Change Management is actually a journey that drives the entire organization and its people and processes from a current state to a new desired state through a formal process.
The objective of this process and consequently the role of the Change Manager is to, upon identification, of the desired state, to drive the entire process and obtain the necessary buy-in of the change to organizations, people, functions, processes, tools, etc. Thus, it is crucial to early communicate the objectives and benefits of such changes as well as to allow sufficient time and organize the necessary induction and training, to ensure maximum change adoption. The level of adoption as well as the change itself usually define the level of success of the change management process. This journey starts with building awareness of the coming change. Effective change management leads from a simple understanding of the change towards the commitment to the envisaged vision. The commitment ensures ownership. In this way, stakeholders, consider the change as their own.
Change Management is related to the Change itself as well as Project Management. These two disciplines are applied to a variety of organizational changes to improve the likelihood of success and return on investment. When introducing a change one or more of the following will be ultimately impacted:
· Processes
· Systems
· Organization structure
· Job roles
Change typically results as a reaction to specific problems or opportunities the organization is facing based on internal or external stimuli. We should initially define the elements of the change process in terms of:
· Context – the environment in which change is taking place.
· Content – what the change actually is.
· Process – the activities and approaches being applied to manage change, relevant to the context and content.
· People – their view on change, their ideas and commitment.
· Purpose – clear reasons as to why the change is taking place and what are the benefits to be accrued.
Change delivers best results when it is meticulously planned and managed. The benefits of change management as well as the selection of the most appropriate Change management will allow the organization to:
· assess the current situation in terms of organization, people, processes, roles.
· identify the stakeholders that could drive the change to success.
· understand the need and the impact of change
· align resources within the business to support the change
· manage the diverse cost of change and reduce the time needed to implement change
· plan and execute an effective communication strategy
· plan for training tailored to the needs of the organization and various stakeholders in relation to the particular project
· train individuals in new ways of working
· improve cooperation and collaboration in the organization’s business
· minimize resistance to change
· maintain or even increase productivity, morale, and efficiency
· reduce stress and anxiety associated with change
· reduce disruptive aspects and risks associated with change
· respond to challenges more efficiently
· minimize the possibility of change failure
· avoid regression to the old ways of working be institutionalizing change