IMA's Implementing Organizational Changes at Speed Blog

We’ve spent a lot of years in the global Change Management marketplace. Over 35 to be exact. And after all this time, people still don’t seem to “get it.” Day after day, we speak to Sponsors, Senior Executives, and sometimes even Change Agents who still think Change Management is just a buzzword. Or, they believe it is something to be done “out there” by other people. Some still think they can send an email out to the organization announcing a change, and then check Change Management off their to-do list for good. 

Change saturation is quickly becoming one of the biggest challenges in organizations across the globe. Our Change Management Consultants see it everywhere they go. “Sure, we can do that.” “Oh, that initiative will improve sales. Let’s get going on it quickly.” While there certainly isn’t a shortage of good ideas out there the bottom line is almost every organization we know has too many initiatives chasing far too few resources. 

Have you ever walked away from a discussion with a Sponsor feeling like you didn’t get exactly what you had hoped for?  Have you had a Sponsor gladly offer “support” but then that very same Sponsor is unwilling to commit personal time for the project when it’s really needed? It’s a common Change Agent challenge! 

How’s this for irony?  You’ve finally convinced your senior executives about the benefits of applying structure to the people-side of projects.  You’ve been approved to implement a new change management methodology across the organization.  This is great news, and of course, you’ve selected the Accelerating Implementation
Methodology (AIM) as your change management process of choice.  You’re so smart! 

“My Sponsor doesn’t care about Change Management.”  No surprise. If you want to connect with people, you have to speak their language, not yours. If you go to France, the best option is to speak French.  Going to Italy? It’s a good idea to purchase an Italian dictionary. That’s why Don Harrison, founder of the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) Change Management Methodology says, “When you go to Sponsorland, you need to speak the language of Sponsors.”  It’s why we spend a lot of time practicing Sponsor Contracting in the AIM Accreditation program.

Over the past 30+ years, IMA’s change management experts have been helping organizations worldwide implement complex changes.  From Mergers and Acquisitions to Shared Services to IT implementations, we’ve pretty much seen it all.  One of the distinct advantages of our work is that we have an opportunity to get a bird's eye view into what is going on across global enterprises in terms of change management challenges and practices. 

40 years.  That’s how long Don Harrison, President and founder of IMA has been working in the Change Management industry.  While some may joke he started when he was 5, Don has dedicated his entire career to implementing complex changes in organizations.  His frequent application of this expertise to technology implementations, cultural changes, mergers and acquisitions, and business process initiatives has led to his popularity as a consultant and keynote speaker for national and international conferences.  Plus he is really funny, and that helps! 

One of the most shocking pieces of advice we give to our Change Management Consulting clients is to STOP talking about Change Management.  Wait.  Back up.  Did we just say, don’t talk about the one thing that can help organizational change projects be implemented more successfully?  Yes we did.  And here’s why.