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Top three success factors
The excerpt below comes from the 2005
Best Practices in Change Management benchmarking report with 411 participants from 59
countries. The report includes findings for all aspects of managing change. Below are the
top three overall contributors to project success. As you prepare for new projects and
changes in 2006, ask yourself how well you have prepared for these factors.
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Best practice excerpt - Greatest contributors to success
Participants were asked to identify their greatest contributors to overall project
success. The top three responses in rank order were:
Active and visible sponsorship.
Strong executive sponsorship was the most frequently cited contributor to
success, cited three times more frequently than any other factor. Employees want the
project sponsor to demonstrate their dedication to the change and share how this change
relates to the direction of the business. Participants cited three primary sponsor roles:
participate actively and visibly throughout the project, build a coalition of sponsorship
with peers and managers and communicate effectively with employees.
Use of change management processes and
tools.
Effective use of change management as cited by participants included the use of
proven change management methodologies, dedicated change management resources on the
project team and early planning for change management. Participants also cited the
importance of recognizing early wins and celebrating successes.
Effective communications.
Participants cited face-to-face, two-way ongoing communications as important for
project success. Attributes included open communications that begin early in the project
and that focus on building awareness of the business reasons for change. Communications
should be ongoing and frequent throughout the project.
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Using best practice information
How do you make use of the top three contributors to success, now that you know them? There are several implications:
How do you stack up - for projects on the horizon in
2006, ask yourself how well you score on the three factors above. This will be a good
assessment to do before you jump in to new changes in the coming year. If you score poorly
on any of the factors, then take action now and don't wait!
Use a proven process and methodology - a good change
management methodology addresses all three of the factors. It should include discussion on
the correct sponsor model as well as how to get sponsors on board and coach them through
the specific activities that constitute effective sponsorship. The process and tools
themselves were the number two factor, because of the structure and focus they provide.
Lastly, a good methodology should include a focus on effective communications - including
timing and most effective delivery methods. The Prosci 3-Phase
process includes steps focused on all of these factors.
Engage upward - the role of the primary sponsor has
shown up as the number 1 factor in all four of Prosci's benchmarking studies (1998, 2000,
2003, 2005). Do not just assume that leaders know how to effectively sponsor change -
benchmarking research suggests otherwise. Be engaged and equip senior leaders with the
skills, tools and support they need.
Communication is more than just an email - some
teams make the error of assuming that communication is what they are telling the rest of
the organization. Effective communication requires careful planning - who will you be
communicating with, what is the content of the message, who is the most effective sender
of the message, what type of channel will work the best, when should the communication
take place. The online CM Pilot and hardcopy Change Management Toolkit include
detailed communication templates and planning tools.
Be creative - while an intentional process will help
you guide change, you still need to be creative and customize your change management
efforts to the particular change you are managing. The 'right' sponsorship and the 'right'
communications reflect the change and the people that are being changed.
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Table of contents of complete report:
The full 2005 Best Practices in
Change Management provides insights, lessons learned and checklists for effectively
managing the people side of change. Below is the complete table of contents:
| PARTICIPANT LIST EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW
Participant profile
Study objective
Greatest contributors to success
Greatest change management obstacles
What would you do differently on your next project
METHODOLOGY
Did you use a particular change management methodology
Methodologies used
When to start change management
Primary methods used to research change management approaches
Resources for ongoing help with change management
Methods to deal with project team resistance to change management
Most effective involvement of HR in change management
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
ACTIVITIES
Change management activities by program phase
Supplemental lists
SPONSOR ROLE
Most important sponsor activities
Most common mistakes made by executive sponsors
Sponsor effectiveness
Level of sponsor
How to coach and educate your sponsor
Methods for managing resistance with senior managers
Special tactics when your project sponsor is at the wrong level
SPONSOR ACTIVITIES
Sponsor change management activities by program phase
Supplemental lists
MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS
Most effective tactics for deploying change management with managers
and supervisors
Most effective ways to deal with resistant managers or supervisors
Job aides, ongoing support and tools provided for managers and supervisors
COMMUNICATIONS
Methods to communicate change
The two most effective communication methods
Essential messages
Preferred senders of change messages
What to do differently next time
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RESISTANCE
TO CHANGE
Primary reasons front line employees resist change
Primary reasons managers resist change
Who was most resistant to change
Identifying resistance
Tactics to manage resistance
Ineffective methods for dealing with resistance
Organization's readiness to change
REINFORCEMENT AND
FEEDBACK
How to gather feedback
Methods to reward, recognize and reinforce change
Reinforcing change with job descriptions
Job cuts and morale
The unique role HR can play in change
management
CONSULTANTS
Role of consultants
Key contribution of consultants
Concerns about consultants
Would you use a consultant again
Consultants used by participants
TEAM STRUCTURE
What would be done differently next time regarding the change management team
structure?
Educating the team about change management
Team resources
Critical gaps for project teams
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
COMPETENCY
Where to begin when building change management competency
Change management methodologies
ABOUT THE PROJECTS
Project type and motivation
Project stage
Size of change
Processes being changed
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS
Participant profile
Organization profile
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New 2006 Webinar schedule announced - Sign
up for free webinars from the Change Management Learning Center
Resources:
2005 Best
Practices in Change Management
Change Management Pilot
Change
Management Toolkit.
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