Effective Implementation of change

Steps to Implementing Change

1. Management Support for Change

Employees develop a comfort level when they see management supporting the process.

It is critical that management shows support for changes and demonstrates that support when communicating and interacting with staff.

There is nothing worse than sending a mixed message to employees. If you can’t support the change 100%, don’t even think about making it.  Employees will know it and it will self destruct.

2. Case for Change

No one wants to change for change’s sake, so it is important to create a case for change.

A case for change can come from different sources.  It can be a result of data collected on defect rates, customer satisfaction surveys, employee satisfaction surveys, customer comment cards, business goals as a result of a strategic planning session or budget pressures.

Using data is the best way to identify and justify areas that need to improve through change initiatives.

3. Employee Involvement

All change efforts should involve employees at some level.

Organizational change, whether large or small, needs to be explained and communicated, specifically changes that affect how employees perform their jobs.

Whether it is changing a work process, improving customer satisfaction or finding ways to reduce costs, employees have experiences that can benefit the change planning and implementation process.

Since employees are typically closest to the process, it is important that they understand the why behind a change and participate in creating the new process.

4. Communicating the Change

Communicating change should be structured and systematic.

Employees are at the mercy of management to inform them of changes.

When there is poor communication and the rumor mill starts spreading rumors about change, it can create resistance to the change.

Being proactive in communications can minimize resistance and make employees feel like they are part of the process.

5. Implementation

Once a change is planned, it is important to have good communication about the roll-out and implementation of the change.

A timeline should be made for the implementation and changes should be made in the order of its impact on the process and the employees who manage that process.

For instance, if your organization is upgrading its software program, employee training should be done before the software is installed on their computers.

An effective timeline will allow for all new equipment, supplies or training to take place before it is fully implemented.

Implementing without a logical order can create frustration for those responsible for the work process.

6. Follow-up

Whenever a change is made it is always good to follow-up after implementation and assesses how the change is working and if the change delivered the results that were intended.

Sometimes changes exceed target expectations but there are occasions that change just doesn’t work as planned.  When this is the case, management should acknowledge that it didn’t work and make adjustments until the desired result is achieved.

7. Removing Barriers

Sometimes employees encounter barriers when implementing changes.

Barriers can be with other employees, other departments, inadequate training, lacking equipment or supply needs.

Sometimes management also needs to deal with resistant or difficult employees.

It is management’s responsibility to ensure that employees can implement change without obstacles and resistance.

It is unfortunate but there are times when employees simply can’t accept a change. In these rare cases, employees simply need to move on in order to successfully implement a needed change. These are difficult but necessary decisions.

8. Celebrate

It is important to celebrate successes along the way as changes are made.  Celebrating the small changes and building momentum for bigger changes are what makes employees want to participate in the process.

When employees understand why a change is made and are part of the process for planning and implementing the change, it allows for a better chance for successful implementation.

If you would like to learn more about managing change in your organization, John Kotter has a great book, Leading Change, With a New Preface, that I highly recommend.