Changes that affect the core functioning of a company will have an impact on its culture. It is important to ensure that the change is necessary and desirable, and to recognize that change is the norm, not the exception. One of the most difficult aspects of organizational change is that it often comes in phases or involves a certain level of confidentiality on the part of the management team or certain individuals. However, when the change is significant, it is beneficial to be as transparent as possible with employees.
Even if all the details cannot be shared, being honest about what can be shared and clearly explaining its impact will go a long way in making staff feel more comfortable. Companies evolve through structured change, which helps them gain a competitive advantage by reducing expenses, innovating and improving customer service. McKinsey researchers looked into this trend and highlighted the critical role that change management plays in achieving successful outcomes. They also found that most change management efforts fail because outdated models and techniques are fundamentally misaligned with today's dynamic business environment. In addition, since all organizations that offer digital programs have an implementation methodology, I will use my company's, “The 7Summits Way” (pictured below), to talk about the application of change management techniques throughout the life cycle of implementing a digital transformation initiative. The elements can be easily separated and applied to whatever methodology your organization prefers.
While very differentiated from a development perspective, the creation and verification stages can be grouped together when considering impactful change management approaches. The Build and Verify phase is when your digital transformation becomes a reality as developers execute the execution of their backlog of products. This is also where the strength of change management begins to falter. Digital transformation is key to the survival of many companies, but digital transformations are difficult and often fail without successful change management. Throughout my career, I have seen too many transformation efforts fail due to a lack of resources, attention, and knowledge of the work needed to effectively execute a change management plan. Companies that fail focus their time, attention, and budget exclusively on program design and development.
I encourage organizations to dedicate the same amount of effort and resources to managing change. At the end of the day, change management is about getting people to use the tools you create for them so that you can achieve true business value. Integrating these efforts into your digital transformation initiatives from inception to launch won't guarantee success, but it will put the odds in your favor. Digital transformation is a process of organizational change that allows an organization to use technology to create new value for customers, employees, and other stakeholders. A successful digital transformation requires a strong change management strategy.
A strong leader can help your team overcome the storms of change with confidence and lucidity, no matter how challenging they are. Effective communication on change management provides clarity on why change is needed and mobilizes employees with a sense of urgency for change. Poor execution can easily ruin a brilliant business strategy and wipe out your ambitions, not to mention wasted resources and staff exhaustion. Driven by changing consumer expectations which have created B2C digital giants such as Uber, Netflix and Amazon, many companies are investing in reinventing their businesses. Before presenting proposed changes to your team, make sure you have a clear plan that covers at least when, how and why the changes occur. If you're facing changes in your company and want to learn more about the change management process, here are some key organizational strategies you can employ: From a change perspective, this phase is when inputs from previous phases are converted into a plan that will serve as the basis for construction phase. I have successfully applied the following change management approach as a leader in a Fortune 500 company and as a consultant in implementing large digital programs in Fortune 1000 companies. Leaders must align people with the reason for the change, often working against long-held habits and beliefs.
Your goal during design phase is to activate your change workflows to create tactical work plans and schedules. Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new or radically improve business processes, products or services. This specific communication strategy provides context for understanding why, what and how of the changes. When done well, change management can help organizations overcome challenges of digital transformation and reap full benefits from their investment.
