How To Manage Change: 7 Keys

Change is inevitable. There’s no getting around it. That’s why it’s such a hot management topic these days. Change is also pervasive. It affects everything—even projects. In fact, it can make or break your business growth strategy. Hence we need to manage change.

Managing change provides numerous benefits. It helps:

• Both partners work together more effectively
• Generate support for your project.
• Ensure complex changes are made efficiently
• Both organizations adapt to a new way of working

Managing change is the engine of any project. It drives organizational transformation and employee motivation. That’s why it’s so critical to outsourcing success.

But managing change is a challenge and it involves two organizations with different goals, personalities, and management styles.

So how do you manage change effectively when two organizations are involved? Here are 7 ways that can help you do it.

• Streamline The Adaption Process

Change creates fear and anxiety. These in turn create resistance. To manage change effectively, you need to overcome resistance:

First, you must unearth the causes of resistance. Once you’ve done that, streamline the adaption process based on those causes.

Streaming simplifies and speeds transformation. That in turn places less stress on the organizations involved.

• Have Patience And Don’t Skip Key Steps

Organizational transformation is a process. Experts say there are 8 steps to managing change. Each takes time to execute. So have patience. And don’t skip any steps. That just makes your job that much harder later on.

• Strive For Continuous Improvement and manage well

All projects are different & unique and sometimes complicated. To manage this complexity, you must be disciplined, make data-driven decisions, and strive for continuous improvements. Using a methodology, like Lean, helps.

• Build A Sense Of Teamwork At Every Level

Team play works best when both organizations see themselves as partners. So work on creating the bonds of teamwork at every level and with all stakeholders—including senior management if they’re involved.

• Forge Two-Way Communications

Creating an open, two-way dialogue between partners is critical. In fact, your project won’t succeed without it. So talk with your service provider constantly. Let them know what’s happening.

In addition, explain why the project is taking place and support honest feedback when given. Feedback drives continuous improvements while open communications build board-based support for your project.

• Manage A Customer-Focused Work Environment

To be successful at this, you must have a service delivery team that’s customer-focused, determined, and motivated—one that’s committed to continuously improving performance.

To create a dynamic environment, you must leverage effective performance management, recognition, and reward, and learning, mentoring, and career development.

• Involve Change Management Experts Early

A good time to weave change management activities into a project is at the beginning. Bringing in experts to guide you through the process early on helps. It helps them understand your business objectives and your challenges.

Early involvement helps them create a plan tailored specifically to your needs—a plan that includes both comprehensive strategy and targeted tactics, and that can help your people adapt to a new environment.

So confront change head-on. Including change management activities in any plans, you make like tech support or help desk activities to ensure success.

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