Case Study: The Cat That Came Back

Using the Cycle of Change Model by Campbell (2014) to evaluate the organizational transformation process of a well-known company: Caterpillar, Incorporated.

Read the following from Bouchard (2014) The Caterpillar Way: Lessons in Leadership, Growth, and Shareholder Value, and the case study from Neilson and Pasternack (2005) about Caterpillar's organizational transformation, titled The Cat that Came Back. As you read through these two sources, be sure that you carefully consider how the various steps in the Cycle of Change Model were employed by Caterpillar as it undertook its massive, yet immensely successful organizational transformation. Essentially, Caterpillar "wrote the book" on how significant organizational change should be successfully accomplished.

Campbell, H. (2014). Managing organizational change: A practical toolkit for leaders.

Bouchard, C. T., & Koch, J. V. (2014). The Caterpillar way: Lessons in leadership, growth, and shareholder value.

Neilson, G. L., & Pasternack, B. A. (2005). The cat that came back. Strategy+Business. Retrieved from https://www.strategy-business.com/article/05304?gko=56862

After reading the two Caterpillar sources:

1. Apply the Cycle of Change Model to the Caterpillar case study. That is,

A. Direct the change: Minimally, describe the process by which Caterpillar determined the nature and scope of the change needed. Did the organization explicitly state what the expected outcome(s) of the transformation would be? How well was the change articulated?

B. Drive the change: How was the company's new vision made known? What was the process for "driving" and energizing people involved with and responsible for the organizational transformation?

C. Deliver the change: Describe the process by which Caterpillar delivered the change (e.g., project management).

D. Prepare for the change: Discuss Caterpillar's change management process; how were the company's people and culture prepared for such a massive transformation?

E. How was the change propagated throughout the organization?

F. What benefits/value did Caterpillar realize from the organizational transformation process? Were the outcomes consistent with the benefits that were contemplated at the outset of the planning process?

2. With the understanding that Caterpillar's transformation was tremendously successful, provide your impressions concerning the extent to which Caterpillar adhered to the Cycle of Change Model.

3. Related to Item No. 2, what did Caterpillar do particularly well in terms of following the Cycle of Change Model sequence?

4. Conclude your response by providing recommendations on what Caterpillar might have done differently to improve the organizational transformation.

1. Your task is to "map" the events you've read in the case study to the various steps in the Cycle of Change Model. Bear in mind that Caterpillar did not utilize the Cycle of Change Model as the "script" by which the company undertook the various steps of its organizational transformation. Therefore, you may not find that Caterpillar followed the Cycle of Change Model precisely, and in certain instances, you will likely be required to interpret how Caterpillar fulfilled some step(s) in the Cycle of Change Model sequence.