Change Management: The Key To Realizing Results

By Felisa Berg, ClickSoftware

Change management. Business transformation. Field transition. User buy-in. Whatever you choose to call your field change program, the goal is the same: stakeholder acceptance and ownership of the new way of doing things so you can realize sustainable, quantifiable benefits. The process to realize acceptance can be complicated and requires many skills. Why are people resistant to change? Change creates uncertainty. In many cases, change threatens a sense of security in altering what people have been doing for several years. Even if we are fixing known issues, it can still be received negatively since we are asking people to change what they have become comfortable doing. Change also causes people to question their basic level of security: Will I have a job tomorrow? Overall, change can be an uncomfortable, unclear, and a messy process without a clear vision and understanding of the benefits. However, resistance can be reduced and success maximized if you focus on four elements: plan, communicate, motivate, and educate.