The Positive Side of Change

In a recent NZ Herald article, Kevin McCaffrey of IBM Business Consulting looks at some of the issues for organisations facing change.

McCaffrey says strong governance and fast action are the most important aspects of successful change management. "People do not come to work thinking 'we haven't needed any change management for a while, it's about time we had some'. When change happens, employees typically feel lost, scared, and fearful."

Among the tips MaCaffrey offers for those in charge are:

• Know the roles of the senior team and their responsibilities.
• Establish strong, swift-acting governance for the organisation, whatever state of flux it is in.
• Put someone in charge; move to protect customers, people and money from any negative impact of change.
• Don't over-complicate change management planning.
• Execute a simple plan quickly. Create certainty as quickly as possible. Discuss the positives widely.
• Tell staff and customers as much as you can, when you can, as soon as you can. Treated fairly, most people accept and support change.
• Think about how different people might react to change; demonstrate to these that you know what you are doing by describing a plan of action and execution. Most importantly: clearly explain the case for change to staff, customers and shareholders.
• Accept that not everyone will be happy with change.
  

The full article can be viewed at http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=59&objectid=3585773