Created: 11 April 2022

Change Management: 6 Factors For Effective And Efficient Change

Change management determines how well an organization can improve, grow, and even survive. See 6 factors for effective and efficient change management.

Keyword(s): change management

In 2019, the failure rate for startups was 90 per cent! If you wish to avoid failure, one effective way is to implement change.

However, if the change is not properly managed, it can bring about chaos instead of moving a business forward. Change management implementation is something that you need to carefully monitor.

It can be difficult to know exactly what to do to make change manageable, but it is not impossible. With a few tips, you'll be able to effectively manage any change that your organization experiences.

Take a look at the main things you need to consider for effective change management.

1. Craft a Plan

The first step for effective change management is to have a plan ready. When you decide to make a change in your business, you need to have a vision for what you want the change to look like.

You also need to make sure that the reasons you are creating change are valid ones. Change can be difficult enough. If it is not executed with clear goals and strategic steps in place, the result will be chaos.

Make sure that you involve stakeholders in the entire process so that it goes smoothly.

2. Open the Lines of Communication

One of the most important things you need to do if you're going to execute change in any organization is to have clear lines of communication. Communicating the details of your plan with stakeholders, as well as the staff in the organization, is something that you cannot afford to ignore.

Use clear communication, especially with the staff. You do not need to use fancy words or industrial jargon that will confuse people. Make sure that your communication is straightforward so that they know how the day-to-day operations and business will be affected.

Prompt communication is also key in this situation. When change is happening, people can become very anxious, and they might start rumours if you communicate poorly with them.

This can create a lot of unnecessary confusion. Make sure that those involved are only getting their information from reliable sources within the organization.

3. Be Open to Revising Your Plans

A big part of effective change management is knowing when and how to revise your plans for that change. After you have begun implementing your change management program, you may find that something is not working.

If something is going wrong on any level of your organization, you must be willing to listen to your stakeholders and staff members about the impact it is having.

If you don't take action and you ignore these new developments, you may end up with a failed change plan and disgruntled staff.

4. Decide How You Will Motivate

You will need to motivate those who the change process will affect. Change is not easy for anyone, and if people feel powerless, it can be very demotivating. When this happens, they may not be willing to put their all into it.

This is especially true if the change is not a pleasant one. For example, if the change involves the cutting of staff, mergers, or downsizing, you can expect that motivation will dwindle. If this is the case, you will need to find creative ways to make the staff come on board with the plan.

The best way to ensure that you keep staff motivated when difficult change is happening is to be with them every step of the way. Find out what is happening on the ground, and listen to their thoughts, feelings, and suggestions.

This will ensure that staff feels valued, which in turn will get them motivated to do more. This attitude will make change more effective so that your business can grow.

5. Monitor Implementation Closely

When change is in progress, it is easy for employees to fall back into old patterns even if they are feeling motivated. You need to make sure that the change is being implemented in the correct way on the ground.

This means that quality control should be a huge part of the change management process.

You must ensure that there is careful supervision and documentation of everything that is happening. At the end of the day, you will need to go back and look at what works and what doesn’t.

This type of close supervision will give you the data you need when it comes time to evaluate the effectiveness of the change.

6. Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Change

There will come a time during the change management process when you will need to evaluate everything that you have done. You will need to look at how the organization is managing the change.

This means that you will have to look at the reactions of all the stakeholders in the organization. At this time, you will be able to use the data that has been collected by supervisors and others in the administration.

This is also when you can get feedback from staff as well.

The Key to Successful Change Management

The key to successful change management is to ensure that you create a solid plan of how you are going to implement change in the organization. You will also need to ensure that you take the time to communicate with everyone who will be affected by the change.

At all times, you need to make sure that you are keeping those involved in the change motivated. You also have to realize that nothing can be set in stone. You must be flexible and willing to adjust your change management strategy as issues arise.

This is the only way to ensure that the change will be effective. If you would like to learn additional business skills, please take a look at our courses.