Maintaining change is essential for organizations to stay up-to-date and competitive in today's fast-paced world. According to Gartner, the current rate of change is higher than ever before, with five major changes taking place in the past three years and 75% of companies expecting to increase the number of major changes in the next three years. However, only 34% of these initiatives are successful, with the other half failing. To gain insight into this complex challenge, Executive Coaching Connections (ECC) contacted Val Ott, an ECC OCM (Organizational Change Management) consultant.
Val has worked with many Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies, helping them manage through major transformations, restructuring and changes. He has a bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in Communication from Northern Illinois University and extensive consulting experience. Val explains that successful change requires more than just planning, alignment, focus and communication. It also requires leadership. Facilitating participation between a remote or partially remote organization requires concerted time, effort, planning and monitoring.
Change management has many benefits, such as better communication, greater productivity, reduced stress and better decision-making. It can also help improve employee morale and create a more positive work environment. The change management team should communicate the change to employees and help them understand why it's happening and what to expect. Managers must then develop a comprehensive and realistic plan to carry out the change. According to Prosci Best Practices, more than 50% of employees believe that more than 50% of resistance could have been anticipated and mitigated if organizations took the time to proactively think about possible points of resistance. Good change management can encourage everyone to adapt and adopt the new way of working.
When evaluating training options, look for a program that emphasizes organizational change. Develop consistent processes to reinforce change if an organization has a history of introducing changes that initially seem to be successful but that never seem to last stakeholders are less likely to invest in the most recent project. The development of a comprehensive change plan must take place long before the change and must address all aspects and impacts of the change. Ensuring that a newly implemented change is durable and sustainable requires concerted effort and time to reinforce the recently implemented change processes. This can be done by communicating the change early and frequently providing training and support and being available to answer questions. By following these tips for successful change management, organizations can implement changes effectively and efficiently while minimizing stress and confusion.
