Step 1. Prepare the Organization for Change
For an organization to successfully pursue and implement change, it must be prepared both logistically and culturally. Before delving into logistics, cultural preparation must first take place to achieve the best business outcome.
In the preparation phase, the manager is focused on helping employees recognize and understand the need for change. They raise awareness of the various challenges or problems facing the organization that are acting as forces of change and generating dissatisfaction with the status quo. Gaining this initial buy-in from employees who will help implement the change can remove friction and resistance later.
Step 2. Craft a Vision and Plan for Change
Once the organization is ready to embrace change, managers must develop a thorough and realistic plan for bringing it about.
The plan should detail:
- Strategic goals: What goals does this change help the organization work toward?
- Key performance indicators: How will success be measured? What metrics need to be moved? What’s the baseline for how things currently stand?
- Project stakeholders and team: Who will oversee the task of implementing change? Who needs to sign off at each critical stage? Who will be responsible for implementation?
- Project scope: What discrete steps and actions will the project include? What falls outside of the project scope?
While it’s important to have a structured approach, the plan should also account for any unknowns or roadblocks that could arise during the implementation process and would require agility and flexibility to overcome.
Step 3. Implement the Changes
After the plan has been created, all that remains is to follow the steps outlined within it to implement the required change. Whether that involves changes to the company’s structure, strategy, systems, processes, employee behaviours, or other aspects will depend on the specifics of the initiative.
During the implementation process, change managers must be focused on empowering their employees to take the necessary steps to achieve the goals of the initiative and celebrate any short-term wins. They should also do their best to anticipate roadblocks and prevent, remove, or mitigate them once identified. Repeated communication of the organization’s vision is critical throughout the implementation process to remind team members why change is being pursued.
Step 4. Embed Changes Within Company Culture and Practices
Once the change initiative has been completed, change managers must prevent a reversion to the prior state or status quo. This is particularly important for organizational change related to business processes such as workflows, culture, and strategy formulation. Without an adequate plan, employees may backslide into the “old way” of doing things, particularly during the transitory period.
By embedding changes within the company’s culture and practices, it becomes more difficult for backsliding to occur. New organizational structures, controls, and reward systems should all be considered as tools to help change stick.
Step 5. Review Progress and Analyse Results
Just because a change initiative is complete doesn’t mean it was successful. Conducting analysis and review, or a “project postmortem,” can help business leaders understand whether a change initiative was a success, failure, or mixed result. It can also offer valuable insights and lessons that can be leveraged in future change efforts.
Ask yourself questions like: Were project goals met? If yes, can this success be replicated elsewhere? If not, what went wrong?
Review the consequences of unintended changes, taking action to mitigate any adverse effects, as necessary.
Note: Changes can result in risks and opportunities