Do you already have a concrete plan for change management in your company? Whether you answer yes or no to the question, this article will give you some useful tips on how to develop a solid change process.
There are many reasons to start right away
Our environment and markets are constantly changing. Triggered, for example, by technological, political or social changes. Companies are therefore under constant pressure to react to change. We will explain to you how to establish a successful change management process in your company.
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Before we explain how you approach change management in your company, let's consider why you should start as soon as possible:
- There are already massive changes in many industries. In order to remain competitive and not lose the battle, you have to react now.
- New opportunities for the organization and the business units. Innovative technologies and globalization open up many opportunities for you to open up new markets.
- The necessary structures for successful change management cannot be established overnight. Like everything that needs to be good, it takes time and capable people. But to be successful in the long run, changes and adaptations are indispensable.
Implementing the change process in three phases
In order to approach the topic with structure, let's take a closer look at a change process. A simple change process has three rough phases:
1. Analysis & Unfreezing
In this phase the preparations for the changes are made. The phase is also known as unfreezing, which symbolizes the people who have to get used to the new situation and the changes.
2. Implementation
In the second phase, the changes are carried out. This could be new strategies or processes, which often also mean changes for the employees. The implementation is accompanied by project managers who are responsible for a structured approach to the project.
3. Maintenance
In the last phase, care is now taken to ensure that all changes are retained and no one is falling back into old patterns. But the results must also be analysed in order to be able to track the success or failure of the change measures.
Concrete measures for change management
Now we come to the most important part. You are probably wondering how you can start and establish a sustainable change process in your company.
You must be the initiator
As a rule, the impetus for change measures comes from corporate management. It is the management's task to ensure that the company can operate successfully in the long term. The first step is the establishment of the necessary structures with associated personnel decisions.
Involving employees
Use your employees to identify problems in the organization and identify opportunities for the business areas. This not only increases the ideas, but also has a positive effect on the corporate culture, as the employees feel involved. It is not without reason that corporate culture was cited in a 2017 survey as one of the most important factors for successful change.
Become active
Do not wait for suggestions from employees, but actively search for improvement potential. Ask your team leaders for an analysis of the business areas with opportunities and risks as well as existing problems. You can also interview your employees directly. This means that you are not dependent on ideas being communicated and can identify problems that are not classified as such.
Set up a team for implementation
Do not try to push through the changes on your own. It is your job to monitor progress and keep the whole picture in view. Therefore, appoint those responsible for the implementation of the change measures and distribute the tasks.
Use a software for the implementation of your change projects
Be sure to use project management software to implement your change projects. Don't save money in the wrong place. You cannot afford projects to fail due to lack of organization and documentation chaos! Don't make the mistake of trying project management with Excel. Excel can do many things, but no project management.
Falcon is the solution
Our project management software Falcon helps you to concentrate on your tasks.
Falcon creates clear responsibilities and a simple overview of the overall project, goals and progress.
Through a differentiated rights structure, you can determine exactly who is allowed to see what. External stakeholders and investors can also convince themselves of the progress at any time.
Exactly what I was looking for!