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You have done the work to communicate your vision for change across your organization. You are excited by it and keen to get started. But what happens next? The real work comes now, in making the vision a reality. At this point, the amount of work that needs to be done can feel overwhelming, particularly if you are embarking on large-scale transformational change. However, by adopting a well planned, logical process, you can give your change program the best possible chance of success.
This article provides a practical overview of the implementation part of change management, and the broad areas that need to be covered in order to bring change to life. There are a range of models, tools and techniques that can help with this process. These are covered briefly in this introductory article.
Define the Change Management Strategy
This should naturally follow on from the vision, and is the first critical step in implementing a robust change management methodology. The strategy should define the overarching approach an organization will take to manage change given the unique situation of the particular project or initiative. A well-formulated strategy should provide a roadmap for the organization to follow, describing the scope of the change, who will be involved and how the change will impact the organization. A good change management strategy drives change from the highest level, providing direction and informing decision-making throughout the entire process of change.
Assemble a Change Team
Change cannot be delivered by one person, so the next step is to put together a team of people who can help you deliver the strategy. Think about the key people in your organization who can help make change happen, and what their remits and areas of responsibility are. The second step in John Kotter’s Eight Step Change Model is about bringing together the right people to make change a reality. Although many change processes start with just a few people, many more need to lend their support to make change successful. Kotter calls this influential group the guiding coalition, while change authors W Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne refer to them as kingpins in their model of Tipping Point Leadership.
Kim and Mauborgne also say that as you assemble your change team, it is important to identify senior people who are likely to try to block change - known in their approach as devils. Aside from putting in place your organization’s top team to lead change, you will also need to give some thought to teams and individuals that will actually carry out the change management work itself.
Develop Measures For Success
Whether you are embarking on a comprehensive change program or a short-term initiative for continuous improvement, it is essential to determine whether or not the overall aims of the change have been met. A critical early stage in the change planning process is to determine the measures will be used to monitor and evaluate the outcomes of the change. This often goes hand in hand with the development of specific change plans for each area of the organization.
Depending on the type of change, you may need to measure financial performance, productivity, employee performance, customer service, technical performance or sales and marketing activity. The timeframe over which the measures will be taken should also be determined at the outset, especially when in a turnaround situation where instant results are required. It is also essential to start collecting data before the commencement of a change or improvement project so that there is sufficient data to compare post-change results to.
Create Specific Change Management Plans
These are derived from the overarching change management strategy, and should cover each part of the business. For each department or team, consider what needs to happen in order to make the change a reality, for example:
- Do specific processes or systems need to be introduced, changed or removed?
- Does the structure of internal departments or teams need to change?
- What specific skills and expertise are needed?
- Do job roles need to be changed or created?
- What are the technical requirements of the project?
- How much will each element of the change plan cost to put in place?
In addition to the above, each specific change plan should have appropriate timescales and budgets, as well as working out the key milestones in order to measure and track progress. Taskboarding is a useful tool you can use to plan out a change process in advance, breaking it down into a logical process. At this point it can also be helpful to conduct a Change Impact Analysis to identify the potential effects on employees, processes and current operations.
Identify Obstacles and Resistance to Change
No matter how well you plan for change, not everyone will be comfortable with it. It is likely that you will face resistance from some quarters. Addressing resistance should not be a reactive afterthought. There are many proactive steps that can be taken to address and mitigate resistance that should form an integral part of the change management process. A good place to start is to conduct a broad exercise to identify anticipated points of resistance and likely barriers which stand in the way of achieving change, and what can be done to combat each one. A tailored resistance management plan can be used as a means of understanding and addressing resistance. It is also important to gather regular feedback from employees as changes start to be implemented and to respond to resistance on an ongoing basis.
Develop Robust Communication Plans
Many change initiatives fail because the change has not been communicated effectively to employees. This can breed uncertainty and a fear of the unknown. Clear, effective communication is the key to addressing many of the people problems associated with change. The most effective change management programs include regular, targeted communications, which reinforce core messages in an inspirational and accessible way.
You should not underestimate the amount of communication that is needed to support change. Ideally, you should aim to make use of as many communication channels as possible when it comes to raising awareness of the aims of the change program and the benefits it will bring to your organization. As a starting point, it can be helpful to map existing communication channels and then plan out an effective internal communications campaign utilizing a mix of face-to-face briefing sessions, emails, flyers, posters and social media
Change the Organization’s Culture
Understanding your organization’s culture and the critical role it plays in change management is an essential but often neglected part of change management. An organization’s culture guides and informs the decisions and behaviors of employees at a deep, unconscious level. As many change initiatives depend on changing the behavior of employees, it is important to pay close attention to the existing culture of your organization, and to identify whether it will support or inhibit the change you want to achieve.
There are many tools available to help you assess organizational culture. For example you could run a cultural survey, or run focus groups with groups of employees (ideally facilitated by someone external and held off-site to encourage honest answers) to determine the pros and cons of the current culture. If the culture isn’t right, you should take steps to develop a more supportive culture. This is a significant task, so should be undertaken as early as possible in the change process.
Support Employees Through the Change
As the changes start to get underway, it is important to ensure that employees at all levels are receiving appropriate support. This should involve practical, job-related assistance to help people get to grips with changes to their job role, as well as emotional support to help people cope during times of uncertainty and upheaval. Change projects almost always need people to learn new skills. A development needs assessment is a structured way of ensuring that the right people are given the right development and support at the right time. Team managers should play a key role in terms of coaching and guiding their teams and demonstrating new behaviors that employees can take direction from.
Summary
Most barriers to successful change come from within an organization itself, most commonly from a lack of clarity in the change strategy and its direction, or from internal resistance to change which was not anticipated or addressed. Although change management can be a challenge, the journey towards successful change can certainly be made easier by adopting a well thought out process which includes careful consideration and implementation all the elements covered in this article.
References- W Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne, ‘Tipping Point Leadership’, Harvard Business Review (April 2003).
- J Kotter’s ‘Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail’, Harvard Business Review (April 1995).
