Increase your chances of engaging a broader group of stakeholders
When leadership plans ahead before introducing change within the organization, they are more likely to engage a broader group of stakeholders in that change. When a broader group of stakeholders is engaged, there is an increased likelihood of the change being successfully adopted within the organization.
Planning for change initiatives is not an easy task. We often forget some very essential steps that will help ensure success of the change initiative. If you want to have a successful change initiative, here are just a handful of ideas on what to do to plan and prepare ahead of time:
- Develop the why of the change. Why is the organization changing? What factors are driving change? What is happening that requires change to occur? What happens if change does not occur?
- Develop your vision for change. What do you hope to see when the change is accomplished? Where is the organization now and where will the organization be in the future? How is that aligned to the mission of the organization? How will it help serve customers?
- Is the organization ready? What else is going on that may impact this change initiative project? Do you have the right people within the business to support the initiative or do you need to bring in external consultants/resources? Do you have the technology necessary for the change to be successful? Has the organization just gotten out of a change initiative that didn’t go as well as planned? If you don’t think the organization is ready, how will you get it ready?
- How will you educate employees and socialize the change? How will you educate employees about the change and its why? How will you share the vision? How will you get employees involved in shaping the change? Developing a communication strategy enables you to ensure engagement of employees in the initiative. The more employees are engaged, the more likely you will have a successful change.
Part of planning ahead is determining how you will communicate about the change and through what channels. You want to engage employees early on before you launch the change initiative. This enables them to participate by sharing ideas and asking questions. It enables you to understand where resistance may be and develop a plan to address that resistance.
Remember – successful change initiatives requires successful upfront planning! Don’t shortchange the process and remember – CONSTANT COMMUNICATION is essential!
Want to learn more? Check out Gina’s book Implementing Positive Organizational Change, J Ross Publishing, 2017 or contact Abudi Consulting Group and inquire about some of our change management projects with clients.
