September 16, 2014  by

Change Management for the Built Environment: Getting Started

In my last post, I talked about making the case for change.   Once there is agreement that a change management program is important and the company is willing to commit resources to employee engagement, it is time to get started.

It’s Not Just Communicating!

Developing a change program is not just about creating a communications plan or deploying a bunch of tools and training – it is about engagement.  That means not only telling people what is going to happen, but building a desire for the change and preparing people for the way the change will impact the way they work.

Forbes Magazine published an article not too long ago busting the myth jodiblog_01_small
that training solves all problems: if your staff either are not capable of making the change or have no desire to make the change, all the training in the world will not impact their success.

Further proof that successful change management is not just about communications and training can be found in benchmarking studies. You’ll notice that neither is in the top three factors for success in the 2014 edition of Best Practices in Change Management:

  1. Active and visible executive sponsorship
  2. Structured change management approach
  3. Dedicated change management resources and funding

Not surprisingly, the greatest obstacle to success was listed as ineffective change management sponsorship. With this said, here are our critical steps for kicking off a change management initiative…and they’re probably not what you think they are:

Define the Change

It may seem straightforward, but the very first step in developing a successful change program is identifying the change: What is the problem your plan is seeking to solve? Without understanding of the desired end state, it is nearly impossible to develop a successful change plan.

Problem-defining activities may include visioning, gap analysis, benchmark comparisons, or reviews of trends and best practices, to name a few.  Once the problem has been defined, the program can be developed to provide a structured process that controls the effort, manages expectations, and boosts proficiency for all involved.

Assess the Change and Organizational Readiness

Once the problem has been defined, it is time to assess the change and organizational readiness for the change.

Consider the following when assessing the change and the organization’s aptitude for change:

  • Extent of the change – will employees feel that it is just a tweak, or a complete and total overhaul?
  • How many aspects of the workplace are changing – just the space? Technology? Policy? Reporting structure?  Are there other things going on that are unrelated to the project but still major organizational change?
  • Number of people impacted – a small group or the entire organization?
  • How the change will impact employees – will everyone have a similar experience of the change, or will some feel the change more than others?
  • How quickly or slowly will the change occur?
  • Other project-specific issues
  • How have past changes have been handled and how easily and effectively have employees adapted to them?
  • Do people believe the change is necessary?
  • Other organization-specific issues

Understanding the change itself as well as how the organization is prepared to handle it will enable you to develop and scale a change management program.

jodiblog_02

Build your Team

You may have an internal change management group, or an organizational excellence team.  Your human resources department may be dedicating a part of their time to change management.  If these resources are in place, that’s great, use them!  If they are not available, or if they are overloaded with other organizational change efforts, you can train and develop expertise within the organization (and consultants like RTKL and others can help support your program).

Once the team is created, it is important to understand their level of competency – have they done this before? Have they been trained in CM?  Do they have the time available to dedicate to the project? Understanding strengths and weaknesses will help you determine where coaching and training may be necessary.

Identify the Executive Sponsor

The executive sponsor may be the CEO of the company or a member of the C-suite…or not.  The sponsor must be someone in the chain of command of the groups impacted, and if not directly in the chain of command, is able to form a strong sponsorship coalition with other executives.

Once a sponsor or coalition of sponsors is determined, the sponsorship should be assessed (and possibly trained/coached).  Things to consider: is the sponsor supportive of the change? How competent is the sponsor in change management? How influential is the sponsor? Is the sponsor available to participate in the change? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the sponsor?

Develop the Change Management Plan

The change plan should dovetail with the project team’s plan, taking advantage of opportunities to share resources and combine efforts if and when it makes sense for both. This plan will serve as a roadmap throughout the process and will provide the team with ideas of how and when to engage different portions of the population undergoing change. The plan should help the change cascade throughout the organization, touching senior management, middle management, and end users.

The high-level plan should be agreed to by the sponsorship coalition, as well as the change management and project teams.  Of course the plan will change…and that is absolutely ok…it is just intended to serve as a guideline and place some key milestones along the way.

Now it is time to start to engage, listen, communicate, listen, train, listen, coach, listen, celebrate, listen, adapt, listen, and reinforce!

 

Jodi Williams and Kim Heartwell will be speaking about Change Management at IFMA World Workplace in New Orleans this week. Hope to see you there!

Jodi Williams

Jodi Williams

Jodi Williams brings nearly 15 years of experience in workplace strategy, facility planning, and change management. She leads strategic planning efforts for public and private sector clients, and has been a featured speaker at industry events such as IFMA World Workplace, Greenbuild, and NeoConEast.
in Design / People / Sustainability 2 comments