11-05-2012, 11:45 AM
Change Management
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Understanding the Role of Change Management
Change management is a big part of today’s business
nomenclature, but do organizations really understand the
concept? A recent informal poll by Prosci, an independent
research company that focuses on change management
and business processes, revealed that more than
80% of respondents experienced at least some confusion
with the concepts of change and change management. In
fact, 57% of those polled said they often experienced this
confusion (www.change-managementtutorialchange-
vs-change-management.htm).
Gauge the Potential Impact of Each Change Individually
Before embarking on a new implementation or rolling
out a new organization best practice, take the time to
understand the implications such a change will have on
your employees. Using readiness assessment questionnaires
and surveys developed internally or in conjunction
with transition experts, measure the size of the
change, how many people will be affected, and how
quickly the change will begin impacting your workforce.
From there, you can delve deeper and get a better understanding
of the specific groups or individuals that the
change will impact and begin to structure your approach
accordingly. This initial step is important in laying the
foundation for successful change management.
Get Buy-in at the Top
In addition to the designated change management team,
it’s crucial for organizations to identify change champions
who have the status and influence to ensure a
successful change. These individuals should be executivelevel
leaders who can demonstrate the importance of the
change and make sure it is taken seriously.
Once these individuals are identified, it’s imperative
that they serve as active and visible champions of the
change, not silent advocates. In fact, the change management
team should develop sponsorship activities that
help these executives connect with the workforce at large.
Sponsorship activities can take many forms, from formal
presentations to collaborative town hall meetings to
informal lunch-and-learn sessions. No matter the setting,
having high-level champions attach their name—and
influence—to the initiative helps ensure its success. Sadly,
however, procuring this executive buy-in and participation
is where many organizations stumble.
Communication Is Key
You may understand the reasons behind your company’s
planned changes, but chances are your employees won’t.
Never assume that your workforce has the same perspective
and access to the same information as you do. Rather,
you need to impart this knowledge to your entire workforce
through regular, timely, and targeted communication.
The first piece of information or communication you
distribute should clearly delineate the benefits of the
forthcoming change. State your business case for adopting
the change, and highlight the dangers of not pursuing
the change. The goal is to get as many people on board
with what you’re doing as quickly as possible so that
everyone can begin working toward the common goal.
From there, communications should be tailored to specific
audiences because different members of your organization
will be affected differently.