Change management is a unique process in every organisation, therefore there is no master approach. It is an intrinsic and multi-disciplinary profession which relies on psychological models, organisation designs, system processing and so much more. Regardless of the differing instances where change management is utilized, one thing is sure; employing the right change management tools and techniques to develop an approach will yield a positive result and ensure a successful transition.
To effectively employ change management tools, it is cogent to define change in your own scenario ad make sure every entity within the organisation is involved. See that member of the organisation understands, support and make efforts. However, it doesn’t mean that everyone must agree to the changes to be implemented because trying to achieve complete consensus is near impossible and will only delay the progress of the process.
There is a wide range of change management tools and techniques that can help you manage, understand, plan, communicate and monitor change within an organisation.
Various Change Management Tools and Techniques
Flowcharting
Creating flowcharts of the processes and progress of an organisation serves as a visual sketch especially for members who have streamlined roles in the company or don’t have a broader view of the organisation’s processes.
Flowcharting is the best and simplest way to keep people informed about the organisation’s vision, achievement and goals at sight. It shows displays where the company is at and where it wants to be. Having different managers draw up the company’s current organisation flowchart will show how different people within the company perceive the key processes.
Implanting changes to the flowchart as they begin to manifest within the organisation give members the chance to keep up with the change. It will also raise their spirit of contribution, participation and commitment to the organisational goals.
Metrics and Data Collection
Collecting the right data and information is an important step in change management, a technique that cannot be overemphasized. Focusing on fact and figures of the performance of the organisation over a particular period of time, give an objective evaluation of progress. It give precise judgement of where an organisation stands today with respect to its strength, weakness, opportunities and threats.
Data collection steers the organisation away from unnecessary argument and backtracking that slows the momentum of progress. It serves as a clear, quantitative and qualitative indicator of performance against the goal stated.
Metrics and data collection is almost invalid without including the cycle time and the range of cycle time. The cycle time refers to the average time from start to the end, while the range of cycle time includes the shortest and longest cycle time.
Force Field Analysis
This change management tool provides an initial overview of the change problems that must be tackled. It indicates the change drivers or promoters and the change inhibitors. The Force Field Analysis is a concept that believes that for a change to be successful, its driving forces must be strengthened and it inhibitors or resisting forces must be weakened.
The strongest inhibitor any change process can face is resistance from people within the organisation. Therefore, for new change to be welcomed by members of the company, the benefits of the proposed change must be the focal point. It is also important to invest time and resources in discussions to enlighten staffs who are resistant to change to help them see the clearer picture.
Culture Mapping
Culture is the way of life. Every organisation has its established ways of getting things done. Norms, practices, concepts and values is unique to every establishment. General cultural standards applicable to most organisations include reward system based on outstanding performance or promotion and respect for authority of senior management. To effectively manage change, you must have an absolute knowledge of the organisational structure.
Project Plan
Obviously, every project requires a clear project plan to stay on track. A clearly defined project plan will serve as a framework to work on which will state instances where flexibility will be allowed and clear-cut boundaries.
Since the process and function of an organisation is holistic, change management is a wholly concept. Various departments of the company work to simultaneously implement new changes. Developing a project plan that clearly defines the roles of individuals and manage deadline will keep your organisation agile and make the change management effective.
