Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” That’s why we find it rather puzzling when organizations initiate any type of change without a Change Implementation Plan.
In fact, after almost 40 years of hands-on Change Management Consulting and Training work, we contend Implementation Management Planning is arguably the single most important step to be taken when starting a new change project, whether it’s transformational in scope or a more modest change.
Communication during a change is imperative, but in our Change Management Consulting experience we see a lot of the same missteps being made time and time again. Here’s a list of the five most common communication mistakes we see, plus a few great tips on how to fix them!
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.
What happens when change overload confronts transformational change? Too much going on, with resources diffused across too many projects-- if this sounds like your organization, you are not alone! The result is that in the rush to "get it done," the project team becomes focused primarily on meeting milestones and technical objectives, with pressure to not add resources that could affect given budget constraints.
Just this week, two clients have shared a common and very challenging change management situation. They are about to re-launch ERP systems even though they have attempted to implement the system multiple times in the past without success. These organizations are beginning to see that there is a need for doing something different, although they may not be totally sure what that really means! When implementations fail, there are long-term and short-term costs, and direct and in-direct implications. All of this points to a business case for a change management methodology that will reduce risk.
"Reinforcement" and "Reinforcement Plans" are terms that are thrown around a lot in change management. Sure, we know that reinforcement is important, but what does a good reinforcement plan really look like?
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."
While many organizations include some of the necessary people-side project management deliverables some of the time, it’s not a consistently-applied change management consulting process. As a result, implementation success is spotty. While attempts are made to either “bolt on” a human “change management” plan at the end of the technical plan, or to run a human plan in parallel, the best practice is a blended plan.
Question: What's one of the first things many organizations do when they embark on transformational change?
Answer: A new vision and values statement.
But is this really a meaningful way to start the transformational change journey?
