Change Management and How It Can Help Your Organization

Do you fear change in your organization? With the right management, you shouldn’t.

Change is a constant. We change, our family and friends change, society changes, our job duties change. It is a necessity for both personal and professional growth.

For an organization to thrive, it must be able to adapt to a changing marketplace, leverage its strengths, and transform to fit in, otherwise it risks becoming obsolete.

When a business is ready to implement change, whether it’s a small, gradual change or a large-scale transformation, that’s where change management can help.

What is change management?

Change management is a process of guiding organizational change. It includes the planning, implementing, and solidifying of changes through an organization’s transition so that it is successful.

Remember that change doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It won’t just impact one area of an organization; it will affect everybody within it, so you must manage the people side of change. To ensure the least amount of turmoil and negative effects, an organization must have a plan to manage the repercussions that change can bring.

Change can be costly, time consuming, and met with disinterest or, possibly, outright resistance. With proper change management, these issues can be addressed and planned for.

Benefits of change management

Any organization can benefit from implementing change management practices during a transformation, big or small. The following are a few ways that change management can benefit individual staff, team members, and the organization as a whole:

• Broadening perspectives – Staff can give feedback about the upcoming change to ensure that any concerns they have are addressed and all issues are thoroughly analysed before implementation

• Improving employee engagement – Staff will be more open to change when they know how it will directly impact their work

• Increasing efficiency – Create a plan to ensure the rollout is successful by analysing roadblocks and examining workflows; this will help the team work more effectively once the change is implemented

• Improving collaboration – When staff from across the organization understand their role and expectations throughout the change process, the teams can collaborate more effectively

• Promoting informed decision-making – Clear communication can alleviate unnecessary questions which can slow down workflow; by giving staff the same information and direction, everyone can stay focused

• Strategic goals – Defining specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely (SMART) goals can ensure the ultimate vision for the organization is realized

With the benefits clear, how does one set out to implement change through an organization?

Four factors of change management

According to the Harvard Business Review, there are four factors that determine the success of an organization’s transformation. Consider each of the following carefully when creating a change management plan:

• Duration – The length of time it takes for the change program to be completed and the time between project reviews. Frequent review of a project means it’s more likely to succeed.

• Integrity – The project team’s capabilities and their ability to complete the initiative on time. The performance integrity of the managers, staff, and supervisors to execute the change project successfully will impact its success.

• Commitment – The commitment to change shown by senior executives and the staff that will be most affected by the change. Both of these groups must be dedicated to the change effort for it to successfully take root. This is especially crucial for top-level leadership.

• Effort – The additional effort that employees must make to cope with the change. Staff can be resistant to change if it means an increased workload and demands on their already scarce time. The workload should increase by no more than 10% to minimize the likelihood of staff upset.

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