Fast Track Change Management Explained

What exactly is Change Management?

Change management is a structured process of education, and the implementation of tools and processes to implement a desired change.

Change management is people centric. The biggest resistance to change, and threats to the effectiveness of change can come from people within an organization. Change should be managed in a way where every person in the organization is presented with its value. They should also feel a necessary part of the overall change process, sometimes known as the ‘buy-in’.

Effective change management involves employees of all levels to bring about the easiest transitions possible. You can require change management in something as simple as the way a business will report on stock levels or as compleedx as migrating employees to a new and unfamiliar email system.

How is Change Management Successfully Implemented?

Different models of change management exist. However, at the root there are five main critical aspects to ensure a successful transition.

No matter what kind of business is in question, and how large or small the change in question is, the following five aspects will always form the base to a succesful facilitation to change.

• Awareness: Awareness starts from identifying a need for change and then continues through educating all effected parties of this need. Leaders should take this opportunity to begin presenting the value of any change within the business.

• Desire: After awareness, the desire for change should arise. The value proposition will make or break the desire for change in individuals. All affected parties should be on board with the changes. You should present the value of change in different ways to appeal to specific individuals or departments in an organization. The desire for change comes naturally when a strong motivation is created.

• Knowledge: Once change is accepted by the masses, the processes to implement the change should be introduced. All parties should know how they can help to facilitate the change, simply knowing why change is needed is not enough. Every employee should know the part they play in facilitating change before the process is a success.

• Ability: With change often comes the need for new skills or professional behaviors. Knowledge and ability sometimes mix together. Change can be ill-effective if not managed properly make sure employees receive proper training and tools necessary to facilitate change.

• Reinforcement: Change management is an ongoing process that doesn’t succeed or fail overnight. Continuous reinforcement of the value in change is necessary. Ongoing training and feedback may also be necessary to maintain the effectiveness and the perception of value in change.

At CoolHead Tech we witness change management in effect with many of our customers, and even within our own organization. As a part of the IT services industry many of the products we sell will influence the need for change management.

The biggest aspect of change management is bringing employees on board. Employees not only need to perceive the value in change, but should also see their role within the process. Once this is achieved businesses can begin to provide their employees with the tools and training needed to enable workers to help deliver change throughout an organization.

The need for change usually arises for solutions to an issue or as a more efficient way of operating a business. Change management can facilitate the changes needed to make a business more effecient. Successful businesses will pay special attention to the process of change management throughout any implementation of new technology or the business process.