what is change management - move your change initiatives from failure to success

What is Change Management?

August 2013

http://www.wiserchange.com/

As change management consultants, we are often asked by HR representatives, line managers and other business professionals to provide them with a simplified change management definition.

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What is Change Management?

Considering all the ingredients which must come together for a successful change initiative, defining change management in a single sentence is no simple task.

But, we’ll give it a shot.


Organisational change management is a process which seeks to recognise and understand the ‘people’ issues that may arise during business change.


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So, there is your simple definition of change management. This definition, however, usually leads to us being asked a second question

“Why the people issues?”





Simply put...the people issues - if not planned for - often impact business change adversely and reduce its chances of success.





And when your organisation experiences failure with a change initiative in the present, it often harms its ability to initiate effective change in the future.





So, now you have a simple definition of change management and a brief look at the role people issues play in the success of your business change.

Now, we’d like a moment to clear up a universal misunderstanding.





There is often a confusion - one which causes competition for resources or validation of importance - between project management and change management.

This confusion is detrimental to the success of your change initiative.





Project Management vs. Change Management (A formula for failure)

should instead be...

Project Management AND Change Management (A formula for success)





Project management methodologies focus on the technical aspects of a project – deliverables such as getting the system in on time and on budget.





Change management focuses on the people aspects of the project – deliverables such as user engagement and user adoption of new systems.





So you could say that change management is about implementing the system on time and on budget while also empowering people to use the new system the way that is intended.





We’re not talking rocket science here. In fact, we often say that change management contains all the activities we’d do if only we had time.

We’re talking activities like...





Having conversations. Convincing leadership to get behind a

project. Understanding the impact the project will

have on people. And, in turn, ensuring we have activities to help them understand these changes.

Communicating expectations – new behaviours that we need from our people in order to succeed.





So, now let’s address the question that upper-level executives and CEOs really want answered.

Why is change management important?





Well, when organisations are working hard to meet project deadlines, it is the common sense activities - the activities that affect your people - which often are forgotten.

So much so, that we’ve still got a project failure rate of up to 70%.





Simply put, the difference between changes that are adopted and ones that are not comes down to the people who are impacted by change.





And, the most significant challenge to overcome with the people impacted by change is by far changing the mindsets and attitudes of these people.





In other words, you must be asking your team and stakeholders questions such as: • Do they understand what we’re talking

about?• Do they like the idea?• Are they ready to make the necessary

changes to their routines because it is a good idea?





We liken it to convincing you that you need to incorporate change management concepts into your everyday working life.

What is it going to take for us to convince you that you need to change the way that you are currently leading people through change?





Remember, changing mindsets and attitudes takes time. But, it is time well spent.





Projects must plan for activities which facilitate conversations, debate, involvement, education, reinforcement and follow-up to help people accept new ideas and ways of working.





Addressing the people issues and investing in change management will move your change initiatives out of the 70% which end in failure and into those 30% that achieve success.





So clearly, the reason why change management is important is because it is the proven path to project success!





Want to give your change initiatives a better chance to succeed?

Download your free Change Pulse Survey Template to help you and your team prepare for successful organisational change.

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Questions? Contact WiserChange™


If you have questions about developing your leadership voice or change management, please contact the WiserChange™ team.

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P: +61 2 99551212

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what is change management - move your change initiatives from failure to success

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