What is change management & why should your organisation invest in it?

In today’s fast-paced digital world, it’s vital that organisations have methods in place to ensure that they can efficiently and effectively adapt to new situations; because the world of business is forever evolving!

Rigorous change management strategies can help organisations to seamlessly navigate new operational and cultural business territory. Businesses that don’t have clear change management procedures may find themselves in organisational chaos, scrambling to implement new policies and procedures to keep up with a changing scenario; and this isn’t good for employees, management, or stakeholders.

For this reason, having a well-thought-out change management strategy is crucial for the success of any organisation. A recent McKinsey study pointed out that companies with excellent change management efforts gained an average of 143% of the returns they initially expected, showcasing that investing in change management upskilling now can have a significant positive effect on your future bottom line.

What is change management?

Change management is a collection of processes that relates to helping ease organisations through periods of either short- or long-term transition. This transition can be classified as adopting a structured approach when taking a business from a current state to a positive and ideal future state. It’s aimed at helping employees to understand, commit to, accept and embrace the changes that are being made in their current business environment. Change management can refer to the tools and technologies that can be made use of in supporting change, as well as the people and organisations frameworks that lead change efforts.

Why is change management important for organisations? Embracing new technology

The first reason that change management is important for organisations is when it comes to the adoption of new technology. Many employees are reticent to accept new technology and may even fear it, perhaps holding the belief that it will gain control over their workplace and leave their role no longer necessary. Helping employees to better understand change helps them to take ownership over the transition, and in turn creates a workplace that’s more open-minded when it comes to technological developments. Change management eases this anxiety and streamlines the technology adoption process within your organisation.

Communicating with employees

Change management is also vital when it comes to effectively communicating in an open, honest and clear manner with employees. Helping employees to understand why change is happening, what the change is going to look like and how it will affect them can greatly smooth the transition. The end goal is for your employees to feel happy and engaged in the changes that are being made, as this will ultimately save your organisation precious time and assets through making sure everyone is on board.

Setting a standard early of effective change management and consistent openness to change can create a more adaptable and innovative workplace, where everyone from your top-level management to your maintenance staff are equipped, empowered and comfortable with the inevitable changes that will occur during their time at your company. Organisations will need to implement agile and workable business solutions to help their workplace consistently and effectively flex its change muscles.

What are some examples of when effective change management may be required?

When something urgently needs to be improved

It’s very common for companies to uncover that an organisational process that had previously been working just fine for many years, now no longer works at all. It’s also common for companies to have to replace and upgrade equipment that may come with a new set of training initiatives for staff. Effective change management in a situation like this would be to create a process map to communicate with employees about what is going to happen, when it’s going to happen, and the actions they’ll need to take.

When your company wants to be an industry disruptor

If an organisation decides that their long-term strategic plan will be to change the way business is done in their field and attempt to revolutionise an industry, then change will be an absolute constant. It also means change will need to happen proactively rather than reactively, as well as quickly. In businesses like these, change management needs to be a way of life, deeply ingrained in the culture of the organisation. Employees will need to be onboard from the beginning, and embrace this way of working so they’re comfortable.

Why should your business consider investing in change management courses?

These days, there’s increased pressure on organisations to deliver services and working solutions in shorter and more aggressive timeframes, without compromising on quality and profit.

This means that it’s imperative for businesses to ensure they have people within their workforce who are professionally trained in change management and developing agile workflows and processes. This will ensure that organisations are well-prepared when it comes to both reactive and proactive change. Sending employees on courses that teach frameworks like the Agile DSDM (Dynamic System Development Method) can be extremely helpful is creating cultures of open-mindedness, change and rigour in workplaces.

Keen to implement better change management processes in your organisation?

Educating and empowering your employees on change management processes is the best way to ensure all your projects and business operations are handled in the most agile way possible. Learn about project management frameworks by accessing our eBook. Contact DDLS, Australia’s largest provider of agile, corporate IT and process training, today to discuss how our professional management upskilling courses can take your business to the next level through the power of people.