“The only constant is change”. Today, more than ever, the verity of this thought is obvious. We are all witnesses of rapid changes in our environment and we often need to adapt. This applies to individuals, but to the organization as well. And change management deals exactly with this concept – organizations and changes.
In this comprehensive overview, you’ll find answers such as:
- What is change management?
- How to lead the change management process?
- What can you expect when it comes to human factors?
- How to evaluate progress and adapt during the change process?
Managing changes has become a critical skill, both for leadership – and for workers in an organization. Knowledge about it can save your resources and ultimately can ensure survival to your organization.
What is Change Management?
There is no ONE change management definition, but we can say that change management is a business discipline, driving bottom-line results through changes in systems and behaviors.
Perhaps one of the most authoritative definitions is the one provided by Daryl Conner, the author of Managing at the Speed of Change:
Change management is a set of principles, techniques, and prescriptions applied to the human aspects of executing major change initiatives in organizational settings.
It is a systematic approach in dealing with change, on the organizational level, but also on an individual level. Change management implies the application of strategies, tools, and resources to change happen as expected and to add value to an organization.
The change management process includes a range of activities that move an organization through a transition from current to a desirable state.
Change can affect many facets of an organization. Its effect on the individual is of great importance as it will filter through and influence all levels of the organization. Organizational change can create fear and uncertainty. It is important to understand these influences. So, you’ll know what to expect when they occur and you’ll be prepared for them when they happen.
If the change is the result of an external factor, it is important to accept the change. Then you modify any internal processes or items that are affected by the external influence. On the other hand, with internal causes of change, we have the most ability to control and prepare the outcomes of such events.
The benefits of change management are numerous. We can prepare with education, communication, training, and support. These tools will help mitigate any negative outcomes which may occur as a result of the change.
The purpose of this approach is to implement strategies for the change management process, to control the change and to help people who are affected by the change to adapt.
Managers and executives of all levels must develop change management skills through education and change management training to ensure a desirable outcome of organizational change.
How to Lead Change Management?
Every change begins with a leadership decision. Making the decision to institute changes is not always easy. If you prepare, make a good plan, and surround yourself with a good team that decision will be a lot easier.
Begin by putting yourself in a positive frame of mind. You are likely to experience higher than normal levels of stress and knowing this beforehand will give you the ability to be prepared mentally and physically.
You will be the anchorperson and foundation and you will guide your team through the stressful events. Be a reassuring and active force throughout the whole process.
It is impossible to prepare for every contingency, but planning for the known is a must. So, add time or extra room to the schedule for the unknowns.
When you encounter an unexpected event your schedule should not be put off by much if you have built-in some leeway. It will provide that buffer that gives you and your team the ability to deal with the unknowns and keep rolling with the change process
Defining Change Management Strategy
The critical point here is creating and implementing a strategy that defines an approach consistent with the unique needs of the organization. The strategy serves as the guiding framework. It provides direction and shaps decision-making throughout the change process.
A simple way to gather data for the strategy is to ask questions regarding the different aspects of the change. Below are some typical questions:
| Aspect | Question |
| The Situation | What is being changed? How much perceived need for change exists? What groups will be impacted? How long will the change take? |
| People and Their Roles | Who will serve as a high-level sponsor? What functional groups should be represented to lead the effort? |
| Issues for Analysis | What will happen if we do/don’t do this? How universal is the change? Are there exceptions or deviations to consider? |
From the answers to the questions, the strategy document is created, serving as a “blueprint” for the initiative. A strategy document should discuss important components of the change. The components are listed below, accompanied by sample wording.
| Strategy Component | Sample Language/Notes |
| Description of the proposed change vision, and its goals | Transform the business processes and the technology by which the organization manages the human resources and payroll functions |
| The reason(s) why the change is necessary | These changes will allow the organization to save time and money and provide more responsive HR and payroll services to employees |
| Critical success measures and key performance indicators | Risks have been proactively identified and addressed. Employees are prepared to perform their new job on Go live day with a 95% success ratio |
| Project stakeholders and stakeholder groups and their involvement | The current Phase: Senior management The Pre-Implementation Phase: Senior management, subject matter experts, change champions |
| Key messages to communicate | Pre-Implementation Phase: The business requirements, business case staffing, and the projected timeline |
| Roles and Responsibilities | Communications Team Lead: Develop project communications and presentations Change Management Team Lead: Direct overall team activities; Provide team with change management expertise; Manage Project Team Effectiveness, Capability Transfer, & Leadership Alignment activities |
| Target time frame to achieve goals | (This can be a graphical timeline, a paragraph, an embedded spreadsheet, etc.) |
| Focus Areas | Leadership Alignment: Align leaders to the project vision and enable them to champion the effort Organizational transition: Design new employee roles, jobs, and organization structures to support the new processes and technology |
For change management suport and training visit Accordemy’s Change Management Course.
Delegating and Building the Team
Surround yourself with people that you can delegate to and be confident in their abilities and skills. Be precise and specific with your directions as to when the change process begins you will be depending on these individuals and their talents.
Communicating and providing feedback are the keys to successful delegation. So, make sure your team understands this. If communication fails or there is not accurate feedback the chances of success are lessened.
An issue that sometimes arises when delegating is micro-managing. Keep an eye out to not micromanage as you can quickly lose track of events and it will take time away from your main duties.
Delegating is a skill that takes time as you must first learn the strengths and weaknesses of your team and know what tasks you can and cannot hand out. It may not be possible to always delegate, but when it can be done it will provide a great resource.
To effectively implement a team positioned for success, leaders must select members who display a high degree of skill in six key elements:
- Commitment
- Contribution
- Communication
- Cooperation
- Conflict management
- Connection
The team must represent all of the needed functional groups and roles necessary to manage the change initiative. By formalizing the team and providing funding and other resources, it sends a message of accountability and responsibility and illustrates the investment the organization has made in the change.
Identifying the WIFM and Gaining the Support
For change to be successful, people must desire to support and participate in the change. Simply building awareness does not generate desire. So, showing everyone what is in it for them will produce a great starting point and help generate support.
In order to answer the question “What’s in it for Me?”, or WIFM, change management leadership must create energy and engagement around the change. This builds momentum and instills support at all levels of the organization. Factors that influence WIFM are:
- The nature of the change
- The organizational context for the change
- An employee’s personal situation
- What motivates the person as an individual?
It is vitally important to make sure that all stakeholders and employees are on board with a change.
Effective communication is essential for building support throughout the organization.
Communications options are many, including email, presentations, postings on the organization’s intranet, flyers and circulars, banners, online or phone conferences, and special social events.
Beforehand, communicators should identify and segment audience groups, craft messages appropriate for each audience, and determine the most effective packaging, timing, and methods for communicating, such as:
- Executive sponsorship
- Coaching by managers and supervisors
- Ready access to business information
Change Management Human Factors
Although inevitable, change may not be accepted by everyone and resistance is one possible reaction.
Common reactions to organizational change are:
- Denial: If a change is announced some people may feel that the change is not necessary. They may be reluctant to listen or deny any facts or information presented to support the change.
- Resistance: With any change, there will always be people who resist the change. Resistance is very common and stems from a fear of the unknown. Not knowing how an event is going to turn out can be a scary event for those who go through the change.
- Anger: When change occurs and the norm is uprooted, people can experience anger. People may lash out and become uncooperative during this time. Humans are creatures of habit, and when that changes people can become angry.
- Indifference: People just may not care, or the change may not have an impact on their routines or work. Be wary of this, as the change may be intended to have an impact, if the individual is indifferent about it the change then they may not understand or accept it.
- Acceptance: Changes generally occur for the better and have a positive influence on those involved. Even with positive change acceptance may not happen right away, but should occur quicker as opposed to when the change is perceived to be negative.
It is essential to keep the lines of communication open.
Always be available during the change process. Reassure your team that you are there for them and you are here to provide them with the necessary resources to lead them through the change. Stress to them that you are available and focused on keeping the communication lines open.
Coping with pushback is important!
Not everyone will agree on the change. Keep in mind that these types of feelings are normal as people generally do not enjoy change and are sometimes made nervous by it. You will likely encounter pushback and resistance by a number of team members.
Provide facts and data to show why the change is happening and reassure them of the need and benefits of the change. These types of individuals are best suited to be educated about the change with information.
If you are encountering an extreme case of pushback, provide them with some choices that still fall within the spectrum of the intended change. That way, they should feel more involved in the process and it will help alleviate the negative mindset they may be experiencing.
Evaluating and Adapting During Change Process
Change is not exempt from Murphy’s Law. And even if something isn’t going wrong, change management team members must constantly be observing, listening, and evaluating the progress and process during a change.
In order to continue increasing awareness and to build a desire to support the upcoming change, the change management team must reach out to the organization at large. The force field analysis, developed by German social psychologist Kurt Lewin helps a change management team to:
- Identify the pros and cons of an option prior to making a decision
- Explore what is going right — and what is going wrong
- Analyze any two opposing positions
If concerns or issues arise, then steps must be taken to ensure awareness is continually raised and that desire to support the change is increased. Strategies that can help the change management team responsively address employees’ concerns include:
- Engaging employees, providing forums for people to express their questions and concerns
- Equipping managers & supervisors to be effective change leaders and managers of resistance
- Orchestrating opportunities for advocates of the change to contact those not yet on board
- Aligning incentive and performance management systems to support the change.
We sincerely hope this helped you to grasp the concept of change management and pointed out where should you put focus when it comes to improving your skills. For more information and change management training visit Accordemy’s Change Management Course.
