10 Steps For Managing Change

Managing change is very complex process. It can feel as if you are the person who has to juggle all the balls in the air, take all the flak when things go wrong and still be smiling, calm, confident and a shining example of just how change can be a positive and a force for good within a company! However, as everyone knows, the reality can be somewhat different; so when times get tough, simply remember the top 10 tips for managing change

1. Set your goals. Some advocates of change management say that you need to start with the workforce within an organisation and convert them ‘hearts and minds’ to the coming changes. But in reality, before you look to anyone else, you need to be clear about what change will bring about. Set your key performance indicators and then be clear about what they are; now you can win hearts and minds!
2. Ensure that those who are at the highest level are fully committed to change and will provide you with all the resources required to make change happen. Changes do incur costs and those who pay the bills will need to be 100% behind you or you will find that the process is quite a painful one.
3. Convert anyone and everyone. All organisations have people who are resistant to change. The worst offenders are those who verbally agree or at least nod, when asked if they think change is a good thing; they are the ones who will attempt to undermine your efforts, so make sure that you get people onboard and that they understand the negative impact that no change will have; at least they have been warned…..
4. Plan, plan and when you have every conceivable plan in place, then plan some more. Change does not happen, no magic dust will be sprinkled on your organisation; you have to make the changes happen and this must be well planned, or you will fail.
5. Although you may think that communication is simply trying to convert people to change, there is more communication required than the conversion. You need to ensure that you communicate effectively, with all levels of the organisation and that your change is implemented with everyone aware of what is happening.
6. Establish clear and well defined roles and responsibilities for all those involved in the change process; it may be tempting to try and do everything yourself, but this will only lead to problems further down the line, so delegate, but ensure that everyone is clear about what they are doing, why they are doing it and when they have to do it.
7. Create the framework for change. You need to ensure that all the systems and tools are (or will be) available to ensure that change can happen and that it will be supported.
8. Use project management software to make sure that a systematic approach is taken to change and that you can keep everyone aware of what is happening, without time spent on endless meetings.
9. Keep abreast of how you are progressing towards your key performance indicators regularly and review progress on a really regular basis. You can almost guarantee that if you do not do this, the one indicator you fail to check will be the one that causes a huge blip in the process.
10. After change has been implemented and the review of key performance indicators has taken place, it may be tempting to sit back and rest on your laurels. But the sensible thing to do is to actually use the experience and review it objectively so that next time you can make it even more of a success!