It’s that time of year when Abudi Consulting Group starts to work with our clients to determine large, complex change initiatives that will be launched in the new year. The information for the types of change initiatives to be launched usually focuses on one or more of the following:
- Those projects that will enable for achieving the organization strategy.
- Those projects that will help to address concerns that arose through the employee engagement survey.
- Those projects that enable for serving customers more effectively and efficiently, and/or for meeting changing customer demands.
- Those projects that will enable for improved competition.
Any of these will be a change within the organization. In thinking through what change initiatives will be launched, we consider (in no particular order and not a complete list of questions we answer):
- What else is going on in the organization?
- What will have the biggest impact on the bottom line?
- What other change initiatives are happening through the organization (at a business unit, division, department or workgroup level)?
- How impactful will the change be on the organization and its people? (This helps us to determine communication strategies to “sell” the change within the organization and how many such change initiatives should be launched in a given time period.)
- What other changes must take place for this change to be successful? (Other change initiatives prior to or during the change being considered.)
- What executive sponsorship do we have for the change?
Often, complex change initiatives are comprised of a number of smaller initiatives that help us to achieve our overall goal. Determining what change initiatives to launch is a strategy planning session in itself! Once the strategic plan is developed, use that information to determine the key complex projects that need to happen in order to achieve that strategy. Those projects are the change you will be launching in the new year. Undoubtedly each of those projects will require changes in the business – whether it is how the work is done (processes), the skills that employees need to be successful, or the launch of new products or services and how they are sold and marketed, or any other number of impacts. Then, begin to get feedback and support from your employees at all levels about the upcoming change initiatives. Their feedback will help you to better shape what changes are launched (and how and when they are launched) as well as enable for employees to feel a part of the process. Employees who feel are part of the process are more likely to champion and adopt change. So – what are your plans for 2020 change initiatives? Need help thinking through what change initiatives you will launch, or in getting strategic planning done to ensure the company is moving in the right direction? Contact Abudi Consulting Group to learn more about how we work with our clients to drive successful change in the organization.
