Framework 151 Successful Change Management (10 steps)
Introduction
Each step is linked to scanning, planning and enacting plus gaining insights, suggestions, concepts, tools, techniques, etc to help make the change successful.
"...whether you look at it by industry, by changes in the world economy, or by innovation in technology, change happens......The key to success is being prepared for change and...... making change happen rather than having it happen to you..."
George Vukotich, 2011
Ten Steps (Summary)
1. Understand Change
2. Assess the Impact of Change
3. Assemble a Change Management Team
4. Build a Vision for Change
5. Put a Strategy in Place
6. Win Support
7. Communicate Effectively
8. Overcome Challenges
9. Measure Success
10. Review Lessons Learned
Ten Steps (Expanded)
1. Understand change (identify the reasons you need to change, ie no choice or a good idea to change; understanding the environment you work in)
2. Assessing the impact of change (how you handle the impact will make a difference to whether you thrive, survive or cease to exist; understanding what it takes to survive and thrive during change)
3. Assemble a change management team (select the right people with the right skills and attitudes to work as an effective team, eg select respected people who have good reputations and credibility in the organisation; identify the team's goals and members' roles and responsibilities in executing the change strategy)
4. Build a vision for change (develop a vision that others can understand and follow, ie staff need to know the direction the organisation is taking:
"...understand the environment you work in, the competition you face, and the reality of what is and, more importantly, of what could be..."
George Vukotich, 2011)
5. Put a strategy in place (start by identifying why your organisation exists and what its mission is; staff need to know their roles and responsibilities plus how they can contribute to its success
"...strategy identifies the goals and ways to achieve them. Without having a strategy in place, an organisation risks taking a 'ready, fire, aim' mentality. Having shared values helps keep a team focused..."
George Vukotich, 2011)
6. Win support (build on reputation and the credibility of the change team to increase support among staff in the organisation, ie use their networks (formal and informal); identify both supporters and resistors and how to influence them; encourage ownership of the change by the staff)
7. Communicate effectively (move the change initiative from idea to action; share relevant information with different stakeholders as a way to get 'buy in' and authentic feedback.
"...an effective communication strategy addresses who needs to know what, how and when. It sets the tone for the work environment and affects the organisation's culture..."
George Vukotich, 2011)
8. Overcome challenges (identify and handle staff's concerns about the change as
"... Change can impact on an individual's status, level of power, and ability to have an impact on the future. Knowing how to identify challenges that are both in the open and hidden is a skill that will directly affect how the change initiative progresses..."
George Vukotich, 2011)
9. Measure success (there are the tangible measures like productivity, financial, technical, etc that are easy to measure, while the intangibles like behaviour, culture, relationships, etc are more difficult to quantify)
10. Review lessons learned (need to regularly monitor and evaluate progress;
"...having a defined and disciplined approach for capturing what worked and what did not work, along with suggestions for how things could be better, creates a culture of constant improvement where change is not feared but looked to for the opportunity it can bring..."
George Vukotich, 2011)