Every change management methodology includes some type of toolkit.  Our proprietary Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) is no exception.  It offers a multitude of tools including assessments, forecasts and templates, because there's no question… checklists, templates, and surveys all have a place, and each has value for change management practitioners.  But some change management methodologies stop there.  They are primarily driven by a set of checklists, templates and tools for Change Agents “to do”—in other words, they are activity based.  

Walk into almost any large corporation and we bet you will find at least one (if not more) of these changes in their change portfolio:  shared services, mergers or acquisitions, ERP/technology updates, customer-centric strategies, and other one company solutions.  These enterprise-wide changes can all be significant strategic solutions to critical business problems or market opportunities. In fact, “one company” business models can markedly improve customer satisfaction, materially reduce operating margins, utilize resources more effectively, improve internal collaboration, and position the organization to respond quicker to changing market conditions. The ROI is staggering.  But…so is the investment required! 

In our change management training programs we are often asked what the difference is between a Change Champion and a Change Agent.  Are they the same thing?  Aren’t they responsible for essentially the same tasks?  The answer is no.  They are not the same, but… the two roles often overlap.    

In conversations with potential change management consulting clients about a troubled project, or about the need for a change management methodology in their organization, they will invariably mention past projects that have failed but have not been forgotten. There is the ERP implementation that was quietly withdrawn, or the acquisition that has never been fully integrated.  There is the shared services implementation that hasn't delivered the intended value. 

WHAT SHOULD CHANGE ABOUT CHANGE IN 2017

2016 has been a year of dramatic shifts across the world that signal significant changes and disruption in the political world.  What this means for organizations is still not fully known. 

What is predictable, though, is that the ability to change will be even more important.  Those organizations that are adept at implementing new, and often radically different, strategies will thrive. Those that cling to the past and ignore the need for change capability (with sufficient resources attached) will face challenges that may even threaten survival.

Mercy Healthcare is the 5^th largest Catholic Healthcare System in the United States.  They have facilities in 4 states and employ over 40,000 people.  Between the Affordable Healthcare Act, plus sweeping clinical and operational changes, Mercy is typical of the crazy, busy world of healthcare today.  In fact, they are a complex, innovative and forward-thinking organization that considers “change” a constant part of their lives. 

We say that “Sponsorship” is the most critical success factor in ensuring a fast and successful implementation of any type of business change. But as a Change Agent, do you know who your Sponsors actually are, and maybe more importantly, what they are doing to ensure the success of your change project?  These are critically important questions, but their answers may not necessarily be all that obvious. 

One of the critical elements for achieving implementation success on a transformational change is knowing what the climate is like for the change you are trying to introduce. Your project isn't being introduced into a hermetically-sealed environment.  Instead, you are implementing your change into an environment that is being significantly shaped by perceptions of past experiences, and what is going on in the present.  That’s an important AIM change management methodology principle: No change occurs in isolation. It occurs in the context of all those priorities competing for resources (stress) and all the lessons previously learned about implementation (history). 

In today’s fast-paced world, no organization has time for unimportant activities. The time your Sponsors and Change Agents spend on implementation needs to be laser-focused on what will really move the dial in getting a change implemented quickly. That’s why it’s crucial to make sure you have what you need to be successful when you’re selecting a change management methodology.  

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.