What is Change Management?

Change Management refers to the approaches, processes, tools and techniques used proactively and systematically to manage people and organisational aspects of change. This is done with the particular focus of ensuring behavioural outcomes that will support organisational objectives associated with the change from a current state to a desired future state.

The ultimate goals of change management are to:

• Minimise disruptions to the organisation and its employees, and
• Maximise the benefits of the change.

In this ever-changing world, traditional change management processes no longer work, and organisations must adapt and become Change-Agile to remain productive and sustainable.

Change happens through leaders therefore, change management skills have become a core leadership competency. It requires a shift in the mindset of leaders to enable and equip themselves and their organisations to be Change Agile.

Change Agility refers to an organisation’s ability to quickly and effectively adapt to changes in the business environment. This may include changes in market conditions, competition, technology, customer needs or internal business optimisation. Change agile organisations are better able to respond to new challenges and opportunities and are more likely to achieve their goals and objectives.

To stay competitive and adapt to changing market conditions change management planning and implementation needs to be structured effectively to:

• Minimise disruptions to business-as-usual operations and the workforce during the process of change,
• Focus the behaviour change activities to drive benefit realisation,
• Align the change with existing organisational strategy, goals and processes,
• Improve communication, collaboration, stakeholder management and performance within the organisation, and
• Develop organisational change resilience and agility.

At ChangeVerve we specialise in enabling organisations by providing a tried and tested framework, tools and internal capacity building to develop Change Agility and leave you with the ability to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Why is Change Management Important?

Change is a constant and inevitable part of life and business. Change management helps organisations to incorporate strategic changes, new and improved systems, optimised processes or ways of doing things into the business-as-usual operations of an organisation to achieve its strategic goals and desired outcomes. Change Agile organisations are better able to adapt to market conditions, respond to customer needs, remain competitive and keep pace in an ever-changing world.

Applying a structured and proactive change management process assists leaders to:

• Ensure that any change implemented is aligned with the organisation’s strategic goals and operations.
• Execute the change in a way that is consistent with the organisation's culture and values.
• Manage the overall change landscape, change appetite, and resource allocation.
• Provide a structured way to analyse, plan, execute and measure progress throughout the change process until the change is embedded in the operations of the organisation.
• Ensure that the change process is completed all the way to sustainable benefits realisation.

A key deliverable of change management is to manage stakeholders and support human behaviour change during the change process. If this is done well it minimises the negative impacts of change on people such as:

• Employee resistance,
• Decreased productivity,
• Loss of morale,
• Erosion of team cohesion and work relationships,
• Ineffective decision–making and conflict,
• Ineffective collaboration and problem-solving,
• Change fatigue,
• High staff turnover,
• Rework and workarounds,
• Extended deadlines and excess costs to correct mistakes or failed change initiatives.

Change management capacity building

The traditional way of doing change management involved hiring external change management specialists to drive the change process. With the accelerated pace of change in the modern world, this is no longer sufficient and feasible. Change management is a core leadership skill, and internal change management capacity is a key capability that will differentiate successful organisations in the future.

Every successful company in the future will have an internal change management function in the form of a Change Management Office or Change Management Department with internal change management specialists or change managers to support high-complexity change and drive continuous improvement within the organisation. This is supported by equipping leaders, champions and agents across the organisation with the competence and ability to participate in driving the change process daily within every department or business unit.

What is required to effectively manage change in an organisation?

Change Management is a core leadership skill and requires the following to be done effectively:

• Establish a change agile culture through the implementation of a robust change management framework or methodology that can accommodate the size, volume, complexity and types of changes that need to be managed in the organisation,
• Compliance with legislative, procedural or certification requirements such as ISO, where applicable,
• Implementation of a governance platform to measure effectiveness and ensure continuous development,
• Change management skills and competence for all the role players that form part of the change management process,
• The ability to understand where and how the change fits into the organisation’s strategy,
• Tools to analyse, plan, manage and monitor the change throughout the change process,
• Tools to effectively plan and allocate resources across the change initiatives,
• Reports and dashboards to enable decision-making on every level of the change within the organisation.
• The ability to align project and change management efforts seamlessly.

Leadership’s Roles and Responsibilities in Change Management

Employees follow their leader’s example. Therefore, change happens through leaders.
Leaders are responsible to enable a change agile culture in the organisation by:

• Implementing and managing a robust change management platform and framework in the organisation,
• Equipping all the required role players with the necessary skills and tools, and
• Enabling role players to participate in the change process and play their part,

Leaders are responsible to drive specific change initiatives by:

• Setting a clear vision for the change,
• Enabling the change by providing the necessary resources and removing obstacles,
• Driving the change through the change process until it is embedded and benefits are realised, and
• Acting as role models for the change.

A critical success factor is to ensure the ability of the organisation, leaders and employees to effectively participate and drive not only strategic change but also operational change.

In this modern world of rapid and continuous change, change management has becomes a core competency for leaders as well as a key function within organisations. Our services and solutions include tried and tested tools, change management skills training and internal organisational change management capacity building programmes. All the programmes are focussed on imparting knowledge and skills on both technical aspects of change management as well as the people and behaviour management through the change process.

Solutions include:

• Simulated change management education games and dialogue tools
• Organisational change management tools, capability and skills capacity building
  • Organisational change management capability and skills capacity building
  • Skills Development

Simulated change management education games and dialogue tools

Simulated corporate games are a practical, engaging and effective way to learn and apply new skills using a realistic business. It creates a safe environment to experiment, gain experience and promote healthy team dynamics. It has also been proven to improve knowledge retention and enable immediate application within the workplace. Our list of simulated corporate game experiences for change management skills include:

Executive and Senior Leadership Team Games
1. Portfolio Management Game	Read More
2. Strategy Execution and Stakeholder Management	Read More
Leadership team and team development
3. Leading High Performing Teams	Read More
4. Change Leadership Simulation	Read More
5. ChangeVerve Change Management Game (Coming Soon)	Read More
6. Project Management Game	Read More
Leadership Dialogue Tools
7. Key Leadership Conversations	Read More
8. Change and Transformation	Read More
9. Digital Transformation	Read More
Personal Effectiveness Game Simulations
10. Stress Management Game	Read More

Organisational change management tools, capability and skills capacity building

Enabling internal organisational change management capability and skills capacity building based on the organisation’s requirements may include the following elements:

• Establish an Office of Change Management or Change Management Department with relevant governance structures and documents
• Implement a robust change management framework that covers all ISO change management requirements with relevant policies and procedures
• Implement online strategic and tactical change management tools, reports and dashboards
• Training for all the relevant change management role players

Online Tools:

Online change management tools that enable executives, senior leaders, operational change leaders, change managers and change champions to analyse, plan, make decisions, manage and track change on a project and organisational portfolio level. The tool includes, reports and dashboards for strategic and tactical decision-making throughout the process of change. The ChangeVerve Change Management Tool covers all aspects of the guidelines for effective change management described in the ISO standards.

Strategic Change Management Tool
1. Strategic Change Management Tool and Training (Coming Soon)	Read More
Tactical Change Management Tool
2. Tactical Change Management Tool and Training (Coming Soon)	Read More

Skills Development:

Develop expertise in change management In this modern world of rapid and continuous change, change management has becomes a core competency for leaders and other change management role players. Successful development of change management skills requires a structured and robust programme that include theory and consistent practical application over a sufficient period of time with the support of an expert.

1. Change Leader Training Programme	Change Leader Training include a technical change tool training focussed on Change Leader requirements as well as various soft change management skills interventions and games. The programme structure and sequence are developed based on the organisation’s requirements.
2. Change Manager Training Programme	Change Manager Training include technical change tool training as well as various soft change management skills interventions and games. The programme structure and sequence are developed based on the organisation’s requirements.
3. Change Champion Training Programme	Change Champion Training include technical change tool training as well as various soft change management skills interventions and games. The programme structure and sequence are developed based on the organisation’s requirements.
4. Change Agent Training	The Change Agent Programme consist of developing specific Change Agent skills and is structured and sequenced based on the organisation’s requirement.