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KU study identifies most vital strategies for successfully implementing change in industry
LAWRENCE — Organizations regularly need to implement change initiatives to stay current, update technology, improve efficiency, enter new markets or make other improvements. However, research has suggested that more than half of change initiatives attempted in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry fail. A new study from the University of Kansas has found that six change strategies are key to successful implementation and two of them are vital for highly successful, sustained change.
Three students to compete for Udall Scholarships
LAWRENCE – Three students at the University of Kansas are nominees for Udall Undergraduate Scholarships, which recognize students who demonstrate leadership, public service and commitment in the fields of tribal public policy, Native health care or the environment. The nominees are Claire Dopp, of Olathe; Simmi Rana, of Overland Park, and Turner Seals, of Topeka.
KU partners to host screening, discussion of ‘Astronautica’
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas will host a virtual screening of the recording “Astronautica: Voices of Women in Space,” followed by a discussion with performers and KU researchers in the fields of astronomy and the arts. The screening will take place at 7 p.m. April 20, and registration is open for the event.
Full stories below.
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Contact: Mike Krings, KU News Service, 785-864-8860, [email protected], @MikeKrings
KU study identifies most vital strategies for successfully implementing change in industry
LAWRENCE — Organizations regularly need to implement change initiatives to stay current, update technology, improve efficiency, enter new markets or make other improvements. However, research has suggested that more than half of change initiatives attempted in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry fail. A new study from the University of Kansas has found that six change strategies are key to successful implementation and two of them are vital for highly successful, sustained change.
The study also found that the type of change is not as important to its success as key management strategies. In surveying AEC firms across North America about an attempted change initiative, researchers found that effective change agents and a realistic timeline for the change were the two most important factors for an initiative to be deemed very successful and to last.
In their survey, researchers asked 633 firms to describe a change initiative they had attempted to install. They then implemented a scale to determine if the effort was unsuccessful, somewhat successful or very successful. The scale evaluated if the initiative was successful by three key metrics: if it was implemented into operations, benefits achieved and long-term sustainability.
“We analyzed data from across the entire industry. With organizational change, it’s something that starts with management and reaches all levels,” said Omar Maali, a doctoral candidate in engineering at KU and the study’s lead author. “They are attempted to improve efficiency, have better outcomes or make some update to the work environment. The worst thing that could happen is you lose your investment, or people try the change and revert back to what they used to do. There are a lot of recommendations in the professional literature about how to implement change. We found six key organizational change management practices.”
The six key practices authors identified, in order of importance to achieve successful implementation of change:
1. Effective change agents
2. Establishing a realistic timeframe for the adoption process
3. Communicated benefits of the change
4. Establish clear and measured benchmarks of the change process
5. Senior leadership commitment
6. Training resources.
Maali co-wrote the study with Nancy Kepple, associate professor of social welfare, and Brian Lines, associate professor of civil, environmental & architectural engineering, all at KU. Their work, titled “Strategies to Achieve High Adoption of Organizational Change Initiatives within the AEC Industry,” was published in the Journal of Management in Engineering, part of a special issue on rethinking the benefits of adopting digital technologies in the AEC industry.
Effective change agents are defined as those working within a company who are affected by or need to accommodate a change. Maali used an example of someone required to use a new technology or software who adopts it before a deadline, advocates for its benefits with colleagues, answers questions they may have and demonstrates the value of making the change to their peers. That importance of establishing the value of change among equals instead of through mandates from management — coupled with a realistic timeframe for making the change — were the most vital practices, according to the analysis. However, the authors said management could not only focus on those two practices and realistically expect success.
“To avoid unsuccessful change efforts, you needed to use at least five organizational change management strategies to get a return on investment and make it successful,” Maali said. “To move to very successful, it was vital to have effective change agents and a realistic timeframe.”
The one strategy that didn’t prove critical to avoiding unsuccessful change was training resources, which the authors said was surprising, as previous research has suggested otherwise, especially in adopting digital technologies. And while adopting digital technologies has been a traditionally difficult change, it was not shown to be different than other types of change initiatives in that all six strategies were necessary to make it successful.
The value of the findings lies both in the large data set with information from firms across the architecture, engineering and construction industry in different regions attempting many types of changes with varying levels of success. Understanding which management strategies are most important can help firms successfully reach their goals when implementing necessary changes. Maali said future research will further explore what constitutes a realistic timeframe, and if it is not possible to achieve one, what other factors become most important. In the meantime, better understanding how to successfully implement change initiatives can help avoid unsuccessful or unsustained efforts, a major barrier in the industry.
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Contact: Andy Hyland, Office of Public Affairs, 785-864-7100, [email protected], @UnivOfKansas
Three students to compete for Udall Scholarships
LAWRENCE – Three students at the University of Kansas are nominees for Udall Undergraduate Scholarships, which recognize students who demonstrate leadership, public service and commitment in the fields of tribal public policy, Native health care or the environment.
KU’s nominees:
1. Claire Dopp, a junior in chemistry
2. Simmi Rana, a junior in environmental studies and sociology
3. Turner Seals, a sophomore in finance and environmental studies
The Udall Undergraduate Scholarship is a federal scholarship that honors the legacies of Morris Udall and Stewart Udall, two former Arizona lawmakers whose careers influenced American Indian self-governance, health care and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources.
The Udall Foundation administers the program. This year, the foundation will award 60 students with scholarships of up to $7,000 each. Selected scholars will also receive access to the Udall Alumni Network and attend a four-day scholar orientation in Tucson, Arizona. Students must be nominated by their university to apply, and universities are limited in the total number of nominations they can make. At KU, the nomination process is coordinated by the Office of Fellowships within Academic Success. Students interested in applying next year should email [email protected].
Biographical details of the candidates follow.
Claire Dopp, of Olathe, is a graduate of St. James Academy and the daughter of Mike and Angie Dopp. She began researching in the lab of James Blakemore, associate professor of chemistry, during her freshman year through the Emerging Scholars Program and has since been named a Beckman Scholar. Her research involves the synthesis and characterization of complexes containing vanadium to learn more about their structural and electrochemical properties. Understanding the trends between such characteristics opens the door to developing safer and cheaper methods of spent nuclear fuel repurposing. Dopp serves as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) observer for the American Chemical Society and attended the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2021. She is also an information session panelist for the KU Center for Undergraduate Research and has served as the Kansas Union gallery coordinator for the Student Union Activities programming board.
Simmi Rana, of Overland Park, is a graduate of Blue Valley West High School and the daughter of Baljit and Gurwinder Rana. A double major in environmental studies and sociology with a minor in political science, Rana is a member of the Lawrence chapter of the Sunrise Movement and serves as the treasurer and a dancer for KU Jeeva, the KU Bollywood fusion dance team. She served as a web and social media intern at CleanAirNow in summer 2020, and in summer 2021, she started gaining experience with analytical chemistry as a research assistant at the Kansas Biological Survey. Rana has participated in two large fieldwork events as part of the Aquatic Intermittency on Microbiomes in Streams project and also did fieldwork alongside a graduate-level researcher throughout fall 2021.
Turner Seals, of Topeka, is a graduate of Washburn Rural High School and the son of Clista Seals and Steve Seals. A double major in finance and environmental studies, Seals is the chair of the Student Environmental Advisory Board, executive member of the Memorial Corporation Board and a university senator within KU Student Senate. He currently serves as an investment analyst at Jayhawk Capital Management, and in summer and fall 2021, he interned with The Climate + Energy Project. Seals’ research experience began in spring 2021 when he created a business, The Green Exchange, to reduce waste within student housing. He also initiated a project to start recycling programs within KU’s Greek houses, which led to his appointment as sustainability chair of Beta Theta Pi, Alpha Nu chapter.
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Contact: Emily Ryan, The Commons, 785-864-6293, [email protected], @TheCommonsKU
KU partners to host screening, discussion of ‘Astronautica’
LAWRENCE — When the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the world premiere of a live performance of “Astronautica: Voices of Women in Space” in May 2020, the artists and producers decided to develop a video version of their vocal performance, including images and scenes from the perspective of outer space. This week, the University of Kansas will host a virtual screening of the recording, followed by a discussion.
“Astronautica: Voices of Women in Space” features 11 original songs that lyrically describe the experiences of women in space, from the first flight taken by a woman to an interview with the first Indian woman in space, Kalpana Chawla, who later died in the 2003 Columbia disaster, to an adapted conversation with Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to travel to space, to considerations of the effects of climate change on planet Earth. The music was written by Kamala Sankaram, Bora Yoon, Jennifer Jolley, Renée Favand-See, RaShonda Reeves, Elaine Lachica, Jane Sheldon and Gilda Lyons.
The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and The Commons will host a screening at 7 p.m. April 20, followed by a discussion with the performers and with KU scholars from related fields. Allison Kirkpatrick, assistant professor of physics & astronomy; Meg Jamieson, assistant professor of film & media studies, and Anika Goel, an undergraduate student in physics & astronomy and visual art, will join members of Trio Triumphatrix for a discussion. Topics explored will include the experiences of women astronauts, NASA, and the ways in which science and art can be brought together to create new ways of knowing.
The screening and discussion are made possible by a gift from a KU alumna. Registration is open for the event.
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