In our previous article ‘Good change management: back to basics’ we shared some insights about applying realism to the practicalities of delivering change, the importance of the human element of change and a thorough, pragmatic change delivery approach and plan.
We are finding that every organisation who talks to us is experiencing relentless change where ‘business as usual’ rarely exists; as soon as a change is delivered, there are more changes in the pipeline or about to be launched. This means that organisations are recognising the need to grow an in-house change management capability that can support the delivery of strategic programmes across the enterprise and where change practices can be redeployed from programme to project as the lifecycles demand.
At the core of sustainable change management practice is a function of 3 factors:
A Business Change Delivery Framework (BCDF) that can be flexed to align with an organisational infrastructure, strategic programme portfolio and delivery methodology.
A practical, robust Change Management Capability Framework (CMCF) that supports early and sustainable adoption of new tools based on consistent applied skills and knowledge along with the embedding of enterprise-wide Change Management competencies within clear roles, defined change specialisms and responsibilities.
A Change Assurance & Quality Review (CAQR) framework that supports Good Change Management Practice; learning opportunities that support career development and professional accreditation pathways for the Change Management Institute.
Change management is an integral part of business transformation and evolution but can often be seen as adding complexity (one more thing to do) to an already long list of activities, deliverables and outcomes. That perception can be reinforced by the terminology, and numerous models, tools etc. deployed by change practitioners. Change can often seem baffling, and difficult to communicate in a way that encourages leaders, managers and employees to embrace both the change in progress, and the value of a structured, consistent change management practice.
Collectively, this may sound a bit overwhelming, but at its simplest can be distilled into 5 ‘meta questions’ for Business Change:
1. What will change? How? Where?
2. How will the change be delivered? What and where are the capabilities needed?
3. Are people ready and what do they need to be capable and productive post-change?
4. How will leaders motivate and inspire people to make changes?
5. What support is needed for change to be adopted and embedded?
The most important challenge for all change practitioners is to articulate the why, what, where and when of business change in clear and simple terms that people throughout the organisation can understand. Marlowe’s approach is to frame all business change delivery in terms of being ‘Ready, Willing and Able’ to deliver and adopt change. By giving people this simple device to access, discuss, share and contribute to the change, they will engage, champion and commit to delivering that change.
About Marlowe
At Marlowe we partner with you and your organisation to deliver large scale, complex transformation and change. We deliver business change solutions, change capability, assurance, training, leadership effectiveness and cultural change.
Our focus is on your people to ensure your change is delivered practically, successfully and sustainably.
Please contact us to find out more about how we can help you deliver business change effectively.