At Agile Change Management, I work with organisations to help give them the skills they need to lead their team through change. In this insight, I’ll be discussing the essentials for change management.
I presented this webinar ‘A Quick Guide to the Basics of Change Management’ to explain the essentials of change management. It is a great resource to share with those that don’t know much about change. If your audience are short of time, I have summarised the key points below.
Top 9 Essentials of Change Management
As you can imagine, Change Management is a huge topic, and different elements will appeal to organisations in different industries. Here are my top 9 essentials of change management. Please contact me if you would like more information or want to discuss your organisation directly.
1. Definition of Change Management:
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- Change Management encompasses all activities and behaviours enabling an organisation to transition from old to new ways of working.
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- It applies to various organisational changes, including product launches, cultural shifts, process improvements, digital transformation, mergers/acquisitions, and location changes.
2. Relationship Between Project Management and Change Management:
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- Project management focuses on creating tangible deliverables (new systems, processes, etc.).
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- Change management deals with behavioural change, requiring individuals to adopt new practices.
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- Tangible outputs are not beneficial unless integrated into daily work, which is facilitated by change activities.
3. Duration of Change Management:
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- Behavioural change is unpredictable and non-linear, varying among individuals.
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- Productivity initially decreases as new practices are adopted. Productivity then rises as familiarity and competence develop.
4. Combining Tangible and Behavioural Change:
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- Both tangible outputs and behavioural changes are necessary for achieving benefits.
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- New behaviours, attitudes, and values must be established for sustained change.
5. Transitioning from Old to New Ways of Working:
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- Competence: Shift from ‘unconscious competence’ in old ways to ‘conscious incompetence’ and eventually back to competence in new methods.
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- Emotion: Initial negative reactions to change gradually become positive as familiarity increases.
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- Productivity dips during transition due to the learning curve and emotional impact.
6. Cycle of Competence:
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- The introduction of change disrupts established routines, causing initial incompetence.
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- Support through change management activities helps individuals regain competence in new practices.
7. Emotional Impact of Change:
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- Initial negative emotions are common, with acceptance varying among individuals.
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- Continuous cycles of change can amplify negative emotions and reduce productivity.
8. Benefits of Effective Behavioural Change:
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- Corporate Social Responsibility: Builds emotional resilience and protects employee mental health.
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- Competitive Advantage: Enhances the organisation’s ability to adapt and lead through change.
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- Earlier Return on Investment: Faster transition to new ways of working leads to quicker realisation of investment benefits.
9. Maintaining Support for Change:
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- Communicate the benefits of change to those in authority to ensure ongoing support.
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- Address resistance by highlighting the known benefits of current practices and the advantages of new ways.
These points provide a comprehensive overview of the fundamental aspects and benefits of change management, emphasising the integration of both tangible and behavioural changes for successful organisational transformation.
More About Agile Change Management
If you or your colleagues want to learn more about the essentials of change management, a good starting point is my Change Management Foundation and Practitioner course. This course provides training in all the core theories and models of change.
If you are a change professional who is looking to update your skills, book yourself on the Agile Change Agent course to learn how to plan iterative, incremental change plans and the Agile Change Coach course to learn how to use 41 techniques to engage your stakeholders and encourage them to get involved and make change a reality.
