'There's an expectation for leaders to drive future states and accomplish the return on investment needed to transform organizations'
As organizations face increasing levels of change, the ability to manage transitions effectively has become even more critical, according to one expert.
"Organizations are going through so much change, whether it be cultural, technology-related, or process-related," says Michelle Haggerty, COO and US president at Prosci, in talking with Human Resources Director.
"Whether it be cultural, technology related, process or system related, there's so many different types of change happening, and there’s an expectation for leaders to drive future states and accomplish the return on investment needed to transform organizations."
At its core, change management is about ensuring that people are prepared for transitions. Haggerty emphasizes the role of leadership in setting clear goals and actively engaging throughout the change process.
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What are the key factors in successful change management?
It’s important, she says, for organizations to have “a defined future state,” and “change management is all about facilitating the transition state to get there”.
And it’s important for employers to ensure that workers understand why the change is happening and that they are ready for the change.
“Active, invisible engagement” – meaning that business leaders and change management practitioners are engaged with the process all throughout – is also important, she says.
It’s also important that leaders not do it alone, she says.
“A lot of leaders try to hold onto as much as they can, feeling responsible for the outcomes and responsible for the impact. The best leaders build a coalition around them to be successful and really empower those around them to drive the change.”
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Investing in change management
Effective change management can increase the likelihood of success on strategic initiatives by seven times, according to Prosci. It notes that over 70% of projects with excellent change management were completed on or under budget.
“Now, more than ever, is an opportunity to invest in change management as a capability to differentiate your organization and be ahead of change when it hits you. That's an incredibly important opportunity,” says Haggerty.
“There's so much that we know about and there's a lot we don't know about, and so taking advantage of that and investing early will pay dividends down the road, for sure.”
Recently, Prosci launched a Certification for Advanced Practitioners, which “really elevates the skills of a practitioner,” says Haggerty.
“From an organizational standpoint, you can know that you're getting advanced, practical application of the concepts of change – not just the knowledge of what the principles and tools are, but really advancing the application and skill set behind it. And then, from a practitioner perspective, you're differentiating yourself against an increasingly competitive market of change practitioners.”
