All Change Please

When it comes to dealing with change we are aware certain critical factors need serious consideration as early in the change process as possible, time permitting of course. Two of these critical factors are the communication and people aspects of change.

Change is an ongoing and often a costly affair. Our desire to become ‘best in class’ and achieve or maintain a competitive edge means investing in new technologies, innovating, and striving to deliver world class service through cutting edge products or people.

Where there is call for such investment, having answers to some fundamental questions can help establish how ‘ready’ our organisation is to handle change and even manage it more successfully more of the time. As we know change is a constant.

You may want to consider the following questions to get the ball rolling:

What are the most critical changes we are/will face now and in the near future?
Of these critical changes which are most likely to impact our people?
On what basis have we prioritised the changes?
Which are likely to have a positive impact on our people in the short/medium/long term?
Which are likely to have a negative impact on our people, in the short/medium/long term?
How are we involving our people in change?
How could we involve our people more in change?
Who are my true key players in implementing change?
Who are my key influencers in implementing change?
Of these people who do I need to commit more time to?
Who do I need to give more responsibility to?
What/Who are my key potential "bottle necks" and why?
Who has a clear understanding of what each change is designed to achieve?
To what depth have any current changes been communicated?
What steps are in place to ensure ensuing changes are communicated?
How has is change communication typically cascaded?
How will we know we have succeeded in effectively implementing change?

When it comes to change it is easy to see how the more we understand the more questions will surface. The questions above are by no means a proven structured approach to managing change but are meant to serve as a glimpse at the scale of readiness of a company and its people.

Angelina Foden