One of the most common questions we get about our AIM change management methodology (also known as the Accelerating Implementation Methodology) is both simple and complex. The question is, "What is the best way to get a change management methodology introduced into our organization?"
While a practical change management methodology like the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) can be useful in managing resistance to change, no methodology will eliminate resistance.
Resistance to change is inevitable, and it is not logical (remember that resistance is a function of the degree of disruption the change represents, from the Frame of Reference of the Targets.) So you will never communicate your way out of resistance or get adoption of changes by presenting arguments explaining the rationale of your change, especially from the 1,000 foot corporate level.
One of the biggest aha's from our change management consulting work with leaders of transformational change is that there are certain tasks that only they can carry out. While it may be common practice for these leaders to delegate implementation responsibility, the fact is that there are six essential tasks that can't be delegated to Change Agents.
What's the difference between a Change Agent and a Change Champion? The AIM Change Management Methodology describes the roles like this in our CAST of Characters (Champions, Agents, Sponsors, and Targets):
If you are seeking transformational change, you will need a change management methodology that unifies the organization with one approach, one vocabulary, and one set of tools. While leaders may resist the need to invest, you just can't overcome the cultural barriers to transformational change that most organizations face:
One of the common questions that comes up in our change management consulting work is why the organizational climate for transformational change matters. The reason why you need to fully understand your organization's current climate is simply because that is the environment in which you will be implementing the transformation. In common language, "It is what it is."
Whether your organization is seeking to implement transformational change or "garden variety" changes, you are going to be confronted with a simple but compelling choice. You can either invest in readiness for change, or pay for it in resistance. There are no other options!
One of the common strategic changes we see in our change management consulting is the attempt to implement EPMOs (Enterprise Program Management Offices.) Why the interest in EPMOs? What problem is the EPMO trying to solve? For many organizations, the establishment of an EPMO is an attempt to drive greater collaboration across the enterprise and overcome the traditional silos. This is an admirable objective, but what does it take from a change management consulting perspective?
Most transformational change management plans rely heavily on communication as the cornerstone of the plan. Based on our thirty plus years in the trenches of global organizations, we have seen what communication techniques actually create "speed bumps," and which techniques can be employed as "accelerators."
If you are serving in an internal change management consulting role, there is great value in having a set of core principles guide your way. We tell our clients that the AIM change management methodology principles are like an electronic dashboard in your car; if your windshield wiper fluid is low, you react one way. If your Check Engine light appears, that is an entirely different matter!
