The one constant in life is change, especially in the business world. Market fluctuations, budget constraints, and growth are only some of the changes that can significantly impact the way your organization runs.
Separating a flourishing business from an underachieving one is the ability to adapt to change.
What is a change management plan?
A change management plan is a process a business follows to implement changes across the organization. Change management plans are typically used for significant or complex organizational changes that require a more strategic approach because of their impact on someone’s job.
We all react differently to change. Some of us are eager to engage with the new processes, while others will be reluctant. Some of your team may love the changes; others may not be so excited. One group will take to the changes immediately, but others may not want to change at all. No matter their mindset, a change management plan should provide the complete roadmap and tools to successfully support your employees as they transition to the new way of doing things.
What should my change management plan include?
Your plan will differ based on your organization’s needs, but each change management plan should include some form of the following:
Well-defined goals
The goals of your change management plan should be simple:
- Tell your organization about the change.
- Help those who are directly affected by the change to adapt.
Your organization might completely change its marketing approach to increase engagement, for example, or it may start an entirely new department to handle expanded business offerings. Each of these changes come with their own set of goals. Whatever those goals may be, the core goals of your change management plan should be to inform everyone about the changes and to guide those who will be directly affected by them.
Clear communication
Communication is key in any interaction, but especially when it comes to organizational change. Change often includes multiple moving parts that must be clearly communicated so no one gets left in the dark.
In addition to establishing goals and expectations, your communication should allow space for feedback from your team to respond to and offer suggestions about the changes. Not all of this feedback may be positive but knowing how your team feels about the transition and allowing them to feel heard are vital to addressing and calming their concerns.
Training
An organizational change significant enough to warrant a change management plan probably includes new features or procedures that your employees will need to learn. Meetings and training sessions are great opportunities for your team to get hands-on experience with the changes and ask questions in a safe environment where everyone learns together.
A handful of meetings may not be enough for everyone to grasp the scope of the changes. Provide helpful reference sheets, such as FAQ documents, that your team can access if they have simple questions that can be answered without a call or meeting.
Developing your change management plan
Change can be daunting, but a strategic plan will ease some of that tension. Follow these six steps for developing your change management plan.
Step 1: Build your team
Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor was it built by a single person. Great initiatives require great teamwork, so building your team should be a top priority.
A change management team should be comprised of people from all levels of the organization who can dedicate time to the cause. When implementing change, people in leadership roles will have a different perspective than those in entry-level positions, but both voices should be heard.
Representatives from each department can bring their colleague’s thoughts, suggestions, or concerns to the group and ensure that decisions will positively influence their work.
Step 2: Set goals
When establishing achievable goals, consider the end of your transition phase and how you want the organization to look once the changes are complete.
Understand how these changes are going to impact your team, the business, clients, and customers. Will customers need to change the way they purchase from you? Should clients be informed of procedure changes? How does a new piece of technology affect workflows? Knowing the answers to these questions can help you develop goals to satisfy as many people as possible.
Every goal should be reinforced with a measurable key performance indicator (KPI) you can reference to ensure the changes resulted in the desired outcome.
Step 3: Create a plan
With a team assembled and goals set, you’re ready to put together your change management plan.
A checklist of actionable tasks will keep your team on track and is easy to reference when determining the next steps. Include every item your team has brainstormed and offer opportunities for staff to give their feedback on your change management plan. Remember, clear communication is critical in this process.
When your checklist is complete, put together a timeline for achieving each of the tasks. Consider the scope of your project and what date you want to complete the transition. Set expectations within your organization by establishing specific due dates for each task and ensuring that those deadlines are met.
Because change management involves many moving parts, a project management tool may be useful to keep your plan organized in one place.
Step 4: Do the work
Now that you’ve assembled a team, crafted a checklist, and established deadlines, it’s time to do the work.
Determine how you’ll decide things in the future. Changes to your change management plan are inevitable. Figure out how to address these surprises early so they won’t bog down your transition when the work picks up.
Build excitement for the change across your organization with clear, positive, and insightful communication before, during, and after the transition. Share exciting wins with leadership, encourage staff to experiment with new software, for example, and contribute their own tips and tricks. Consider offering rewards to the department that first takes up the changes.
Step 5: Support the change
The changes have been implemented, but the dust will take a bit more time to settle fully. Reinforcing the transition to ensure the changes last is crucial during this time.
Keep up the clear communication while things are still being worked out. Reiterate the positive impacts the organization has seen so far and offer to speak with anyone who has questions or concerns. Address issues early and they won’t have time to spiral into more significant problems.
As the change management planner, you may not know all the fine details of the implemented changes. Subject matter experts are great resources for answering those complex questions that require a deeper understanding of the topic.
Step 6: Expect resistance
Some of us have a hard time changing the way we typically do things. It’s all but guaranteed that someone in your organization will resist the changes you try to make. How you react to this resistance will determine how well your staff responds to the transition. Develop a resistance plan to address this issue early in case it arises.
A large portion of change management is crafting new processes, but an even more significant portion is people. It can be easy to forget the human aspect of major changes when you’re concerned about the minutia of implementing the change. Organizational change is difficult, but a thoughtful change management plan that prioritizes your people can make this difficult task a fun and engaging project.
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