A rule of thumb when you’re trying to effectively implement change is to expect the unexpected.
There’s a lot of truth in that old adage, especially when it comes to your change management plan. There are many ways to prepare for change in your company, but one thing’s for sure — you need to have a solid plan in place if you want to be successful. Here are three things you want to avoid when developing a set of processes and activities that support the planned organizational change:
1. Poor Communication
Any plan to make positive and impacting change will fail if there is a lack of communication between the change management team. Communication is vital to successfully launch and reach key goals in change programs. Every HR professional will face business communication challenges at some point, so improving communication proactively will make all processes run more smoothly. During times of change, leaders have the responsibility to get a feel for how the workforce is feeling, and in turn alter the frequency and tone of messages to match. It is important to constantly monitor the progress of change initiatives and confirm that they are moving along the intended path smoothly. Utilizing a tool such as Ving can provide companies the communication medium necessary to to ensure a clear, uniform message is being expressed — and more importantly — received by employees.
A Road Less Traveled: A Nontraditional Journey in Communication Tools.
2. Lack of Consistency
Make changes based on important data-driven insights, otherwise you and your team will be in a state of constant confusion and chaos. The purpose of having a plan is to ensure smooth transition, and to give everyone involved expectations and guidelines for how the process will happen. If there isn’t any consistency during implementation, you lose the whole point of creating a plan. According to Bain & Company, a strong change management program requires managers to maintain a goal oriented mindset, and hold firm to the adherence of those goals as the process of change occurs within the organization. Managers need to be consistent in the application of goals throughout the change process.
3. Slow-Paced Plans
In the past, organizations had strategic 3 to 5 year plans for change — plenty of time to develop and implement. Today, everything happens at such a fast pace that changes must occur in much shorter amount of time in order to truly be successful. Companies that can implement new processes quicker than their rivals will gain a competitive advantage in today’s dynamic environment. Many experts call out the use of digital technology to make change process more streamlined and efficient.
“Digital dashboards and personalized messages, for example, can build faster, more effective support for new behaviors or processes in environments where management capacity to engage deeply and frequently with every employee is constrained by time and geography.” - McKinsey & Company
The right tools can amplify an organization’s ability to change, and can also help accelerate the timeline of the plan. Once you’ve determined a clear goal of change that you want to implement, you can select a digital solution to support your plan.
Ving’s digital dashboard let’s you see how engaging your message is to the people with whom you’ve shared information. This allows you to make changes and improve future communications with your team. Create an engaging digital packet once, and share it with all of your employees at the same time — while still including personalized messages in the invitations. Try making it part of your plan for organizational change today.
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