Implementing Change Management in Your Business

Assessing the Need for Change

While "change management" is a popular concept and the term is thrown around a lot now days, you first need to assess whether or not a change is needed in your business. Usually we assess our business when it is in a slump, trying to figure out how to enhance or grow our customer base, or making significant changes to how we do business.

\"change Management\"

Assess your business need for change when things are going well. Look at the best practices of your competitors and compare their results with yours. Adjusting your strategy to enhance your growth or customer base is not change management.

What is Change Management

Many people think change management means one thing. They mistakenly lump the three distinct parts of change management together and then wonder why it is so hard to implement. When implementing change management, it is important that we keep each area compartmentalized to avoid unnecessary stress and aggravation for ourselves and those we are working with.

Change Management - People

This area deals with the people in our organization. How we relate to each other in our work environment and what changes we can implement to make our organization function more effectively. If you are focusing on people in your change management plan, this is not where you change processes. The changes you make, whether in reorganizing your business or department or creating more productive teams lie within the "people" portion of change management.

When implementing a change management plan it is important that all of your staff understand why the change is needed. The explanation must be detailed enough to encourage a personal investment on the part of your staff for the success of the change. If staff do not feel a real need for change, or have not made a commitment to it's implementation it will not only take longer to make the change, but also the change will not be long term and sustainable.

One of the mistakes that we, as leaders make, is to assume that because we can see the picture clearly, everyone else can too. It is important to take a step back and think about the "pieces" of the picture that our staff are seeing and what they are not seeing. In order to implement change, everyone must see and understand the same picture and have the same understanding of how it will benefit them.

People will respond with enthusiasm if they see a benefit to themselves or their work environment, if they understand the need for a change and if they are included in the change process. Too often decisions to implement change are made without the involvement of the staff who will be most affected. This is the primary reason that those efforts fail. There must be buy-in from a majority of the staff to effectively implement change. Especially change that is going to involve people and how they interact and communicate with each other.

Change Management - Processes

This area deals with the way things are done in our organization. How we process the paper, and what we do with it. This is where forms and processes are analyzed and changes are made to meet the needs of our growing business.

Not everyone in our business deals with the same processes. As much as we would like uniformity, what makes our business unique is the way that our staff interacts with customers or meets other needs with quality and precision. If we are going to assess and change processes, it is important that the process needs changing. Sometimes it is not the process but the people who need to change, but because we have lumped change management into one big ball we wind up trying to make changes to perfectly acceptable processes or change people when the process needs to be changed. No one knows better about the need to change a process than the people who are actually using them day-to-day. It is important that we discuss with our staff the possibility of changing a process and involve them in the implementation of the change. Changing a process, like changing people, requires commitment and buy-in on the part of those who will be required to use the changed process on a daily basis.

As it's name implies, this area deals with our equipment and software. Changing or adapting to meet our needs, getting rid of the old stuff and figuring our what we need to add to our arsenal of tools. It is important to note that this aspect of change management does not involve changing "people" rather, it is changing tools. It is our nature to use equipment until it wears out. This can be very costly to our business and also can cause a lot of problems when we do finally make a change.

Change Management - Equipment

One of my associates has owned their business for over 20 years, when they began the business, they had a program created in a state-of-the-art program and hired an individual to work on this program. I might add that it is a major piece of what makes this business profitable. Now, twenty years later, there is one person in the company who knows how to use this software. It is so outdated that it cannot be upgraded, but must be completely re-input to a different software program which will involve several weeks. Even if he wanted to implement change, he is unable to do so because he is stuck in the software and the one person who knows how to use it. It is very costly if you do not keep up with the changing market of available equipment. In the end, this is going to be extremely costly to the business and will result in their having to shut their doors for several weeks to get the information transferred to an updated program.

Equipment is one portion of change management that should be addressed continuously. It is the most critical piece of your business and will cost an incredible amount of money if not tended to regularly.

Implementing Change Management

When you decide to implement change, be sure to categorize the changes you want to make first. Once you have a visual of where the changes need to take place, it will be much easier to research and discuss the changes with the stakeholders who will be most affected by the changes.

If you are going to change people, remember that anyone affected by the change is a stakeholder. Don't wait to tell the staff about a change after the decision has been made that will affect them in an adverse way. Get buy-in and personal investment from all staff by first sharing the benefits of the change and gathering data to support the change. You win in two ways by doing this. The people who do not feel they can commit to the change will leave and thus will not sabotage the change before it can get off the ground. And the people who do make a personal investment will be excited about the change and drive it with the enthusiasm needed to make the change successful and sustainable.

If you are going to change processes, remember to include all stakeholders. In other words, include everyone who will be involved in making the new or changed process work. Whether you have to have representatives from groups or your business size is such that you can discuss the changes with each individual, be sure that you do discuss the change and get a verbal commitment from each person to help in driving the process change. This will save you a lot of time on the backend and will instill the kind of loyalty that you need from a high quality staff.

You staff will always appreciate updated equipment and software that will make their lives easier. The only caveat is that you will need to include in your software or equipment purchase, training for those staff who will be using the software. Don't get the equipment or software and assume that the staff will know how to use it. If someone on your staff does, great, you won't have to pay an outside person to train everyone else. But you need to be prepared to make the investment for training of your staff on the new equipment. This cost should be included in your yearly budget. It is not a one-time cost and definitely does not end. So you must be prepared and be vigilant of the changes in the industry related to your business and processes.

As long as you do not lump all three of these pieces of change management together, you will find that you can effectively implement change in all three areas with minimal disruption. It is important also that you think about the big picture your staff see as opposed to your own big picture vision. If these big pictures do not match, the key to successful implementation of change management is to create a big picture that both you and your staff share.

Implementing Change Management in Your Business

Kay's Corner Office provides freelance writing services that include marketing, website content, and article writing. At our website you will find information on creating a work life balance when you have a home business, information, tips, and reviews.

Copyright Ellen Jackson, Kay's Corner Office
You are free to publish this article as long as you do not change or alter it and it contains the author information as written.

My Links : Advertising Techniques Motivational Techniques The Global Marketing

HR as a "Strategic Business Partner"? 5 Concepts To Really Being A People Oriented Company

The Human Resources team being a "Strategic Business Partner" with the Operations team is not a new notion.

HR should not be considered a "partner" because HR is part of the organization making it whole not a separate organization with similar goals as term partnership implies. Maybe the view of being a "partner" contributes to ongoing battle that HR can be viewed quite often as a separate identity from other departments in the company.

Management Concept

I often hear things like "How do we get HR a seat at the table?" HR professional often view themselves as an individual entity from the other teams in the organization if they want to admit it or not. "What are WE (HR) going to do to get THEM (everyone else) to understand?"

Human Resources team is often viewed by people inside HR and out as "HR against everyone else." So for instance, if the strategy of the HR team is to "break down the walls between departments" How can this effectively occur when HR is viewed as an outsider? Trying to break the walls down before they are ready to can inadvertently create higher ones and can continue the cycle.

So what do WE (The organization as a WHOLE) do? There as so many concepts, theories, practices and models out there it can make your head spin. Which one is the best?

Almost anything I delve into has HR/Business concepts or elements that are in common. Most things that I personally agree with are integrated in one way or another with the next and it is not because I am being one sided in my research. It is because the books, articles, and website and blogs I research are by people that have proven success in HR and Business and are sharing their knowledge, successes and failures.

So what do WE (The organization as a WHOLE) do join all forces inside the company?

REALLY be people oriented.

1-Listen to your people.

Many companies like the idea of saying they have an open door to all employee's ideas. BUT do they really? Many companies like to say they are "focused on the people" and I am sure they would really like to be. If you dissect the actual facts, they are not. If you look at the "Best Places to Work" in the USA they have one thing in common, no matter what the product, it is people focused first.

It is amazing what you can learn about your organization when people are truly encouraged to speak up.

2- Foster a work environment that truly embraces a "Bias for Action" atmosphere at all levels. In many organizations if you just act in the best interest of your customer, client, subordinates and then ask for permission, you get in trouble.

More often I see organizations that are inconsistent with this philosophy. In reality it is more of a "some people can be take action, and others can take action sometimes but only if those actions are nominal."

Other companies will claim to encourage employees to be to take action but in reality they are really "if you are part of upper management or in HR you can bias for action but if you are lower on the totem pole, there will be career consequences for your actions."

Pretending to take action is not taking action.

3- Challenge The Same Old to Change the Status Quo

How can an organization move forward if no one scrutinizes what they are doing today to make it better?

Staying the same doesn't grow an organization. Not ever being complacent with status quo does. The biggest hero's in the business world are never referred to as the man/women that just showed up each day and did the same thing over and over day in and day out. Personally, I would be uncomfortable to be known as someone who is just consistent. I prefer to be known as someone who is consistent, BUT consistently passionate about growing the business, taking action and inspiring others to do the same!

You have heard the saying- "If you do what you always do, you will get what you have always got" It doesn't even fit anymore. It should now be "The companies that do what they always do, get a bankruptcy attorney."

4- Discover underutilized and underdeveloped talent in your organization. To put it plainly and simply "Use um' or Lose um'!" To quote Marcus Buckingham author of First Break all the Rules and Go put your Strengths to Work, "People are not an organizations best asset, peoples strengths are." This is actually one of my all time favorite quotes.

How many times have you heard variations of "It is too bad he left us for them, he has so much potential." Potential!? Potential!? The definition of potential is the capable of being or becoming possible. Is it possible? DEVELOP HIM! Don't lose HIM!

I speak to hundreds of talented candidates in a year. Of course I often ask the obvious question. "Why do you want to leave your present position? All to often I hear "I am looking for a better opportunity" This can mean so many things but can it be I am just speaking with someone that is under developed or underutilized? Am I speaking to a person that may work for you?

Often employers are under utilizing talent. I am not saying everyone can be promoted to CEO I am saying if you have people that unmistakably stand above the rest as consistent, high performers and/or leaders, you better pay attention, these are the companies future. Many companies like to refer to these people as "High Potential." If you know they stand out, often they know they do as well and are in waiting for you to notice. NOTICE! If you aren't in a position to promote this person, or if that is not an option in your company, show appreciation, provide them with ability to lead, develop others and themselves. Do something! Make sure they do know that you notice! Because if you don't, I promise you, other companies will.

Strategic Business? How about aligning the talent you have. Now that's a Strategy! Move your company forward by utilizing current talent, these people already work for the organization, and they are invested in to the future of the organization that is why they are there. Stop over analyzing the past, learn from it, and use this talent to move forward, discover future goals and future threats.

5- Continued Training and Development in all areas.

Never, never stop training and developing talent.

All too often programs come and go with no real impact on the organization. What a waste of time and money. Often promising programs are developed and implemented. They come out of the gate full force, EVERYONE is trained and energized! Then, that it. No continued support or development of the program and the developers want to know where they went wrong. Often they didn't do anything wrong, they did exactly what they were to do but take the blame when it fails. It was a failure after the initial implementation when it was out of the hands of the developers and trainers. The program gets passed over to the people it was designed to benefit and they are trained and then sent out to put it into practice and they don't.

Why? Did the program stink? Probably not. How about this for a concept; Are the people that should be executing the plan, actually trained on executing the plan or was the "training" just understanding what the plan is designed to do?

HR is part of the organization making it whole. As a HR professional stop trying to get a seat at the table in which you sit. Just be a rational, influential, motivating part of the business strategic plans moving forward. Acknowledge past good and bad patterns make informed suggestions and decisions to move the organization forward.

Human Resources professionals tend to be the first to embrace change. This is your opportunity to be influential and inspiring to those reluctant to embrace the strategic change.

If you view yourself as an individual entity apart from the other teams in the organization you will be an individual identity. This practice will not be effective when bringing your expertise forward when Human Resources changes are necessary. Be part of the organizations solutions, not part of the barriers.

If companies do not grow and change they do not move forward. In reality change is much less threatening then having to look for a job when your company becomes extinct because it didn't keep up. So if that is the case how come often when we see a "major" change to processes you see a negative vibe to follow? To me, it is clear. Too much all at once, it is reactive to the company's lack of continued ongoing incremental growth changes.

Personally, I not only embrace any change in my organization, I actually thrive on it! It invigorates me even it if can threaten my very existence in the organization. I have heard comments like "If you don't like this plan, process, policy, don't worry, just hold on, it will change. All I can say is, "I hope so."

HR as a "Strategic Business Partner"? 5 Concepts To Really Being A People Oriented Company

http://recruitnik.net

Visit : How to time management Advertising Techniques