Is There Real Value in Change Management?

Using Google Apps is a proven method for increasing productivity and agility in all types of businesses, but transitioning from your existing cloud platform or local network can seem daunting. No matter how many users your company has, making sure your apps, email, and other communication tools work reliably during and after the switch is absolutely crucial. Many companies think they can get through the process without much help, but even intuitive tools like Google Apps require training and support. That’s why effective change management will have a ton of value for your organization.

Raconteur and Google for Work surveyed 300 Corporate leaders, from companies to find out how receptive organizations are to change, how they handle change management, and how effective those tactics have been so far. The participants were from retail, finance, manufacturing, professional, and pharmaceuticals.

According to research from Google, effective change management can lead to far greater innovation, time savings, productivity, and financial return. In fact, compared to poor or no change management, it can produce a 35% greater return on investment. Achieving these results, however, requires the full participation of executives and senior leadership at your company. No matter how convinced your IT department is of the power of Google Apps, lack of enthusiasm from people at the top may drag down the transition process throughout the entire company.

By championing change from the top and spreading the message through early adopters, employees who might normally resist change will be enthusiastic to try out the new system. This is where effective training is crucial. Training can include everything from seminars and classes to documents and transformation labs where new users can feel free to mess around with the new system without causing any permanent problems.

Once training on Google Apps have begun, continuing to provide support for users will play a crucial role in successful change management for your organization. People adapt to new systems at different rates, but you can minimize frustration and lagging productivity by making sure people continue to get the help they need when they need it. If you manage change effectively through every phase of your transition, you’ll get the maximum benefit of the Google Apps platform.

The 14 page report highlights the benefits of managing change well - including increasing employee engagement and efficiency within the organization. It also goes into detail to show the impact of having strong executive sponsorship, the benefits of robust training and communications plans and also the importance of post go-live activities and transformation labs.