The number one obstacle to success for major change projects is employee resistance and the ineffective management of the people side of change. Organizational Change Management (OCM) is a blend of processes, tools and practices that helps to ensure that implementing project management systems, processes, tools and training is successful. It addresses employee resistance and it helps ensure that all of the critical aspects of sponsorship, requirements analysis, political challenges, and changes to roles, responsibilities and authority are considered and melded with the “nuts and bolts” of implementing project management. Successfully executing OCM helps ensure success of an implementation.
The Ten Six approach is phased and can be scaled to fit a client’s requirements across all of the areas that will be implementing project management tools, systems and processes.
No two situations are the same, however, the following are common challenges and potential impediments to any successful implementation.
- Changed responsibilities and authority
- Changes in accountability for results, information, actions
- Learning to use new tools, systems and information
- Sharing information that was not shared previously
- Feeling threatened with job change or job loss
- Changing interactions with other individuals and groups, especially project teams and functional groups that work in a matrix organization
- Dealing with Not Invented Here (NIH) resistance to implementing new ways of working
- Inconsistent or weak OCM sponsorship
- Sabotage of implementation through passivity or overt refusal to accept or adapt to the change
- Feelings of anger, fear, reluctance and resentment
Our experience has shown us that the following are the key OCM conditions that will help to ensure a successful implementation.
- Senior leadership and other stakeholders’ commitment to the OCM initiative and their willingness to take on the challenge of the change.
- Understanding of the extent of the changes being implemented (could include changes in the organization’s structure, new ways of doing business or strategic directions, new staff, retraining existing staff for new or changed roles, new ways of working with customers inside and outside of the organization, etc.).
- A budget for the OCM work that is commensurate with the scope of the change.
- A clear and unambiguous message from the senior leadership and key stakeholders about why the change is needed.
- A willingness to commit to the scope and pace of the change to make it stick.
- A willingness to take corrective action when needed to make sure that, relative to the importance of the change, the right people are in place and the investment needed is made to bring about the change.
- Prior experience with OCM initiatives and understanding of what caused successes and failures.
- The current change programs underway and how they impact the parts of the organization with which they are working; assessing the degree to which this new initiative can be absorbed.
Through our structured and proactive approach in addressing these and other factors that negatively impact implementations, we can significantly reduce risk and ensure implementation success. Call us today (703) 910-2600 to learn more!