| Since mid-2005, Prosci has undertook research and development to address the question:
How do I deploy change management throughout my
organization? The result is what Prosci is calling Enterprise Change
Management. This tutorial provides background on Enterprise Change Management and
introduces the ECM Deployment Process. Please email a Prosci ECM analyst
to find out more about Prosci's ECM offerings.
|
New offering - - Enterprise Change
Management (ECM) Lab |
Prosci now
offers an instructor-led, distance learning program to help
you build your change management deployment strategy. With
five facilitated sessions, and lab work in between, you will
make critical decisions about your ECM strategy and have
experts review your plans for building the competency to
manage change. Find out more at the ECM
Lab website or
email a Prosci ECM analyst. |
What is Enterprise Change Management?
Enterprise Change Management is defined by Prosci (after our research and analysis) as:
the systematic deployment of change management skills, tools and processes throughout
an organization.
The goal of ECM is to
- improve the utilization of human capital
- create competitive advantage
- ensure projects meet their goals
Ultimately, Prosci developed a model of ECM that revolves around three main components.
ECM is:
- A common set of processes and tools for managing change.
- A leadership competency at all levels of the organization from supervisors to senior
executives.
- A strategic capability that enables the organization to be flexible, change ready and
responsive to marketplace changes.
The first important thing to note is that ECM is not one-dimensional. It is not just
offering a training program on managing change, nor is it just hardwiring readiness
assessments into your standard project methodology. In fact, it is not just a culture that
embraces change.
Enterprise Change Management, or in other words - building your organization's
competency to change - requires a holistic perspective of
what it will really take to change the way your organization implements change.
Common processes and tools
There are numerous processes for managing the people side of change. While your
organization can be successful using any one of these, it is beneficial to have the entire
organization using a common approach.
Regardless of the approach, an effective ECM change management process should:
- Be initiated when a new project or change is introduced, not well into the project
lifecycle or during the implementation phase.
- Be integrated into project management activities and treated as a unified front for
deploying change, rather than just an add-on.
Leadership competency
Change management skills are evident in all parts of the organization. While
individuals can often apply change management (as a tool to make a project more
successful), ECM requires that change management competencies permeate all levels of the
organization. At a minimum, the following groups need to know what change management is,
why it is important and the role they play in managing change:
- Senior leaders
- Project teams
- HR/Training/OD
- Managers and supervisors
- Front-line employees
When an organization builds change competency, individuals consider 'effectively
managing change' as one of their job responsibilities.
They understand their unique role and fulfill it when changes happen.
Strategic capability
Strategic capability is more of an outcome, but it is important to see how building
change competency culminates in a competitive advantage for the organization. As
organizations face more and greater change today than ever before, the ability to react
quickly and efficiently is critical for success.
With the structural elements (processes and tools) and human capital (skills and
competencies) in place, organizations can truly set themselves apart. Organizations that
build change competency have a higher capacity for change and can implement changes more
quickly than their competitors. |
|
ECM deployment process
The ECM deployment process pictured below came from Prosci's development work for the
ECM Summit. The process has three main phases: Vision, Strategy and Implementation:
1.
Define future state
- In the first step, you will develop the future state vision. This stage helps you move
out of your default or comfort zone to really design a complete, holistic future state.
While the design may change as you move through the change process, this initial step is
necessary to know where you are going.
2. Assess current state
- There are characteristics that will help or hinder your change management deployment
efforts. In the second stage of the process, you will examine these different factors,
brainstorm specific situations you face and conduct a gap analysis of the current and
future states.
3. Engage primary sponsor
- Sponsorship will be a key to success. This stage helps you draw out the sponsorship
coalition you will need to make your deployments successful and provides guidelines for
coaching them through their roles and responsibilities.
4. Form and prepare project team
- The project team should be adequately resourced and represent the main groups that are
involved in applying change management on an ongoing basis. Formalizing the team creates
accountability, responsibility and symbolizes the commitment of the organization.
5. Select deployment strategy
- The deployment strategy will be a blend of leadership- related, skill- related,
structure- related, process- related and project-related tactics for building your
organization's competency. During this stage you define the right strategy for you.
|
6.
Build project plan
- ECM is a project. The project plan includes the specific steps and activities needed to
deploy a common approach through your organization.
7. Create change management plan
- ECM is a change. You will need to develop communication, sponsorship, coaching,
resistance management and training plans to support your deployment efforts.
8. Create and present business case
- The business case presents the whole story of why build change management competency,
including the financial justification. Your need for and level of business case will be
specific to your organization.
9. Implement integrated plan
- An integrated plan pulls together your project and change management activities into an
executable plan that shows everyone in the organization what will be done to build your
organization's ability to change.
|
ECM in your organization
A final note is that ECM will look different in your organization than it does in other
organizations. This is because the right deployment approach and ultimate future state
will depend on your organization. For instance, organizations that are heavily focused on
process execution may focus more on the 'common process' aspect of ECM. However, an
organization with fairly loose processes, but a heavy focus on employee development may
lean more toward a skill-based deployment or approach. Additionally, you need to take into
consideration how changes are initiated and where the project lifecycle resides. All of
these factors impact what the right ECM mix is for your organization and how you can most
effectively get there. The ECM Summit - June
6-8, 2006 - is an opportunity for you to come apply the process and learn from others who
are facing the same challenge. Email a Prosci ECM analyst or call 970-203-9332 for more details.
|
