Change Management

Moving through change is a difficult proposition, especially for organizations. Each individual within the organization has to come to his own realization and acceptance of the change on his own schedule. We attempt to improve process, but we sometimes don't give creedence to the understanding, and adoption of the change by the individuals involved in the "day-to-day".

The best way to make change happen and stick is to work top down. That is, if you already have and publish/subscribe to a business philosophy, then the change can be more simple. Leveraging your already existing communication and understanding with employees regarding your philosophy, you can more simply communicate the REASONS for your policy, process, or functional change. If your employees understand the purpose of the change, they can more rapidly answer the all important question "...what's in it for me?" And, that is the fulcrum of making change stick. Once the people involved in the process have the yardstick by which to measure the value provided or taken from them, they can make a rational decision whether or not to commit to the change.

So, it's all down hill now, right? Wrong, unfortunately, because of habit. Even though the individuals involved in the change have come to the realization that it is better for them, overall, they will still look for ANY excuse to fault the new process, and/or return to old process. This, obviously, doesn't apply to all individuals, nor does it to explicitly defined and highly technical processes. But, for the majority of systems and people it sure does. So, you must coach, ensure, and (to some extent) evangelize the new process. Help your employees see the light by continually ensuring them that current path leads to the goal they already accepted.