(Successful Change Management -11 Elements Cont. 6)

10. Create an organisational footprint for change management (at the individual level, this includes job roles and career path; at the organisational level it includes an office, community practice, a centre of excellence or change agent networks; this involves bringing all the other 10 elements together.)

11. Measure the impact of change management (there are 3 levels at which to measure the impact of change: individual, project and organisational/enterprise; some questions to help with this evaluation:

- Did the initiative deliver what was expected, at individual, project and organisational levels?

NB success means meeting or exceeding the project objectives and realising organisational benefits that are sustainable over time

- How effectively did impacted individuals adopt and use the change?NB when you reach a critical mass of people adopting and using the change proficiently, you begin to realise the organisational benefits

- How well did you 'do' change management at individual, project and organisational levels?

NB when you do change management well, you prepare, equip, support people to adopt and use change in their daily work. Remember: the 3 levels are interdependent.

For example, how to measure 'the impact of change management'

    i) need to track progress and report status during the life of the project (for example,

        a) executive sponsorship (most important contributor to success, ie cited 4 times more frequently than the next contributor;

  Needs to be active and visible by
                - continually supporting change management (including the people involved)
                - championing the change by leading and motivating others in the organisation
                - making effective and influential decisions regarding the change (including aligning priorities among other leaders in the organisation) 
                - maintaining direct communications with other stakeholders
                - being accessible to all
                - encouraging sustainable buy-in and ownership by all stakeholders in the change process)

        b) structured, proven change management approach (provide the structure necessary to stay on track; processes are repeatable; able to identify gaps as they occur and make the necessary adjustments, ie allow for flexibility; keywords used are 'established, customised, scalable, easy to implement across multiple changes, easy to apply in every phase of the project'

(source: Prosci, 2023m)

Researchers found
"...76% used a change management methodology for general guidance, while 46% used it as a checklist for activities, and 38% used it to monitor progress..."
Prosci, 2023m    

         c) communications (factors important to effective communication included cadence, consistency, transparency, leverage in multiple communications channels; referred senders; identify and communicate about important topics such as
"...Why the change is happening, expectations, long-term plan perspectives, how the change will impact employees, and essential business drivers..."
Prosci, 2023m)

         d) engage with front-line employees (objective is to help employees understand why the change is necessary and how it will impact on them, and to equip them to transition through the process successfully; aim to increase engagement, collaboration and participation and it can be done by

                i) highlighting what's in it for me (WIIFM)
                ii) identifying and building relationships with impacted groups
                iii) ensuring impacted groups receive the appropriate level of training
                iv) involving employees in identifying a proposed solution and future state

NB reinforcement is a critical step, ie

"...Participants who plan for reinforcement activities are 20% more likely to achieve project objectives than those that did not..."
Prosci, 2023m

 (source: Prosci, 2023m)

        e) adequate dedicated resources (this involves appropriate funding and resources; dedicated resources with change management experience; development a change team or community of flexible, ambitious, decisive, collaborative individuals

(source: Prosci, 2023m)

         f) engage and integrate with project management (change management and project manager roles are complimentary disciplines required for success; to achieve successful integration

                i) add change management activities to the project plan at the start

                ii) work collaboratively with the project team

                iii) aligning change plans with project plans

                iv) combining or assigning responsibilities and roles

                v) provide change management training to the project team)

(source: Prosci, 2023m)

        g) gain support of middle management (generally middle management as a group are most resistant to change, ie

However, middle management (includes supervisors) are important as they are closest to those who will be impacted by change; their importance is shown by

                    i) their lines of communications ('up and down' the organisation

                    ii) formal and informal meetings (can be one-for-one, group, team, etc.)

                    iii) choosing topics of communication (include awareness building, ie impact the change, the business reason for the change, the need for the change, etc)

                    iv) they provide resources (including support to help staff understand and navigate the change)

                    v) need to be engaged and involve from the start of the change process

Using the Prosci's ADKAR framework, the diagram below shows metrics that can be used to measure performance.

 
(source: Karen Bell, 2023)