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Watch the Minefields When Implementing Change

Published: Mar 31, 2009

 Workplace Issues       
In any strategic change initiative, there are four risk areas that need to be managed:
  • Resilience
      - Individuals and teams need to be able to absorb change. Resilient people and teams "bounce back" from major changes stronger and more capable than before.

 

  • Change Knowledge
- Success requires an in-depth understanding of how change unfolds within an organization and among individuals. When there is a discrepancy between the current culture and the objective of your project, culture always wins. The more you can align the beliefs, behaviors, and assumptions required by a new initiative with the current culture, the higher the chances of success.

 

 

  • Managing Adaptation Resources
- Most organizations have limited adaptation resources. Success requires alignment of an organization's various change initiatives with the limited resources available for implementing these changes.

 

 

  • Building Implementation Architecture
- One needs to understand the key leverage points for a successful implementation and develop a structured but flexible framework that ensures the following:

 

 

  • Clarify the parameters of the project
  • Communicate the project throughout the organization
  • Diagnose critical variables, such as sponsor commitment and target resistance
  • Monitor implementation
  • Evaluate results

Adapted from Project Change Management, by Daryl R. Conner and Nicholas L. Horney (McGraw-Hill).

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