Best practices for organizational change management
There are many different approaches to organizational change management that have emerged through the experiences of different companies. Lessons-learned and best practices are openly shared online as well as through the bodies of knowledge professional organizations publish. Some of the most widely used frameworks and best practices can be found in the works from the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP), the Innovation and Organizational Change Management Institute (IOCMI) and PROSCI. While each of these groups has their own approaches, frameworks and languages, each of them view change management from an organizational perspective and address the human aspects of change in an organizational context.
In addition to the work of these professional organizations, many leading business publications regularly publish articles about organizational change management with tips from change-management professionals about how to implement changes effectively in a variety of situations. For example, CIO magazine published an article on 10 tips for Change Management success in digital transformation initiatives.
Change management communications
Most organizational change-management practitioners will tell you communications are essential to an effective change initiative. Organizational change-management communications can’t be done ad-hoc – they must be managed, and information must be given to the right people at the right time. Communicate incorrectly and the change initiative may be destined for failure. Change-management communications can’t just be one-way messaging from the organization’s leader or initiative sponsor and then broadcast throughout the organization. The organizational change-management plan will outline different groups of individuals and their communications needs. Often, how a change is communicated will have a greater impact on the success of the change than the design of the solution.
Change management tools
Like all other parts of modern businesses, change-management processes can be greatly enhanced for effectiveness using technology. Organizational change-management tools help change leaders plan, execute and monitor changes throughout broad organizations. Freshservice was recently ranked as one of the Top 5 Change Management Tools. Supported by a robust set of modern tools, change practitioners can implement change initiatives faster and safer and achieve greater results quicker. This is important for companies seeking greater agility when responding to business opportunities and threats.
Change management certifications
Change management (like most other professional disciplines) has many different certification opportunities to help practitioners demonstrate knowledge and competency in their field.
While possessing a change-management certification does not guarantee the practitioner has the necessary experience to lead your company’s change initiative (you still need to do your due-diligence during screening), certification is a good indicator the person understands the process of organizational change management and knows how to access the frameworks and best practices of their peers in the industry.
When is organizational change management needed?
Organizational change management is needed whenever a company starts a project or initiative that interrupts or changes day-to-day operations. Change management reduces the risk that individuals will reject new systems, processes or other changes and helps ensure the desired outcomes of the change are fully realized. Organizational change management doesn’t reduce costs or increase revenue on its own, but rather helps create an environment where individuals throughout the organization can better understand what changes are needed to achieve the company’s goals and how to support them. There are three main scenarios where organizational change management is important:
Changes to the roles of individual employees
When the company changes job roles, it changes the nature of the employee-company relationship. This is often unsettling to employees who expect a certain level of stability during their daily activities and company leaders’ expectations of them. Organizational change management can help employees understand the need for change and facilitate smooth transitions that fulfill both the company’s needs and mitigate the impact of the change on the individuals involved.
Changes to how individuals and teams work together
Many change initiatives include implementing/modifying IT systems and business processes that provide the structure for how employees in your company interact with each other. When these changes are made it often requires changes in behaviors and activities of all individuals involved in the process or using the system. Organizational change management can help employees understand the changes expected of them, why the changes are being implemented and when they are expected to change their activities.
Changes to the company itself
Large-scale company changes, such as mergers, reorganizations, leadership changes and shifts in business strategy, typically require structured change-management plans to implement. Organizational change management provides the tools for analyzing, planning and executing company-wide changes and measuring the impact and effectiveness of change initiatives relative to company goals. Organizational change management is the set of capabilities that enable leaders to lead large organizations effectively.