Organisational Change Management: A Must Have

"That was a great demonstration of the new project management system", remarked my Portfolio Manager for Applications the other day. We were stepping out of a team meeting where all of us were showed the new Project Management tool to be soon rolled out into the organisation.

It sure was a good demo and an impressive system which was easy to use and looked to have no integration problems with other systems in the organisation.

I take care of the OCM (Organisational Change Management) part for all internal applications and systems roll out in my Information Services team. Change Management to ensure all changes have proper buy-in from the senior management or leadership team, stakeholders in a change, those who are going to use the change or asked for the change and those who are the end user or the target group for who the change means a lot.

Change could be anything in a corporate: M&A, Reorganisation, Restructuring, automating a popular manual process, introduction of a new system along with a new process, change work timings, a new HR policy or a change in the vendor management. It could be anything but involving more than one group.

And in any instance of life or work, when you have two groups or more involved in a change, there is bound to be resistance, queries, push-backs, passive-fence sitters and extremely, passionate promoters or supporters of the change.

the trick is to use the voice of the promoters to convert the fence sitters to promoters, answer queries, testimonies to win over push backs and finally face and manage the resistors. It is 'gathering' process where you gather what you have and get what you do not have but can have! :-)

Where does the success of a change program lie?

It is in identifying resistance, isolating the concerns and groups who show or express resistance to the proposed change.

How to achieve this is by following a simple but intense change management program that has a Pre-Piloting, Piloting and Production phase build over a framework suitable for your organisation.

It is easy to manage a change! Ensure you are bold, patient, innovative, communicate well and are convinced of the fact that the change you are rolling out is for the good. :-)

I can go on and on about OCM, till the cows come home but I have a few change programs for which I need to put to plans around and do all the above mentioned in this blog... Lots to do and have fun too!

Change is a must! Change it well! :-)