Are you currently working on a transformational change? Maybe you are you going through an organizational re-design or implementing new technology. It could be a Shared Services implementation or a Lean Process Improvement. If you are involved in any strategic change where people will need to do things differently, you are likely starting to think about how you are going to build capacity.
Step into almost any organization on the planet and we bet you will hear the same buzzwords flying around. Whether they are on a scenic, motivational poster hanging on the wall or being overused by people during a meeting, these terms are usually jargon laden phrases that are often related to whatever management trend happens to be going on at the moment. “I’ll champion that” and “We like to empower our employees” are just a few examples of phrases we’ve heard this past week alone.
What Should Change About Change in 2016 - A Letter from Don Harrison
Dear Change Professional,
With the holidays behind, it's time to plan for the year ahead. The beginning of a new year is an opportunity to look forward, and think about what we should do differently. Here are three thoughts based on my continued global Field Research on organizational change:
Imagine you are driving 65 miles an hour along the highway and your “check engine” light comes on. What do you do? If that happened to us, we would pull over immediately and assess the situation. Would we have the same reaction if the “low windshield wiper fluid” light illuminated...definitely not.
Today’s marketplace is filled with Change Management training programs that seem very tempting as an easy solution to all of your training needs. But, buyer beware! All training options are not created equally. And a “sheep dipping” approach of training everyone as a required one-time event just doesn’t work.
Organizations are experiencing an astounding rate of business change. Changes designed to improve market share, competitive advantage, operational efficiency and shareholder return have multiplied at an alarming rate—so many projects chasing too few resources. In short, everyone wants to get better, faster.
The starting point for every change management project should be a clear, compelling definition of the change. This is true whether the business change is a minor procedural change, or a transformational change affecting the entire organization. It sounds so basic... but this essential, first step is all too often forgotten in the hustle and bustle of a real world organizational change.
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.
What’s a Change Implementation Plan? Well, would you start out on a road trip without looking at a map or setting your GPS? Would you begin renovations on your home without a clear, thought out blue print? We think not. That’s why we find it rather puzzling when organizations today will initiate any type of change, whether it’s transformational or a simple procedural change without a Change Implementation Plan.
How does a change management methodology help ensure value realization for technology regarding a software/technology upgrades? On a recent call with a prospective client, we heard an all too familiar scenario. Here’s how the conversation went:
