Welcome to the Change Management Tutorial Series

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Action plan for change competency

This new tutorial series discusses the steps you can take to build change management competency in your organization. Module 1 in the series defined competency at managing change. Module 2 presents Prosci's Change Management Maturity Model with complete definitions. This module (Module 3) presents an action plan for building this competency in your organization.

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Prosci's change competency lifecycle

Introduction

Working your organization up the change management maturity model towards change competency requires a cultural and skill shift from all levels of the organization: front-line employees, managers and executives. As a project leader or change management leader, your job is to provide the "maps" for each group so they can make this shift. From Module 1 in this series, project leaders and teams in a change-competent organization:

“can support sponsors, managers and front-line employees through the change process with tools, processes and techniques to manage change”

An individual or group that is building change competency must follow the process shown in the figure above including:

1. Create awareness and desire for change competency

2. Build knowledge and ability to manage change

3. Apply change management to each new project

4. Assess effectiveness of executives, managers and employees in managing change

5. Reinforce and reward change competency

This process shown above is based on the ADKAR model.  It applies the ADKAR model to the business "change" of creating a change competent organization.

Create awareness and desire for change competency

Change competency should be given the same support as any major strategic initiative. The sponsor or sponsors that are supporting the initiative play a key role in sharing the goal and ensuring support from all levels. Like other strategic initiatives, change competency will show a significant ROI based on the increase in productivity and the elimination of wasted time and resources. An organization that faces constant change will improve its responsiveness to the market and to customers.

The goal of becoming "change-able" must filter through all levels of the organization - from the executive leadership to managers and supervisors to front-line employees.

Example action steps:

• Introduce and plant the idea of "change competency" to potential sponsors who are already excited about change management.  Request five minutes on their agenda and sit down with them face-to-face.
• Put together a short email introducing the idea of change competency.  Include a link to the first module in this tutorial series.  Email this to managers and supervisors. 
• Include a little paragraph in the company newsletter that goes out to all employees about the potential to create a change competent organization and be sure to include a line that addresses the WIIFM (what's in it for them).
• Get colleagues to attend free webinars hosted by Prosci and the Change Management Learning Center.  If these are successful, take the lead in organizing a group to attend webinars customized for your organization.  This forum allows participants to learn and ask questions directed to outside resources, while at the same time increasing their awareness and desire around change management.

Build knowledge and ability to manage change

There are a variety of tools available for your organization when building change competency. First, a change management methodology should be employed at the beginning of each and every new change project. Effective change management is scaled to the change. In other words, this does not mean that you need to build large, cumbersome requirements - change management for a small project may be as simple as several communications and a follow up phone call. Utilize a change management methodology that is based on best practices research with many companies.

Don't reinvent the wheel - learn from others and avoid their mistakes. Best practices benchmarking in change management shows the key steps to take, the biggest obstacles and the most important contributors to success. Utilize the lessons from others to shorten your learning curve and build support in your organization.

Being an effective sponsor is more than just attaching a name to a project. However, many sponsors do not understand what it means to be a "sponsor of change." Provide sponsors with a roadmap and activities that they can do to support individual changes, as well as the move toward change competency.

Finally, provide individuals with a model or method for understanding what changes are taking place and how to personally navigate the change. A poor assumption is that there is nothing you can do when change is happening. Active and vigilant employees who understand the phases of change and how they can thrive during change will greatly improve your organization's ability to adapt and become change-competent.

Example action steps:

• Research what your organization is currently using for a change management methodology.  How many different models are available to be used?   Streamline the process and choose one that everyone in the organization uses so each project has the same change management methodology.  Start by providing training to project teams in this methodology.   
• Get a copy of the "Best Practices in Change Management Report" to key sponsors.  Highlight the most important sections as it relates to executive sponsors and project success.  This is good airplane reading for executives.
• Make sure your managers and supervisors understand and can effectively utilize the ADKAR model with employees.  Have managers and supervisors coach employees through an ADKAR activity using a personal change.

Apply change management to each new project

Change competency does not happen over night. It is a learning process, and the best way to start the learning process is to begin using effective change management on each new project. Change management is much more effective when used at the beginning of a project than when used to "put out fires" after an implementation has already faced significant resistance. One of the key reasons for building change competency is to ensure that each project uses change management from its initiation.

The first step is providing a change management model that can be used on every new project that is initiated. Like good project management skills, change management should be used from the very beginning. The Prosci Change Management Model is based on research over the past seven years with over 1000 organizations. The model has three phases: Preparing for change, Managing change and Reinforcing change. The model has scaling and assessments built in so that the change management plan reflects the change situation - both the size and type of change as well as the attributes of the organization that is being changed. Different projects require different amounts of project management, and will also require different amounts of change management. By providing a structure for managing specific changes, you will begin the process of developing change competency.

Example action steps:

• Make sure the organization knows where to go to find the company's change management model as well as where to go for help.  Ideas include:
  • having a dedicated change management resource available to answer questions about the model and about change management in general
  • dedicating space on a company intranet for self-help and guidance through the change management model
• Utilize your most valuable resources - your people.   Create opportunities for individuals in your organization to share their experiences in change management and learn from one another - an internal knowledge transfer.  You will be amazed at the knowledge already present in your organization - it is your job to tap into it. 

Assess effectiveness of executives, managers and employees in managing change

Take the time to assess how things are going. Give feedback quickly and take corrective action. Don't wait until the next change to coach an executive, manager or employee. Find out from supervisors how their employees are doing and what competencies need further development. Each person will develop change competency at their own pace.

Example action steps:

• Coach, Coach, Coach. Use this opportunity to provide more training and education to your organization.
• Sit down, face-to-face and talk to people.  Find out how things are going - what's working for them and what's not.

Reinforce and reward change competency

Don't miss the opportunity to reward change competent managers and employees. Reinforcing and celebrating change competency will result in two benefits: the managers and employees who are doing well will continue to do well, and managers and employees who need additional knowledge and ability will see this as a desired behavior that is recognized and rewarded by your company.

Example action steps:

• Anything from a simple thank-you to company wide recognition.
• Continually gather feedback and input to improve your change management methodology and approach.  Identify what is working and what is not working and adjust your change management methodology accordingly.

Building change competency takes time

Change is a process and becoming a change-competent organization will take time. It is important to realize that you will need to apply change management techniques to this change as well. You will need to recognize where you are today, where you want to be in the future, and what it will take to make that transition. Change management is a required capability for developing change competency.

Download the complete white paper with descriptions and actions steps for each level.

Related Resources:

Change Management Pilot: a fully electronic version of Prosci's popular change management toolkit with templates,  worksheets, assessments, checklists, eLearning modules, ready-to-use presentations and guidelines. 

Change Management Toolkit: a comprehensive change management process, including templates,  worksheets, assessments, checklists and guidelines - a must have for change management team members and consultants.

Best Practices in Change Management: 426 companies share experiences in managing change and lesson on how to build great executive sponsorship. Includes success factors, methodology, role of top management, communications, team structure and more. The report makes it easy to learn change management best practices and discover the mistakes to avoid when creating executive sponsorship.

Change Management: the people side of change: a solid foundation in change management perspectives, theories, activities and practices.

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