How does a functional organization transition to a Class-Based Organization?
Class-Based Engineering promotes change. Resistance to change can be expected not only due to fear of organizational change but also due to fear of not grasping a new paradigm. The first challenge for management is to effectively communicate the vision and benefits of Class-Based Engineering in order to promote a solid conceptual understanding, reduce resistance and inspire excitement. The second challenge is to identify new job responsibilities for employees within the Class-Based organization. Although a Class-Based organization will result in a flatter organization than what may have existed before, it is important to reuse the human knowledge base and talent pool already available in the organization. The third challenge is in selecting the most suitable candidate applications for the firm’s initial Class-Based Engineering effort. Consolidating classes from two or three related applications within the same department would be a good starting point. A bank, for example, might attemp
