Effective Change Management: It All Begins at the Beginning
by Colleen Seward Ryan
Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Organizational change is rarely an easy process. It is estimated that approximately two-thirds of all large-scale, organization-wide changes fail! These changes fail for a variety of reasons, including improperly structured change management plans and faltering momentum needed to bring the change to fruition. To avoid these change killers, effective change management all begins at the beginning, with two key components – starting with pivotal employees and ensuring your plan is clear and comprehensive.
Effective Change Management Doesn’t Start at the Top
Effective change management actually starts in the middle of the organization. Although it’s important to get executive buy-in for any planned change, it is equally important that employees in the middle of the organizational chart are supportive of the change and will help ensure the implementation of the change goes as smoothly as possible.
This especially includes those employees who are directly or substantially impacted by the desired change. This means it may not be your middle management team you need to get buy-in from first, but instead frontline employees who will be most affected by the change. Additionally, employees who are highly connected with a variety of subgroups within the organization are critical people to secure buy-in from, at the beginning of the planning phases of change management. These people are critical to the success of your change management plan!
Effective Change Management Begins with a Clear and Comprehensive Plan
Although you and your core group of decision makers may understand the changes you want made, it’s important to remember that the rest of the organization has not sat in the meetings and discussions developing the change management plan. They may not have the same information you have or understand things as comprehensively as you do. For this reason, effective change management begins with a clear and comprehensive plan.
With this plan, you must ensure the goals of your program are crystal clear. Do not assume people will know what you mean. Be sure to comprehensively cover all of the links between the pivotal employees and the organizational changes that must be made. If your plan is unclear or does not address items, this is when you’ll see your change management program stall and ultimately fail.
About Colleen Seward Ryan, Leadership Expert
CREDENTIALS: Colleen Seward Ryan is an international workplace and employee management expert, award-winning corporate trainer, and conference keynote speaker. A media veteran, she has appeared on numerous radio shows around the country and has written more than 40 popular articles on diverse workplace issues. Colleen has delivered more than 1,100 entertaining programs in 48 states and five countries. She is the author of 10 published audio programs and two books including SECRETS YOUR BOSS ISN’T TELLING YOU.
Colleen Seward Ryan is available for keynotes, breakout sessions, and seminars by calling (971) 212-0479.
