The Brain Trust Model: A proposed change to modern change management.

Abstract

The study of change management and innovation is a perplexing and challenging undertaking. A review of the literature revealed that change management practices and methodological frameworks are currently insufficient to counteract the challenges associated with leading and driving change within organizations. This exploratory study endeavored to ascertain the viability of a new, alternative organizational change and innovation model, the Brain Trust Model (BTM). The BTM combines the benefits of reliable NPD (New Product Development) processes, creative problem solving processes, and organizational change management principles to provide a robust and prescriptive methodological approach to change management. A three round Delphi study was conducted with leaders and experts within the profit, non-profit, non-secular, government and educational sectors to not only assess the practical utility of the model, but to realize improvements based on their expert participant feedback. Findings indicated that the BTM was considered a viable alternative to the traditional change management methodologies and could help mitigate the common obstacles to leading change. Finally, the study forwarded recommendations on steps to further augment the model and assess its applicability in varying organizational contexts.