Implementation Insights Blog

Change Management Training is Essential to Implementing Projects

2009-11-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

How many projects are being worked on right now in your organization? We find that one of the biggest problems in organizations today is that there is just too much going on, with too little focus, and too few resources. There is lots of activity, but the results don't match up-- there are far too many stalled projects and implementation failures.

One of the easiest and most cost-effective fixes is to prioritize these projects and ensure that attention is paid to the human elements through a structured implementation framework, along with change management training for sponsors and change agents. We never cease to be amazed by organizations that will spend millions on business transformation, mergers & acquisitions, culture change, and other types of innovation, but fail to invest in the people responsible for business strategy execution. Change management training is essentially a rounding error in the costs of these strategic initiatives, and there is so much to be gained, even if all you do is invest in educating sponsors, because sponsors are responsible for 30-50% of the implementation's success.

It's even more powerful if the change management training is integrated into a methodology of tools, tactics, vocabulary, and a common change management process. We aren't talking about theoretical concepts; this change management training must be practical and business-driven. Change management training should be consistent across the enterprise, especially if implementation speed is important.

Let's look at one example: business transformation. It's a common strategic imperative and a key element of company turnaround efforts. Business transformation might include process change driven by Six Sigma or Lean, and may well include new technology. But what about the people aspects of business transformation. How can you speed adoption of process changes and new technology? There are proven strategies and tactics that can be taught in a change management training program that ideally is part of the project implementation process itself.

We are firm believers that AIM (Accelerated Implementation Methodology) is the the best implementation framework for the human elements of change. Our change management training supports the framework, and includes measurement diagnostics, tools, strategies and tactics-- all very practical and business-driven. Choose AIM or look around at what is available, and choose one methodology that is integrated with change management training. It's a simple and cost-effective way to dramatically increase the likelihood of implementation success.

Driving Accountability in the Business for ERP System Implementations

2009-10-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

It’s typical for large-scale technology initiatives such as Enterprise Planning System implementations (ERPs) like SAP and Oracle to be driven by the IT organization. The question is, who owns the initiative? Are these IT initiatives, or strategic business initiatives. Does ownership shift at some point in the SAP or Oracle project life cycle? The reality is that IT can’t be solely accountable for ERP implementation success, and accountability must be shared between IT and the business.

In the early stages of the ERP project life cycle, IT is the driver of the technology selection, analysis, design, and testing processes. Clearly the business end-users must be part of the process. Together, the IT and business owners define the business requirements and design an ERP system that meets the business needs. But it is the business owners who must start to build readiness for the SAP or Oracle implementation by communicating a compelling business case for action and getting the concerns of users out in the open so the inevitable resistance to the ERP implementation can be managed.

IT then takes the lead in making sure the system is “up and running” and meets the “go live” target date. This is what we term “installation,” and it’s a critical step in implementation. However, when you stop at the point of installation, you are still short of achieving adoption for a system like SAP or Oracle, and therefore, Return on Investment. And even though the IT responsibilities are essentially completed at the point of installation, the project is not yet complete until you get users to adopt the new processes that are driven by the ERP technology. This responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the business.

While it’s typical for the project team to be disbanded at this point, the project is in fact not yet complete. Business partners, or what we term the reinforcing sponsors, must consistently and actively express, model, and reinforce the new behaviors, and you can teach them what good sponsorship requires. IT is in no position to address the necessary modeling and reinforcement because they have no positional authority over the users (or what we call Targets).

Providing the appropriate reinforcements is the most important of all business partner (sponsor) responsibilities. Reinforcing sponsors should be applying three essential types of reinforcements at the right time and at the appropriate level of intensity. These can be categorized as positive reinforcement, negative consequences, and degree of work effort.

Most Reinforcing sponsors understand that there is power in positive reinforcement. It’s much more difficult, though, to apply negative consequences for users who work around the ERP system and new processes. For many organizations, corporate cultural norms are powerful influencers of sponsor actions, meaning that it’s culturally unacceptable for business partners to provide direct negative feedback to a Target. It’s simply not done.

Few reinforcing sponsors understand the role of controlling work effort in driving the SAP or Oracle implementation. How difficult is it for Targets to use the system to perform work in the old ways? Is the old system still available? Are “work-arounds” acceptable”? While IT can be helpful in ensuring that these work effort issues are addressed, the accountability for this aspect of the ERP implementation rests primarily with business partners.

By building a partnership based on shared accountability, project teams are far more likely to be positioned for full ERP implementation success.

Getting Buy-In for Business Change Projects

2009-10-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

If you are dealing with a business change project that requires people to adjust their beliefs as well as actions, you’ll need to generate commitment to the change. You can’t hit people over the head and make them do what you want them to do. And just because your Sponsors express their personal commitment to the change does not mean that your Targets will follow. You’ll only be successful if you take people through the commitment building process, aggressively using communication and reinforcement to motivate people to leave where they are (the current state) and move to where you want them to be (the future state.)

When you need to win hearts and minds in order for your business change to be successful, you need to manage the 3-stage process of “unfreezing” the behaviors of the current state, transitioning, and “refreezing” the behaviors of the future, desired state. This type of change takes longer, and requires more resources.

While there can be other motivators to change from the present way of doing things, the most powerful are pain and need. If it’s easier, and more comfortable, to continue to do things in the same way, you can anticipate that this is exactly what people will do. So the first critical task is to make certain that the personal motivation to change must be greater than the motivation to stay the same.

Once people begin to move out of the past, there is a predictable period of time known as the transition state. This is a time of high uncertainty, and as Change Agents and leaders, you have to provide your Targets with structure and support so that they can move through the transition to the desired state. Otherwise, you can expect that people will slip back into the old ways.

We’ve all witnessed this. We get through the “installation” of a new system, or a new process, only to find that within a short period of time people retreat back to the old way of doing things. Our change stalls out, or worse, fades away.

What to do? How do you counter the predictable and inevitable downturn in productivity and morale?

This is the point in time where you will really see the benefit of skilled Change Agents and educated Sponsors who can impact the depth and duration of the “valley of despair” of the transition. A well-managed transition can minimize the pain and actually accelerate the change through to adoption and behavior change.

Here is where your investment in educating your Sponsors can really pay off. Sponsors who are able to express, model, and reinforce their commitment and who understand the importance of Frame of Reference can bring Targets through the transition period more quickly and with many fewer “human casualties.”

It’s a time for ensuring there is an abundance of two-way communication so that sources of resistance can be identified and managed. It’s a time for diligently monitoring your change, and making continuous adjustments as situations change.

You can’t ignore the transition state, but when it’s planned and managed correctly, it’s a time of great learning.

Organizational Change Management Should Be A Core Capability for Healthcare Transformation

2009-07-31T08:01:00.000-07:00

There's a lot in the news right now about the need for healthcare transformation, both in the U.S. and the UK. While there are differences in the current state and the future vision depending on the country, healthcare transformation won't be successful without significant attention being paid to the implementation of these changes.

Naturally, there is focus on healthcare IT, including electronic medical records and other technology improvements, and attention on healthcare business process improvement, there's a lot less discussion on healthcare change management. How do you get adoption and behavior change in a complex organization structure involving nurses, physicians, technicians and a variety of healthcare professionals who have important work to do? Work disruption created by significant organizational change can impact quality of patient care, patient satisfaction, and patient outcomes.

If you are concerned about how to manage resistance to change (yes, it is inevitable) and how to accelerate healthcare business changes, you have to develop internal capability across the organization. Organizational change management consulting has to be focused not on doing it for you, but on how you can do it better for yourself.

These changes are not going to end anytime soon, so your organization best be prepared with a systematic and systemic approach for implementing healthcare transformation that can be repeated for the programmatic changes you will continue to experience. If you can unite in using a common framework like IMA's Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) to build change agent capacity, if you can use a common language, and common deliverables across all the healthcare transformation changes you will gain acceleration and reduce the human casualties of organizational change.

We do have examples of success that we can point to in the healthcare environment where change management best practices have been applied. For example, in Australia, the New South Wales Health organization has been using IMA's AIM methodology for a variety of clinical transformations, including electronic medical records. IMA's role in institutionalizing the AIM methodology has been to provide organizational change management consulting focused on teaching change agents and sponsors involved in a variety of healthcare transformation activities how to tactically apply change management principles that will improve change readiness, sponsorship, communications and behavioral change reinforcements.

Healthcare transformation and organizational change management must be considered together in order to achieve implementation success and project return on investment.

Sponsorship is #1 Factor in Organizational Change Management Success

2009-07-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

There was an interesting question in the Project Manager Discussion Group on LinkedIn this morning--- what is the number 1 reason for project failure? There are lots of contributing factors, but without a doubt, the top reason for project failure and reduced project return on investment is lack of Project Sponsorship.

If you get Sponsorship for your strategic initiative right, you will be positioned for success. Without it, you are pretty much doomed to fail. We find that despite its critical importance, Sponsorship is one of the most misunderstood aspects of organizational change management. It is an active condition, and it’s based on three distinct behaviors that a Sponsor must demonstrate for the entire lifecycle of the project:
1. What is Expressed by the Sponsor
2. What is Modeled by the Sponsor
3. What is Reinforced by the Sponsor

Since project implementation success is directly linked to adoption of behavioral change, the Sponsor must Express, Model and Reinforce the new behaviors. Most Sponsors have never been made aware of how their own behavior contributes to organizational change management and project return on investment.

This is true for all types of projects and strategic initiatives, including healthcare transformation, business process re-engineering, mergers and acquisitions, and organizational re-structurings.

The good news is that you can measure Sponsorship and train Sponsors why what they model and reinforce is so critical to successful organizational change management. If you want to accelerate implementation, limit resistance to organizational changes, and get to project return on investment, focus your attention on Sponsorship.

Business Transformation is Both Strategic and Tactical

2009-07-16T07:18:00.000-07:00

The current economic climate has spurred many organizations to assess their own strategic weaknesses while also identifying competitive market opportunities. This is leading to an increase in business transformation activities. By its nature, business transformation is strategic, but it is also tactical. In other words, business transformation can only be successful when it is linked to tactical organizational change management processes.

If your organization is going to engage in large scale, complex organizational change that involves multiple work streams, you will not achieve your business change objectives without a structured, tactical process that can be applied across these multiple projects. Business transformation programs typically involve projects with significant interdependencies, and must be managed on an enterprisewide basis. At the same time, it is extremely useful to have a robust, systematic organizational change management methodology (like AIM—the Accelerated Implementation Methodology) that can be applied through all phases of the programmatic lifecycle.

Remember that it isn’t sufficient to just install business transformation changes—these changes need to be implemented through to behavior change and behavior adoption if the organization is going to achieve project return on investment. Business transformation initiatives that focus solely on business and technical objectives, but ignore the human objectives, will fall short. You’ll pay for this in resistance to the business transformation changes that will slow you down or even cause failure.

Why Are We Installing But Not Implementing Business Changes

2009-06-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, we started to notice a pattern in organizations that was affecting project Return on Investment. Organizations were very good at installing new software and all other kinds of business changes. The problem was (and is) that the project ended once the change was officially launched. Yes, installation is very important, but it just isn’t enough to produce adoption of behavior changes and project Return on Investment. You will see this pattern played out on all types of changes, including ERP and other software implementations, business process management changes, organizational restructurings, and virtually every other type of business transformational change.

This is what we call the difference between installation and implementation. When projects are stopped at the point of installation, the project team is disbanded, and the budget ends. This means that there is no oversight or management to make sure that sponsors are reinforcing the right behaviors at the local level. Change management stops short and barriers to change are not addressed.

It’s pretty easy to see why this pattern is so prevalent. First, most organizations are under high stress with far too many competing priorities for resources and budgets. There is a lot of emphasis on adhering to project schedules and budgets, but less on achieving change. Second, the formal organization reinforcements are all around installation, not implementation. Third, senior leadership is usually focused on the next business change and don’t want to invest the time and energy required for full implementation.

We are finding that the installation versus implementation dilemma resonates with project teams and business sponsors. If you are interested in our mini guide on Installation versus Implementation, contact Paula Alsher at paula.alsher@imaworldwide.com.

Why Most Organizations Face Sponsorship Issues

2009-06-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

The number one implementation obstacle most project teams face is how to get sponsors to do what they need. And that means what they need through all the phases of the project. Keep in mind that what you need at the beginning of the project is different from what you will need at the end of the project. We tell our clients that sponsorship is action, not the position of an individual on an organization chart. If you are looking at how to improve your change management practices, start with looking at sponsorship in your organization. It's highly likely that poor sponsorship is the biggest barrier to change you are facing. If you don't have project sponsors who are expressing, modeling and reinforcing the new behaviors, you will see less readiness for change, more resistance to change, and issues on adoption-- all of which affect your project's Return on Investment.

Healthcare Transformation Involves More Than Transforming Healthcare Services

2009-04-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

One of our newest clients in the UK is the Blackburn with Darwen NHS PCT/Borough Council partnership. These two organisations are an excellent example of a healthcare transformation effort, representing two parallel initiatives that are focused on both transforming healthcare services commissioning and planning and healthcare services delivery.

In one of our conversations, our client noted that, “This is not just about structures and processes. This is really a cultural change as well.”
How true! Healthcare transformation cannot be successful on a sustained basis without attention paid to the human-side of transforming healthcare services. This requires an investment of time and resources in healthcare change management such as generating durable Sponsorship and pro-actively planning for and managing healthcare resistance to change.

Why Expect Healthcare Resistance to Change?

It doesn’t matter if a healthcare change is logical or intended to make things better through new healthcare IT like electronic medical records implementation- the fact is that any healthcare change is disruptive. And the disruption created by the enormity of healthcare transformation brings with it healthcare resistance to change. When you change the way that people do their jobs, it is a big deal, and of course changing processes and structures are fundamental to transforming healthcare services.

With the application of the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM), we can actually identify prospectively the likely sources of healthcare resistance to change, and develop strategies and tactics for managing it. You can’t squash it, but you can learn how to use healthcare resistance to change to your own advantage in driving healthcare transformation.

If you don’t deal with healthcare resistance to change, your healthcare transformation efforts will slow down, and perhaps even fail. As we tell our clients, you can invest in dealing with healthcare resistance to change now, or pay for it later.

Now is the Time to Build Healthcare Change Management into Healthcare IT Initiatives

2009-04-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

I had two reactions after my first visit to the trade show floor at the recent HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) Conference in Chicago. First, the investment being made in healthcare informatics, including electronic medical records, is enormous. Second, why isn’t healthcare change management more visible in the healthcare information technology world?

It would be virtually impossible not to be impressed with the range of healthcare IT software presented on the show floor. The fact remains, though, that healthcare organizations that are looking to build efficiency and improve patient outcomes will be disappointed in healthcare IT results unless healthcare change management is part of their project plans. We know that like all other technology initiatives, the failure/sub-optimized rate for healthcare information technology runs in the 70-80% range.

I took heart, however, from a HIMSS roundtable discussion of healthcare informatics CIO’s who all clearly saw that healthcare change management was a key component in their own success. These CIOs weren’t exactly sure how to surround the problems of technology adoption, collaboration between IT and the business, and other “people” issues. They were certain, though, that the long-term success of healthcare information technology was more than a hardware and software issue.

With so much attention now focused on healthcare informatics as a foundational piece of the healthcare transformation agenda, it’s time to bring healthcare change management to the forefront. We’re not talking about making people feel good about change; we’re talking about actions that will lead to improved business results and Return on Investment.

Given the financial resources being spent on healthcare information technology, doesn’t it make sense to also invest in making sure people will use the systems we are building?

Electronic Medical Records Implementation Must Include a Plan for Gaining Adoption

2009-04-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

The move to a paperless electronic medical records system is an important component of healthcare transformation. Beyond the investment in the actual EMR software, successful electronic medical records implementation requires that time, attention, and resources be applied to emr adoption—in other words, to the “people side” of the healthcare IT system implementation.

Electronic Medical Records Move to the Forefront of Healthcare Change

Now that the Obama administration has drawn attention to the need for healthcare change in the U.S. and specifically, emr as a foundation for transforming healthcare services, a plan for gaining emr adoption becomes more critical. At the same time, we know that electronic medical records implementation faces the same barriers as other new technology.

For example, our healthcare clients at IMA cite examples of emr users resisting the change. In some medical practices, the biggest source of resistance has come from the physicians themselves. And these physicians were supposed to be the Sponsors for the emr implementation!

The application of the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) can dramatically alter the prospects for adoption and Return on Investment for electronic medical records. AIM is a robust, structured framework, with tools, tactics, templates and strategies, along with a common vocabulary for emr implementation.

No organization should expect to achieve a successful electronic medical records implementation without specifically investing time and resources in gaining adoption. Are there proactive ways that your organization can provide healthcare change management, gain adoption and increase the likelihood of a successful emr implementation? The answer is a resounding “yes you can”.

Healthcare Change is Dramatic, and Here to Stay

2009-04-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

As we work with healthcare organizations, both those focused on delivering patient services and those providing healthcare insurance, there is one common thread. All of these organizations are dealing with an overwhelming amount of healthcare change.

Healthcare change can mean new processes, new organization structures or new technology like electronic medical records. But no matter what the nature of the healthcare change, the need for effective change management is readily apparent. At the end of the day, these healthcare changes will not be sustainable unless the organization is able to achieve adoption.

Many of our clients have had past struggles with failed or sub-optimized projects, and they are starting to recognize that the investment they are making in healthcare change also requires a parallel investment in healthcare change management. Through a systematic and systemic approach to healthcare change management like the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) these organizations are able to increase speed, improve patient quality of care and patient satisfaction, and increase competitive advantage.

Where to start with healthcare change?

If you are undergoing a significant amount of change in a healthcare organization, where should you start? One of the first steps we recommend to clients who are experiencing dramatic healthcare change is to conduct an Implementation History Assessment.

This Assessment provides the “patient history” of the organization’s past implementation history and identifies potential healthcare change management barriers such as Sponsorship, Readiness for Change, Reinforcement issues, and Communication obstacles. Using the results of this Assessment, we are able to take an objective, data-based approach to healthcare change management, and dramatically increase the likelihood of adoption and successful healthcare change.

Contact us to hear more about how we can improve your Healthcare Change projects.

Prescription for Electronic Medical Records Implementation Success

2009-03-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

According to a recent New York Times article, the Obama Administration expects to spend about 19 billion dollars to accelerate the use of computerized records by Health Care systems and doctors offices. In the same article, Dr. Blackford Middleton, Chairman for the Center for Technology Leadership states, “What is underappreciated is the implementation challenge.”

These electronic medical records are the basis for both the diagnostic and economic lifeblood of any medical care practice, so getting the implementation right the first time is essential. Notes Dr. Patricia Korber, MD, "In my own practice, we thought we were ready, but we underestimated the degree of difficulty we were going to face.”

Unfortunately getting the technology “installed”, meaning that it is up and running, is not synonymous with gaining sustained adoption, or “implementation.” The difference between installation and implementation is not mere semantics; it is a quantitative and qualitative difference that reflects the speed and return for the human and financial resources that will be invested in electronic medical records or EMR. EMR implementation speed is critical to health care providers both financially and because of the disruption to work flow and efficiency that directly impacts the quality of patient care.

Interestingly, the Obama Administration has set forth, but not yet defined, its term of “meaningful use” of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) as a criterion for subsidized payment for implementation in Doctors’ offices.

Based upon our thirty years of field research at IMA, over 70% of technology system implementations in Healthcare Systems (such as EMR implementations) fail to achieve on time and on budget what they promised to their organizations. In over 85% of the cases we have observed, technological integrity is not the issue. Ultimately, the technology will do what it is supposed to do. The stumbling block is in how to integrate the human beings with the technology as quickly as possible.

This literally becomes like those old Fram oil filter commercials: “You can pay me now or pay me later.” Any medical practice or health care system can either spend time to create readiness, or Prepay a substantial price for resistance to change and sub-optimized systems. After implementing technical systems in health care environments for two decades, we have yet to discover a situation where the third “no payment required” option came into play.

Manage the People Side of SAP for Implementation Success

2009-03-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

It would be easy, and generally incorrect, to assume that the reason for the less than stellar results for SAP implementation success is that the wrong technology solution was selected.

Instead, the data suggests, and our own experience in client systems confirms, that too many organizations pay too little attention in time and resources to the human aspects of SAP implementations. A robust implementation plan is needed that addresses critical factors like readiness for change, sponsorship, reinforcement, and communication— all applied with the same level of rigor and business-discipline that are followed in other areas of the business.

What’s more, because the track record on technology adoption in many organizations is littered with past failures or stalled installations, there is a past history that can’t be ignored. Each time an organization experiences failure, it is embedded in the institutional memory of the targets—those people most affected by the change. As a result, the next technology initiative is greeted with increased skepticism that translates into reduced management credibility, greater resistance, and even longer timelines to achieve user adoption.

Communication and Training Alone Aren’t Enough

While many organizations hope that a series of informational emails from top executives, cross-functional town-hall meetings, and training will overcome the barriers to adoption, these are rarely enough. Even involving subject matter experts from the business in the design of new processes and in requirements definition, while a positive step, is typically insufficient.

It is possible, however, to overcome the common barriers to SAP adoption by applying the structured, purposeful approach of AIM (Accelerating Implementation Methodology) as the technology adoption model. Each step in the AIM planning architecture addresses a likely adoption barrier. The AIM process also includes data-driven tools that allow you to measure predictable data points in the SAP technology integration process.

Five Lessons for Achieving Adoption

Lesson 1: Develop a clear definition of the desired future state
The AIM Project Overview tool enables core team members to arrive at a common definition of the change more efficiently, addressing critical information not included in typical project charters.

Lesson 2: Invest in the human side
Given that human and organizational issues represent the biggest risk in getting to adoption and Return on Investment, it’s short-sighted to not sufficiently budget for critical implementation activities.

Lesson 3: Spend the time to get the right kind of project sponsorship
To be successful, you will need to develop sponsors who will express, model, and reinforce the new behaviors, beginning at higher leadership levels and cascading down to include managers and supervisors of those employees most affected by the change.

Lesson 4: Plan and manage the implementation effectively
Integrate project management and the human elements into one cohesive implementation plan.

Lesson 5: Be prepared to deal with resistance to changes
Know up-front that resistance is inevitable. Apply the repeatable, practical AIM strategies and tactics to identify, surface, and manage resistance to SAP.

Accelerating Your Business Recovery

2009-03-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

As organizations confront radical challenges, leaders may contemplate seismic shifts in strategy. These strategic shifts must be implemented surely and swiftly. Speed has never been more important than it is today. But communication decrees from the top are not enough to ensure implementation success. The Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) offers a simple, but not simplistic, framework for guiding implementation of new strategies through a complex web of organizational issues that can easily cause these strategic lifelines to stall out or even fail.

It’s tempting to delude ourselves that we can shortcut the critical AIM steps in order to gain speed, but these are the very steps that are needed to ensure our capacity to turn the organizational ship in another direction quickly. For example, without a clear definition of the strategic change, we can predict that diverse areas of the organization will provide their own interpretation of what this change will mean. The need for a compelling, easily understood Business Case for Action, is more critical than ever.

Other AIM deliverables are equally as critical, including:
A Sponsorship Strategy:
We must have a plan in place to generate active Sponsorship of the new strategic direction cascading down through senior, mid-level, and front-line ranks. The Sponsorship Strategy must be designed in concert with explicit changes in reinforcements so that there is personal accountability for implementation success at the local level.

A Readiness Strategy:
Even in a difficult economic environment, there will be resistance to change. People may “really oughta wanna” change and follow the new direction, but when we are talking about doing new things in new ways, there will be resistance. If we are prepared with a plan to identify the sources of resistance and manage it appropriately, we will be able to move much more quickly.

A Reinforcement Strategy:
To get the organization to do things differently, we must manage performance differently as well. Review your formal and informal reward systems to make certain that reinforcements are actually aligned with the behavioral changes being made, and that the reinforcements are in the “frame of reference” of the Targets. Telling people to change is not the same thing as motivating people to change.

A Communication Strategy:
While it may appear to be much more efficient to use email to drive key messages, we know it is actually not a very effective delivery mechanism because there is no formal system for getting feedback on the message. This feedback is a critical source of information on where there is likely resistance.

A Strategy for Building Change Agents
Too many organizations rely on subject matter experts to implement changes at the local level. These individuals may have the technical expertise needed, but lack the interpersonal skills and credibility required. Use the AIM Change Agent Assessment tool (available at our website store at www.imaworldwide.com) to review individual capability to make certain that you are selecting the right people.

By following the AIM structured framework, organizations increase their ability to make changes quickly. When speed matters, AIM is the fuel for driving implementation success.

Innovation Without Implementation Leads Nowhere

2009-02-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

If your organization is like most, there is enormous emphasis on implementing innovation across the enterprise. Market-leading products, business process improvements, ground-breaking strategies, new markets, new green technology implementations--- all offer substantial potential for increasing market share and competitive advantage. Remember that by its very nature, innovation suggests speed. The greater the speed, the greater the chance for success. But without a structured process for implementation, the best idea is likely to fall flat or stall out.

Innovation is Complex

Most innovation is dramatic, large-scale, and a highly complex organizational change, with multiple interdependencies. The challenge of actually implementing innovation is arguably just as difficult as the process of creating the innovation itself. There are ways, however, to facilitate the implementation, applying structure, rigor, and business-discipline to all the elements required for success, including the human side of the changes represented by the innovation.

In many organizations, this typically means offering up a downward stream of one-way communication about the innovation. But communication and implementation are not synonymous. In fact, the probability of successful implementation of innovation is significantly enhanced when systematic attention is paid to six critical elements, all represented in the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM).

Six Areas of Need for Implementation Attention

These six elements are:
1. Defining the Change, meaning getting alignment around the scope and business case for the change, including the business, technical and human objectives for the innovation, described in a succinct yet compelling Business Case for Action.

2. Building Change Agent Capacity, meaning development of a highly-qualified, highly-skilled network of Change Agents who will implement the changes around the innovation at the local level. Remember that even if the innovation is developed at the corporate level, implementation is at the local level.

3. Generating Project Sponsorship, meaning a network of Sponsors who are reinforcing the desired new behaviors associated with the innovation down and across the enterprise.

4. Creating Target Readiness for the Change, meaning that you are preparing the organization by surfacing and managing resistance to the innovation. Innovation is disruptive, so even if it represents forward progress and what would be considered “positive”, resistance is inevitable.

5. Building a Communication Plan, meaning application of multiple delivery methods that communicate the changes around the innovation in the Frame of Reference of the Targets, with feedback loops built in so that you can gather data back from the Targets.

6. Developing a Reinforcement Strategy, meaning there are positive consequences for those that demonstrate they are “on the bus”, and negative consequences for those that continue to work in the old ways. These reinforcements must be meaningful for the Targets, and applied with immediacy and certainty.

Compared to the cost of the innovation itself, the investment in a business-disciplined and structured framework for managing the human side of the implementation is small, but the return is great.

Overcoming the Fear of Business Transformation

2009-02-12T07:23:00.000-08:00

Two caterpillars are crawling side by side across the small open space of a home garden. A butterfly swoops down, and nearly touches them. One of the caterpillars, with a palpable sense of fear, exclaims, “You’ll never get me up in one of those things.”

This story is an analog for enterprisewide organization change. You know the type. It’s where we seek to dramatically reposition ourselves in the market place, or to revitalize our workforce, or implement culture change, or fundamentally redirect organizational strategy and resources. It’s the type of change that fully challenges our collective resilience. It’s the type of change that fails 70% of the time.[1]

It can fail because we select the wrong strategy. But that’s the exception. Business transformation changes such IT or healthcare transformation sub optimize because we simply do not execute strategy successfully. We over spend the allocated budget, or we over shoot our target end date, and/or we don’t deliver the essential functional or operational requirements that are expected. Alas, we don’t get the ROI for our time, money, and effort.

The Essential Ingredients for Successful Strategy Execution

Execution misfires because we lack the implementation structure, the leadership discipline, and the organizational courage to stay the course. Absent these three essential ingredients, our employees disengage and offer durable resistance to change. Organization transformation scares employees because they don’t know how they’ll end up, but they know they’ll be different. Just like the caterpillar they become fearful. Without an employee’s commitment to change their behavior, there is no change. Why not? Because, as almost everyone knows, all physical, financial, and intellectual assets are inert without people.

Though the odds of success are stacked against us, they are not insurmountable. The right implementation structure, one that helps ensure aligned and disciplined leadership, and the necessary employee reinforcement to motivate long term employee engagement, will beat the odds.

Implementation Management Associates, Inc. (IMA) has a developed a structured process called Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM). It is tactical, repeatable, business focused, and based on common sense. It includes a set of data-driven tools that measures the risks you will encounter when a business transformation initiative is launched. It also provides the architecture to develop the strategies and tactics to mitigate the complex set of implementation barriers inherent in transformational change.

AIM and Transformational Change

Just a few examples of key issues that would be considered when applying AIM and its tools to a transformational change are:

Define the Change -- who are the key stakeholders, how are they impacted, and what critical behaviors must be adopted to support business transformation?

Generate Change Sponsorship -- deploying a purposeful approach to gaining and sustaining widespread and aligned leadership commitment across the enterprise.

Develop Target Readiness -- developing a strategy to effectively manage resistance to change at all levels of the organization.

Build a Communication Plan for Transformational Change -- targeted communication that speaks directly to the various organizational frames of reference, thus enabling all employees to answer the “What’s in it for me?”, “What’s going to happen to me?” type questions more quickly.

Genuine business transformational change is profoundly difficult and complex. Its impacts are fully comprehensive. It can require strategic changes to structure, operations, and technology. Further, it typically demands changes in employee expectations, perceptions, behaviors, and/or skills. Moreover, the climate for transformational change is generally comprised of divisive politics, strong emotions, and entrenched resistance to change. This complexity can only be managed with a structured approach that purposefully provides practical and relevant implementation solutions. Absent a structured approach there will be no transformation, instead the outcome will “unrealized vision”, for as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Good thoughts are no better than good dreams, unless they are executed.”

[1] Beer, M., & Eisenstat, R.A. “Developing an organization capable of implementing strategy and learning.” Human Relations, V. 49, 597-619, 1966.
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Tips for Managing Resistance to a Positive Change

2009-02-04T03:46:00.000-08:00

Tips for Managing Resistance to a Positive Change
Actions you can take to manage resistance on your project

While our first reaction to resistance to change may be to quash it as quickly as possible, resistance is not necessarily all bad. Any change brings resistance with it, whether the change is positive or negative—so it’s unrealistic to think you will ever eliminate resistance. Resistance is inevitable, even when the change is positive and will make the lives of individuals brighter. When brought out into the open, resistance can help us surface problems, find errors, or improve on ideas. But resistance can only be managed when it is overt. If you can’t see it or hear it, you can’t manage it.

What is Resistance?

The sooner and the more we know about why people are likely to resist a particular change, the better job we can do in applying tactics to manage it. That’s the reason why IMA’s Target Readiness Assessment can be such a valuable tool in identifying, measuring and surfacing resistance. We can use this diagnostic tool to develop a data-based plan for managing resistance.

In simple terms, resistance is just an attempt for an individual to protect or defend his or her own Frame of Reference. All changes bring with them a level of disruption of the status quo. It’s tempting to think that if the change increases efficiency, simplifies operations, saves time, offers greater functionality or provides any other business process improvement (like Six Sigma-driven improvements) , the targets of the change will open their arms in warm welcome. No amount of logic, however, addresses the fundamental resistance that is part and parcel of human nature.

Resistance to a positive change can manifest itself in several forms. Individuals may remain silent, or may simply work-around the new technology or process. In its more malevolent form, resistance may take the shape of sabotage or other types of malicious activities.

Recommended Tactics

Keep in mind that resistance slows down project implementations, so if we can apply tactics for identifying, surfacing, and managing resistance, we are working to accelerate project success and Return on Investment. So it is wise to develop a strategy for managing resistance, and this is indeed one of the essential steps of the AIM methodology. If you are dealing with a positive change, here are some tactics you can apply:

Don’t oversell the benefits of the change. Communicate realistically that problems existed before, and this change is not a magic bullet
Acknowledge that there is both positive and negative data
Develop a problem-solving climate. Even if targets aren’t involved in the “what” of the change, have them involved in the “how”
Create a safe atmosphere so that you can surface the resistance. This is not a one-time event, but a continuous process
Build confidence by communicating progress
Separate the content of the resistance from the process. Even if you disagree with the content, recognize and reward the fact that resistance is being brought out into the open

As agents of change, we can help our sponsors understand that we can’t combat resistance, but we can use it to our advantage. By applying the AIM methodology, we offer specific and practical tactics that will lead to implementation success, completing projects on time, on budget, and with all technical, business, and human objectives met.

IMA’s Readiness Assessment is tool you can use to measure and pinpoint the sources of resistance on your project or initiative. For more information on how we can help you conduct a Readiness Assessment in your organization, call 800-752-9254 or 303-996-7777.

Managing Resistance is a Core Competence

2009-02-04T03:44:00.001-08:00

Whether a change is perceived as negative or positive, reluctance to change is inevitable. It’s not all bad -- take advantage of its good side. It’s helpful and necessary project feedback. However, you must work with it - it’s not something you overcome or beat down, nor is it ever solved. Remember, people will resist not only the content of the change, but also the method of the change.

Speed is a Competitive Advantage

The speed with which an organization can change is as much a competitive advantage as best in class manufacturing operations or world class supply chain processes. How quickly an organization assimilates change is a distinctive competence in today’s market place.

A number of variables influence the speed of organizational change. One of the key ones is organizational/individual resistance. Managing resistance effectively is paramount to accelerating change adoption and project implementation -- i.e., moving well beyond merely coping with change. As the pace of change continues to accelerate, it’s obvious that managing resistance is a greater challenge and a more critical organizational skill.

Ineffective resistance management slows down, and sometimes derails, implementation efforts. Approaches such as discounting resistance, denying it exists, or trying to beat it down, paradoxically exacerbate resistance and thus increase the organizational/personal costs of the change.

The impact of unmanaged resistance is clear -- implementation efforts are more likely to be over budget, behind schedule, and not to expected specification. In other words, “you don’t get the change you thought you needed.”

Though resistance is inevitable, it neither has to be interminable nor a barrier to implementation. Indeed, it can be a solution and not just a nagging problem. Purposefully managing resistance increases communication, promotes genuine involvement, builds resiliency, and creates opportunity for buy-in to occur. It’s an essential and high impact tactic for accelerating change.

Two Essential Paths

Resistance management has two paths -- systemic and transactional. The former consists of the purposeful and strategic approach that guides intervention at the organizational level. It’s the accepted frame of reference for how resistance is be viewed and attended to. The latter is the one-on-one, eye-ball to eye-ball interaction with a resistor. It’s the personal, emotional, and personalized dialogue about the source of, and solution to, one’s reluctance to “get on board” with the change. Both paths are essential.

The systemic path is the one less traveled. Few implementation teams have the discipline to proactively consider the sources of resistance throughout the life of a change effort. Most, by default, are put in the position to at best react in fits and starts to the symptoms of resistance, but seldom to its sources. Meanwhile, the transactional path suffers from travelers who simply do not have the interpersonal awareness, social skills, patience, or empathy, to work with resistors. The Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) deals with both paths with specific strategies and tactics for dealing with resistance.

As counter-intuitive as it might seem, overt resistance is better than covert -- because if you can’t see it, you can’t manage it. Reward (don’t shoot) the messenger. No retribution for diverse opinions, o.k.?

Read our new White Paper on Managing Resistance to Change. Email Paula Alsher, Vice President, Client Solutions at paula.alsher@imaworldwide.com for a copy.

Managing Resistance is a Core Competence

2009-02-04T03:44:00.000-08:00

Speed is a Competitive Advantage

Two Essential Paths

Read our new White Paper on Managing Resistance to Change. Email Paula Alsher, Vice President, Client Solutions at paula.alsher@imaworldwide.com for a copy.

Execution, Speed, and Adaptability are Top CEO Concerns

2009-02-04T03:37:00.000-08:00

As Agents of Change we are always seeking Sponsorship for our implementation efforts. Too often it seems we are simply “tilting at windmills”, fighting an unwinnable battle. Our Sponsor’s attention to implementation is easily diverted because of short attention spans, or by competing priorities, market shifts, succession issues, and organizational politics. However, the winds of change may have shifted in our favor, along with the frame of reference of our Sponsors.

A recent Conference Board Survey* of 190 chief executives, chairmen and company presidents suggests that concerns have shifted; i.e., while excellence in and consistency of strategy execution remain the top executive priorities, they are now followed by “speed, flexibility and adaptability to change.” This is particularly significant because the ranking of these latter priorities increased 100% over last year's results. Moreover, nearly half the respondents expressed a “special” concern for the need to mitigate organizational risk attendant to today’s extraordinary scope of change. This latest prioritization ranking is, of course, tied to the current global economic crisis.

For us Agents, a window of “contracting” opportunity has opened. Sponsors may now be increasingly motivated to engage in implementation as “owners” and not just as “renters”. Two rules of thumbs can help guide us through our dialogues with Sponsors. First … it is always easiest to obtain Sponsorship when you are solving a problem for your Sponsor. And, second, if the “problem” is not understood, then there will be resistance to the solution.

In terms of the first rule, we must identify the Sponsor’s pain level re concern about the effectiveness of strategy execution. Establish agreement that “the how to” of implementation is likely to be a problem. Once that is agreed to, we are positioned to leverage the second rule of thumb. At this point the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) is more likely to be perceived as an obvious solution to the problem. In other words, it increases the probability of a successful/consistent execution of organizational strategy, while adapting to changes quickly and flexibly. The moons are really aligning in our favor -- AIM will help to address the top three executive concerns simultaneously.

Once the AIM solution resonates, then develop a substantive contracting plan. Remember, your plan should consider the following steps:

Identify who the full complement of Sponsors is by completing a key role map

Determine the timing/sequence for engaging Sponsors

Assure that they are “educated” on the role of the Sponsor

Contract for high leverage behaviors, i.e., express, model and reinforce

Contract to cascade Sponsorship down the role map

Contract to re-contract

Contract to provide leaders with feedback on their effectiveness as Sponsors

The immediate next step is to start the dialogue. Do something with the data! If you have access to and relationship with key Sponsors, get on their calendar. If not, develop a communications campaign to champion the survey results to key players. Lobby opinion leaders directly. Leverage existing meeting forums for agenda time. Don’t allow this window of opportunity to close without having gained implementation traction.

*Tuna, Cari, WSJ, “Executives Shift to Survival Mode”, November 20, 2008.

Are Your Continuous Improvement Programs Delivering on their Promise?

2009-02-04T03:25:00.000-08:00

One of the most significant stumbling blocks that business process re-engineering initiatives encounter is in the deployment phase of the process improvement process. There is logic and data to suggest that although statistical analyses can improve organizational effectiveness, reduce unnecessary activities, increase productivity, and reduce costs, no process improvement or culture change will occur unless solutions can be implemented through to utilization and Return on Investment. The application of the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) dramatically improves the likelihood of success for Lean and Six Sigma initiatives.

Beyond selecting the right projects, business process re-engineering will only be successful if the improvements are properly implemented and achieve long-term adoption. Successful deployment of process improvement initiatives such as Lean Production require the selection of the right people for implementation (Agents); the right leadership (Sponsors); the right personal recognition and environmental supports (Reinforcement); and the right methods for identifying and managing resistance to changes (Readiness for change).

Application of the AIM Methodology enables Lean and Six Sigma teams to apply the same process framework approach to what is often considered to be the softer side of process improvement. The methodology offers a robust set of tools and measurement diagnostics, along with a structured framework for managing the human elements of continuous improvement efforts. This is supplemented by organizational learning to provide practical tactics and strategies that will increase internal capacity to implement more quickly.

To improve your own organization’s Lean and Six Sigma results, IMA (Implementation Management Associates) recommends the following specific actions become part of your business process re-engineering protocols:

Apply the same data-based approach to the human elements through use of diagnostics such as the Implementation History Assessment, Implementation Risk Forecast, Sponsor Assessment, and Change Agent Assessment to identify implementation barriers

Define the desired behaviors (who will need to do what differently, and how well will they need to do it) up-front so that they can be measured and reinforced on the back-end

Develop implementation plans that blend technology and business process improvements with structured, hard deliverables for the human elements, including key role maps, impact mapping, a Sponsorship Strategy and a Reinforcement Strategy that can be seamlessly managed

Re-define the role of the Sponsor from providing high-level support based on organizational position to providing three specific actions: Expressing, Modeling, and Reinforcing the desired behaviors

Develop a Readiness Strategy that specifically includes actions for sourcing and managing Resistance to changes resulting from Lean Six Sigma analyses

These five actions will significantly increase the effectiveness of your continuous improvement initiatives. And as we all know, these efforts are more important than ever to organizational effectiveness and perhaps, even organizational survival.