Top contributors to success
2009 edition of Best Practices in Change Management
| Prosci's 2009 edition of the
Best
Practices in Change Management benchmarking report is
the most complete body of knowledge available on change
management. The 2009 study is the sixth benchmarking effort
Prosci has conducted over the last twelve years. The objective
of this study is to uncover lessons learned from
practitioners and consultants so current change management teams
can benefit from these experiences - it is a forward
looking, action-oriented report aimed at improving your change
management work.
This tutorial shares the top five contributors to
overall success. Remember, successful
change is not always easy, but it is repeatable if you draw on
the experience of others. |
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Greatest contributors to success
1. Active and visible executive sponsorship
Consistent with the findings from Prosci’s previous five studies,
active and visible executive sponsorship ranked as the number one
success factor for change management programs, with participants citing
this factor four times more frequently than any other area. Participants
cited the need for senior business leaders to be visible and actively
engaged in the change process, accessible to the project team,
knowledgeable about the change, committed and involved. Active and
visible executive sponsorship included:
- Visibility and accessibility throughout the entire project
- Proactive identification of key stakeholders to build a
sponsorship coalition
- Direct communications with employees to build awareness of the
need for change and to share the organization’s vision and
objectives
| Editor's note: In every one of Prosci's
benchmarking studies, the role of the senior leader was
identified as the top contributor to success, and usually by
a healthy margin. Employees want to see and hear from senior
leaders - and their commitment to a change will be in direct
proportion to how actively and visibly a senior leader
sponsors the change. Sponsor effectiveness is the
greatest predictor of success or failure. How well are
your senior leaders fulfilling the role of sponsor? How well
are they being coached in this role? |
| Reader comments: ... |
2. Frequent and open communications around the need for change
Frequent and open communications included regular information sharing
that established a clear and compelling reason for the change. This
included identifying impacted groups, building awareness of the need for
change and sharing the costs or risks of not changing. Participants
cited the need for a “clear line of sight” to the business strategy that
was consistent and easy to understand. Study participants also
emphasized the need to share how both the organization and end-users
benefited from the change.
| Editor's note: Communication is not the only tool
of change management, but it is certainly an important one.
Effective communications are targeted, customized,
effectively timed, answer the right questions that employees
have and are delivered by preferred senders. Are your
communication efforts based around best practices, or are
you simply telling people information? |
| Reader comments: ... |
3. Structured change management approach
Participants cited the use of a structured change management approach
along with a detailed change management plan as a key contributor to
their success. Study participants cited the need for practical change
management knowledge and a well-orchestrated program that included a
clearly-defined process, early change management planning and pre-change
analysis (situational assessments).
| Editor's note: In the 2009 study, over 60% of
participants used a particular methodology, up from only 35%
in the 2003 study. The use of a structured approach
contributes directly to change management effectiveness and
meeting project objectives. It also ensures that you do not
overlook any key steps and that you leverage the experience
and learning of others. Are you using a structured,
customizable change management approach? |
| Reader comments: ... |
4. Dedicated resources and funding for change management
Dedicating
resources to change management included the assignment of staff trained
in change management for planning and implementation, and the allocation
of budget for change management activities. In the case of some large
change projects, study participants indicated the need for change
management resources to be assigned by function or by region. This
enabled change management expertise to be onsite and local to the
community impacted by the change (to manage the change at the closest
point of impact).
| Editor's note: Without dedicated resources and
funding, change management will not happen. Someone needs
the responsibility and accountability for addressing the
people-side of the organizational change effort. The 2009
report includes findings on which team structures were used
- either someone on the team or an external group supporting
the team. Regardless of the structure, there must be
dedicated resources. Do you have dedicated resources and
funding for change management on your projects? How many
resources should you have assigned? |
| Reader comments: ... |
5. Employee engagement and participation
Employee participation
included many types of involvement by employees, particularly focus
groups and other activities that allowed employee input to the design of
the change. Study participants cited the need for proactive interactions
that fostered feedback and resulted in enthusiastic and motivated
employees who knew why the change was needed. Study participants in 2009
reported a growing resilience among employees with a noticeable
willingness to support needed business changes. Customer input was also
cited as an important element for successful change management programs.
| Editor's note: Ultimately, organizational change
comes to life through the work of individual employees.
Organizations don't change, individuals do. Successful
change is marked by engaged employees who have been included
in the design of the change. Employees who took part in
creating a solution will be more likely to support the
change when it impacts their day-to-day jobs. Are you
effectively engaging employees and soliciting participation? |
| Reader comments: ... |
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|
2009 edition of
Best Practices in Change Management now available |
| The
2009 edition of Best Practices in Change Management is a
one-of-a-kind benchmarking report detailing how to succeed
at managing the people-side of change. The report builds on
Prosci's six longitudinal studies (2009, 2007, 2005, 2003,
2000, 1998) and presents hard-hitting data and action steps
for succeeding at change management.
Find out more:
Report overview
Full Table of
contents
Participants list
Best
Practices Roundtable
Discussion Guide
“The 2009 report presents the
most complete body of knowledge available on change
management. Each successive study builds on the foundation
of what makes change successful from a people side
perspective and what should be done differently to improve
implementation. For a practitioner, this new report is an
essential how-to guide for succeeding at change management.”
- Tim Creasey, Prosci Director
of Research and Development
Report by the numbers:
- Sixth Longitudinal study
- 575 Participants
- 112 Pages
- 65 Countries
- 25 Sections
- 65 Figures
- 11 Tables
Order now - $249 (quantity discounts available)
|
Report sections:
- Tables and figures
- Executive overview
- Greatest contributors to success
- Greatest change management obstacles
- What to do differently on the next project
- Change management effectiveness
- Methodology
- Change management activities
- Change management team and structure
- Resources and budget
- Sponsor role
- Sponsor activities
- Managers and supervisors
- Communications
- Training
- Resistance
- Reinforcement and feedback
- Consultants
- Project mgmt and change mgmt integration
- Change readiness
- Justifying change management
- Enterprise Change Management
- Change saturation and portfolio management
- Change management trends
- Participant demographics
- Project profiles
“Given the economic climate and vast amount of change
within organizations, business leaders and government
leaders need to be able to learn from others to succeed at
change. The 2009 benchmarking report provides the most
comprehensive view of what effective change management looks
like and the specific activities project teams must complete
to build engagement and support for change efforts.”
- Adrienne Boyd, Prosci Chief Operating Officer |
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