Three failure modes that plague
Enterprise Change Management efforts
Building organizational change management capability and
competency
Leading organizations are starting to invest the time, energy and
resources to build organizational change management capabilities and
competencies. While this is certainly still a new endeavor for most,
Prosci has been conducting research and development since 2005 to understand how these leading organizations are approaching
Enterprise Change Management (ECM) - or said
another way - deploying change management throughout the organization. During the
course of conducting this research and working with clients, we have
witnessed three main failure modes that have plagued these efforts.
Below are short descriptions of the three main failure modes and
actions steps you can take to avoid:
- Not treating ECM as a project and a change
- Not defining the future state
- Not using a multi-faceted approach
Failure Mode 1: Not treating ECM as a project and a change
While it may seem like common sense, many organizations that are making
tremendous progress at applying change management on specific
initiatives will never make a breakthrough because they are not
treating Enterprise Change Management as a project to be managed
and as a change to be managed. They are chipping away, but
they have not
turned the corner toward the organizational deployment of change
management.
Treating Enterprise Change Management as a project and a change means
using the full complement of tools available to manage any project or
initiative.
- Does Enterprise Change Management have a charter?
- Does it
have objectives?
- Is there a work breakdown structure?
- Is there a project
plan?
- Is there a change management plan?
To truly build organizational
change management capabilities, the initiative must be addressed and managed
as an enterprise effort that requires the necessary
design and planning.
A second facet here is assigning people to take on the effort. Is
there a project leader? A project team? A project manager? The ECM team
is not just anyone in the organization who will be doing change management;
it is a dedicated and passionate group who works to understand the
current state, design the future state and develop tactics for the
transition. The team should have, or gain, knowledge on how changes
happen and how change management can be made part of the standard
operating procedures for the organization. Without a
team dedicated to the effort, it will stall and get no traction.
Finally, when you ask individuals throughout the organization to
begin applying change management, you are asking them to make a change.
And, just like any other change to one's day-to-day work, change
management is needed to ensure faster speed of adoption, higher ultimate
utilization and greater proficiency.
- Are you making a compelling case
for why change management is necessary?
- Are you clearly articulating what people need to be doing to support
change management?
- Are you
providing the necessary skills, training and tools to those who will be
managing change?
The people side of the change "applying change
management" will be as critical as any design decisions
the team makes (read a full tutorial about
applying change
management to change management).
Actions steps to avoid failure mode 1:
- Dedicate a project team
- Design a solution for deployment
- Build a project plan
- Build a change management plan
Failure Mode 2: Not defining the future state
A second major failure mode comes in the form of trying to build the
capability without ever defining the goal or
what the end state will look like - failing to define the
future state of Enterprise Change Management.
While the future state of Enterprise Change Management will look
unique for your organization, you still must define what you are trying
to achieve. The old saying that "if you do not know where you are going,
any road will lead you there" certainly applies to organizations working
to deploy change management without a defined future state.
If I were to walk through your organization in
three years after you have spent the time and energy
working to deploy change management, what would I see? What would I be
able to observe in the organization to know that you were
institutionalizing change management - making "effectively managing
change" how your organization operates? The answers to these
questions are at the heart of defining the future state of Enterprise
Change Management.
Defining a future state requires the deliberate decision
that we, as an organization, are
taking on Enterprise Change Management. With the deliberate decision,
you can start to articulate what the future state would be like and how you
would know when you arrived.
Action steps for avoiding failure mode 2:
- Ensure that a deliberate decision is made to pursue ECM
- Define the future state
- Know where you are going
Failure Mode 3: Not using a multi-faceted approach
The final failure mode can be best summarized by the old adage: "if
you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail". Some
organizations are working to build change management capabilities; but
they are not using the full set of tools
available to them.
One may have a robust and complete change management curriculum, but
no method for attaching change management to projects or initiatives.
Another may have a wonderfully integrated methodology incorporating project management and
change management, but no offerings to help managers, supervisors and
senior leaders build their own personal competencies. Still another
might have a formal Change Management Office, but nothing else.
A successful Enterprise Change Management deployment approach is
comprehensive in nature. It utilizes numerous tactics and approaches for
making change management "business as usual" for the organization.
Prosci's ECM Strategy Map identifies five main areas where actions are
required to build change management capabilities:
- Leadership
- Project
- Skill
- Structure
- Process
In the absence of a holistic approach, the
likelihood of successful and lasting change is minimal.
You should always consider your "default" view
going into a change
management deployment effort. What is meant by a "default" view of
change management? If you are a person in the training and development
part of the organization, you might think about change management
capability from a perspective of building skills and competencies
throughout the organization. If you are the director of the Project
Management Office, you would likely think of change management
capability from a perspective of integration with project management and
tactics for getting change management on to projects. If you are a
senior leader you might be thinking about restructuring and creating a
Change Management Office within your Organizational Effectiveness group.
There is nothing wrong with having a default perspective, but it is
important that you acknowledge yours
and expand your planning beyond it.
Action steps for avoiding failure mode 3:
- Understand your “default” view
- Use all the tools you have available to make “change management”
part of how the organization views change
- Collaborate with others in the organization who bring different
view points and perspectives
Summary
Becoming a flexible and durable organization - one where "effectively
managing the people side of change" permeates how changes take place -
is not an easy task. It takes time, energy and people. It requires a
deliberate decision and the appropriate authority and sponsorship. While it is not easy, many organizations are beginning to
differentiate themselves through their change management capabilities
and competencies.
If, in your efforts to deploy change management across the
organization, you can take these three steps, you will greatly increase the chances that you are successful
and truly change how your organization "does change":
- Treat ECM as a project and a change
- Define the future state
- Use a multi-faceted approach
Is your organization looking to build change management capabilities?
Below are
several options for learning more about Enterprise Change
Management:
- Advanced Change Management Program - Prosci's
new Advanced Change Management Program takes a step back
from the processes and tools for change management to
help you build your perspective, knowledge and
understanding of the
discipline. Enterprise Change Management Strategies and
Deployment Methods is one of the modules in this 3-day
program. The next Advanced Change Management Program
will be November 16 - 18, 2010 at the Hotel Baker
outside of Chicago, IL. Learn more about
Advanced Change Management (Prosci's 3-day
certification is a pre-requisite for the Advanced
Program). The Advanced Change Management Program
will be offered in February and May of 2011.
- ECM Lab - The ECM Lab is an instructor-led,
distance learning design session where you and your ECM
deployment team follow the ECM Deployment Process to
build your customized strategy and plans for deploying
change management. Learn more about the
ECM Lab.
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