Change management involves putting strategies in place that help implement major changes within a company, while minimizing the impact on employees and operations. All the while achieving the desired objectives.
Why Should a Company Adopt a Change Management Approach?
A corporate change management approach helps management, employees and stakeholders accept and adopt changes more quickly and easily. The pre-established objectives can then be achieved more quickly.
A change management approach ensures that there’s alignment between the desired changes and the company’s overall strategic direction. It also helps to counter resistance to change from team members.
How To establish a Change Management Plan?
The following principles should generally be considered when establishing a change management plan:
- Put employees at the heart of the thinking process
- Encourage bottom-up communication
- Increase communication channels
- Put support plans in place
- Establish a sense of urgency
- Focus on quick results
What Are the Challenges Involved in Change Management?
The challenges involved in change management are:
- Economic challenges, such as reducing the amount of time wasted and increasing productivity.
- Sociological challenges, such as responding to a crisis or conflict.
- Psychological challenges, such as anticipating the reaction of those involved.
What Are the Advantages of Change Management in a Company?
The advantages of change management in a company include:
- Facilitating acceptance and understanding of changes
- Anticipating and reducing the times a project is rejected
- Reducing the costs and time involved in implementing changes
- Fostering a spirit of collaboration within the organization
- Increasing the performance and productivity of team members
What Are Some Examples of Organizational Changes That Require a Change Management Process?
Some examples of organizational changes that require a change management process include:
- Deploying new technological tools such as workforce management software
- Implementing new processes
- Restructuring a department
- Redesigning a service or product
- Complying with a new legal framework
- A company merger
What Are the Steps Involved in the Change Management Process?
The steps involved in the change management process include:
- Defining objectives
- Carrying out an audit to identify change requirements
- Creating a communication plan to announce the change
- Identifying key indicators
- Implementing the change
- Training employees in order to facilitate adoption of the desired change
- Adapting the management style to the changes implemented
- Measuring the effectiveness of the changes and making adjustments if necessary
How To Support Employees During the Change Management Process?
Managers who wish to support their employees through the change management process can:
- Listen to their team members’ concerns and reluctance
- Inform their employees about the change process
- Share and explain their vision and that of the company
- Reassure their team members
- Encourage collaboration
- Provide training
What Are the Different Models Used To Manage Organizational Change?
- The Prosci ADKAR model: the people-centred model
- The McKinsey model: includes 4 principles, i.e. promoting understanding, developing skills, role modeling and reinforcing with formal tools
- The Lewin model: a 3-step approach designed to unfreeze a company’s structure and processes, changing the mindset of stakeholders and making change the new norm
- The Kotter model: centred on the experience used to facilitate acceptance of the change
- The Kubler-Ross change curve: based on the 5 stages of grief
- The Deming cycle: based on continuous improvement
- The Bridges transitional model: focusing on people and the transition to change
