step 4

The Change Vision formed so far is presented to new members to gather their input and reach the final Change Vision. The CMT and different TTs began to analyze the following outputs in line with the CO’s Change vision through a series of meetings:

• Detailed delineation of tasks performed by each member in each Unit (Programmes, MSU, C&A, Finance, and RC/IASU).
• Systematic categorization of tasks aligned to the end deliverables of each Unit.
• Gathering input from internal clients and stakeholders to determine necessary or unnecessary deliverables based on their requirements and UNDP India's corporate goals.
• Aligning deliverables or

developing insights about missing links based on the UNDAF framework and RMG guidelines.

Each TT focused on a single functional unit of UNDP India and presented their findings in matrix form to the larger CMT.

What were the next steps after the Task Teams (TTs) and CMT collaborated on the Functional Analysis for each Unit? It was decided to assemble a larger team consisting of CMT, some Unit members, and Senior Management to attend a two-day retreat. The objectives of this retreat were as follows:
- Clearly define the specific deliverables for each Unit within UNDP India.
- Determine the management structure of each Unit in terms of roles and hierarchies based on deliverable selection and clarity.
- Establish an organizational management structure considering the Unitwise management structure and overall goals of the organization.
- Identify and map 3-4 high-level organization impacting processes, representing their key components.
- Plan for the Business Process Reengineering (BPR) of the remaining processes of the Units.
- Determine the way forward for written Job Descriptions (JDs) in cases where staffing is required or identified.
- Develop a plan for training and re-skilling of members/staff as needed.

During the retreat, smaller teams reviewed the matrix output of the Task Teams' work-study matrices and other inputs gathered from Client Need Assessments and internal deliberations

within each Unit.Group work was conducted to develop the ideal structure for each unit at UNDP India. The decision was made to analyze the Task Teams' outputs and establish basic functional structures based on a consistent logic. This logic was determined by considering what tasks should be performed in each unit based on the Task Team matrices and client needs, as well as identifying tasks that should not be carried out based on past deviations that diverged from core organizational and unit deliverables. It was also important to have clear accountabilities for each role within the unit.

interdependence is disregarded in order to consolidate accountability-related roles into a single unit, even though contributions may come from other units. A "UNDAF" basis provides a good structure.

1. Conceptualize and implement program strategies (RMG)
2. Manage CO program, including program assurance (RMG)
3. Strengthen scanning of strategic opportunities and threats, as well as partner capacity assessment (including Hack micro-assessments)
4. Identify partners and follow-up on assessment report (develop methodology, in-house capacity development for capacity assessment)
5. Strengthen monitoring and evaluation

• Activate program monitoring to fulfill project assurance role and contribute to office RBM/MYFF

(Office Evaluation plan, strategic monitoring and evaluation support, indicators development by MSU)

6.

The following actions should be taken to strengthen different aspects of the organization:

1. Strengthen Knowledge Sharing:
- Substantively engage partners and provide policy advice.
- Replicate and/or upscale best practices and insights from different program units by linking with the communications team.

2. Strengthen Country Office Programme Management Support:
- Implement a program management module in the atlas.
- Ensure financial oversight of programs and projects in the atlas.

3. Strengthen Donor Reporting:
- Assure timely reporting and quality assurance of donor reports through the MSU.
- Enhance the level of quality assurance.
- Utilize the DRR PROG, CD, and MSU for donor reporting.

4. Strengthen Resource Mobilisation:
- Task Program Units with identifying opportunities for resource mobilization.
- Carry out proposal development in a team consisting of Program Units, MSU, Communications Units, CD/DCD.
- Provide strengthened support to CD and DCD in resource mobilization efforts.

5. Establish and Maintain Strategic Partnerships:
- Serve as a substantive partner to the government and other collaborators.
- Build credibility and trust among all stakeholders through knowledge, strategy, value-add, and adherence to processes.

6. Centralize and Strengthen Communication:
- Support program communication efforts by providing information and collaborating with the communications unit.
- Improve communication management skills of the program unit staff for interaction with the media.

• Overall organizational structure for UNDP India
• On the basis of the above logic points, the structure for each unit was evolved by the retreat group.
• A new unit called Resource Management Unit (RMU) was carved out of the larger Finance Unit but continues to report within the Finance Unit.
• Once the functional
  

structure of each unit was evolved, it led to the entire team working together on the overall structure of the UNDP India office.

The overall structure of UNDP India was evolved based on the following logic points: The Communication Unit's strategic role in relation to Programmes, CD Office, and RC Office must be clearly emphasized. The MSU's Capacity Development and Strategic role in relation to Programmes must also be appropriately indicated. The newly created position of Country Director and its relationship with RC and the rest of the organization must be clearly defined. The interdependencies among various units and their value add to senior officials of RC as well as their convergence to add value to all partners must also be highlighted in the structure.

Based on these logic points, the overall organizational structure for a more effective, efficient, and accountable UNDP India was developed as follows: A population structure was evolved for each Unit.

Based on the functional structure developed for each unit, which excluded non-core activities and included core current as well as core desired/asked for activities, the teams then worked on the population structure of each unit.The population structure for the units was planned based on different criteria. These criteria include strategic/complexity dominant roles that require a high level of intellectual capital and a seniority profile to head such roles within the unit. There are also managerial/oversight accountable roles that involve middle management profiles, execution and detail follow-up based roles that involve execution profiles, and an approximate analysis of the intensity/volume of each role to determine the number of profiles required at each level to strengthen the unit's functionality. In addition, some high-level

processes were taken into consideration for mapping.

After developing the initial unit-wise structure and overall organizational structure, the retreat team discussed re-engineering and strengthening high-level processes for greater effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability. Based on insights from the Change Management Task Forces and further deliberations during the retreat, the following key processes were identified for clear mapping and strengthening: Programme/Project Management, Resource Mobilization, Monitoring & Evaluation, and Programme Advocacy.

It was decided that the Change Management Team, along with management, would take up the comprehensive process of Monitoring & Evaluation.One way to demonstrate what a well-designed process map could resemble is by utilizing an evaluation as an illustrative example. This enables us to showcase the various elements that contribute to an effective process map.

The decision was made to have small teams within the CMT map the M&E Process and other unmapped processes. The CMT sought support from Task Teams and other organizational members for this important Process Mapping exercise. When mapping key processes, certain logical points needed to be kept in mind. These included indicating clear start and stop points, identifying key sources of inputs and outputs at each stage, highlighting inter-unit interdependencies, determining accountabilities at the unit level, and addressing concerns and weaknesses in UNDP India's functional and organizational deliverables. The organization created a High-Level Process map in collaboration with the CMT, Senior Management, Task Teams, and other organizational resources. This map featured diagrammatic representations that showed the levels of accountability for different components and the interdependencies with internal and external partners.Milestones of the Change Process involve reviewing components for change and achieving key outputs at intermediate stages. These outputs include consensus and a shared vision for

the need for change, the formation of a Change Management Team and Task Teams, detailed analysis of each unit's current functionality, input from stakeholders to assess necessary changes, determining functional accountabilities, estimating required staffing levels, establishing a clear and accountable structure for the organization, and mapping high-level processes to define accountabilities and interdependencies among functional units.

• Emergence and identification of key organizational components to be reviewed during the Change Process

As is evident, in Phase 1, the key organizational components that were reviewed and will be further analyzed are structure, accountabilities, population, and cross-cutting high impact processes.

• Job Descriptions for greater role and competency clarity
• Finer workload analysis based on functional deliverables and process deliverables to arrive at fine-tuned job requirements
• Certain intra-functional processes that would further strengthen the working of each unit
• Softer elements of Change to be addressed

Additionally, the following will also be analyzed and strengthened: job descriptions for greater role and competency clarity, finer workload analysis based on functional deliverables and process deliverables, certain intra-functional processes, and softer elements of change.

• Transparency during change as well as non-change periods
• Ongoing dialogue based on mutual appreciation of each other’s work and constructive feedback for improvement
• Greater teamwork based on proactive communication between different units and levels
• An overall culture of greater accountability and interdependent working
• Key deliverables of UNDP India Change Process
• Key outputs after review of the identified change components

Throughout the Change Process, it was recognized that the organization needed to improve certain softer elements of its culture or way of working. These included transparency during change and non-change periods, ongoing dialogue, greater teamwork, an overall culture of accountability, key deliverables of the UNDP India Change Process, and key outputs after reviewing the identified

change components.

• Clear and detailed organizational structure
• Clear and sub-functionally accountable unitwise structure
• A stronger Communications & [insert rest of the text here if it was given]

After reviewing the critical components, the key outputs of the change process were a clear and detailed organizational structure, a clear and sub-functionally accountable unitwise structure, and potentially a stronger Communications & [insert rest of the text here if it was given].Programme Support Functions include more focused and rationalized Programme Units. There is a clear understanding of the relationships between RC, CD, and DRRs’ offices. Units like C&A and RMU have a rational reporting structure. The following processes indicate levelwise and unitwise accountabilities and interdependencies: Programme/Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation.The text refers to different areas of evaluation, resource mobilization, and programme advocacy. It mentions that the work done so far has provided direction and laid the foundation for the next steps in the Change Management Process. This includes the need to develop job descriptions based on accountabilities indicated by High-Level Processes and Unitwise Population/Functional Structures, ensuring clear and transparent filling of posts for internal or external candidates with detailed role information from the start of the selection process, and creating a Competency Development Plan for the entire organization. The text also emphasizes the importance of aligning various change components in order to seamlessly integrate organizational structures, processes, and job descriptions into a comprehensive system of accountabilities and interdependencies, ultimately delivering value-addition to both external partners and internal stakeholders.If transparent guidelines provided by the components mentioned above are followed for current or future selection activities, and if there is a focus on softer elements such as transparency, dialogue, and sharing, then the organization

will never encounter significant obstacles like misalignment, resistance, or erosion of stakeholder/partner value.