Change Management

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Change Management Objectives

• Become skilled at change management and the

necessary elements for successful change

management.

• Identify the stages of change that people and

organization’s encounter.

• Discover the reasons people resist change and

strategies for overcoming resistance.

• Learn tactics to minimize negative change impacts by

using the change curve model.

of all change initiatives fail!

Change Management is…

• It’s a bird; it’s a plane; it’s…

• A verb – “Our focus needs to be on how to change this

business process.”

• A noun – “Change management is a key process on our

projects.”

• An adjective – “I have been developing my change

management skills.”

Change Management is…

“An approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and

organizations to a desired future state. It can also refer

to a project management process wherein changes to a

project are formally introduced and approved.” Source: Wikipedia

Why is change management important in your workplace?

In Simple Terms…

• Change management simply means…moving people

from the current state to a desired future state.

• Transitioning from “as-is” to “to-be”.

Why do you think change is difficult for people?

Necessary Elements for Successful

Change Management

• Support

• Buy-in

• Participation

• Impact Analysis

• Communication

• Readiness Assessment

• Change Management Responsibilities

Kurt Lewin’s Change Management

Model

Background for Stage 1 – Unfreeze

• Prepare people for why the change is needed.

• Communicate consistently why the change is necessary.

• Challenge the status quo and the “way we do things

around here” which is a difficult step for many.

• Realize people could react strongly and there will be a

level of uncertainty – depending upon how much change

is involved.

• Obtain buy-in and support for the change.

Stage 1 – How to Unfreeze

• Identify what has to change.

• Analyze the current state and

why change is necessary.

• Gain buy-in from senior management.

• Perform stakeholder identification

and stakeholder analysis.

• Define why change is needed.

• Communicate the change vision.

• Attend to issues and concerns of employees related to

the change.

Background for Stage 2 – Change

• Transition from unfreeze to change takes time.

• Uncertainty will start to be resolved.

• Support and commitment are achieved.

• People will begin to participate in the change.

• Explain WIIFM for stakeholders regarding the change.

• Communicate consistently throughout this transition

phase.

• Change involves a big time commitment and hands-on

management.

Stage 2 – How to Change

• Communicate throughout the change

lifecycle the benefits and impact to

employees.

• Address gossip and rumors with

transparency and honesty.

• Encourage people to get involved

and consistently provide direction.

• Identify short-term milestones to show success.

• Remember to include internal and external stakeholders

during this stage.

Background for Stage 3 – Refreeze

• Transitioning from “Change” to “Refreeze” involves

embracing of the new ways.

• Stabilization and consistencies begin to be realized.

• Internalization and use of changes are accomplished on

a daily or routine basis.

• Confidence in the new ways of doing things is achieved.

• A foundation is established for the next change initiative.

• Success of managing the change is celebrated.

Stage 3 – How to Refreeze

• Entrench changes in the workplace.

• Maintain support of the change and

overcome roadblocks for sustaining

the change.

• Reward supporters of the change.

• Modify organizational structure and job descriptions as

needed.

• Train and support people on new processes and

continue to communicate.

• Celebrate change accomplishments.

Top 10 Reasons People Resist

Change*

1. Loss of control

2. Excess uncertainty

3. Surprise, surprise!

4. Everything seems

different

5. Loss of face

6. Concerns about

competence

7. More work

8. Ripple effects

9. Past resentments

10. Sometimes the threat is

real

* Adapted from HBR Blog Network by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

posted on September 25, 2012.

1. Loss of Control

Protecting your turf and needing control over your territory.

Strategies:

• Leave room for choices

• Include people in planning

• Include people in implementation

2. Excess Uncertainty

Avoiding the unknown and not getting out of your comfort

zone.

Strategies:

• Communicate the vision for the change

• Create confidence in the change

management initiative

• Ensure understanding

3. Surprise, Surprise!

Having a change inflicted on you suddenly, without warning

or preparation.

Strategies:

• Keep changes in the open

• Try to void secrets

• If secrets are necessary, provide clues of what is going

to happen

4. Everything Seems Different

Feeling uncomfortable due to changes that take you out of

your habits and routines.

Strategies:

– Limit the number of changes

introduced at one time

– Provide some familiarity

– Avoid invoking change for the sake of change

5. Loss of Face

Becoming defensive if a change didn’t work and it is now

being replaced.

Strategies:

• Sustain people’s self-esteem by respecting elements of

previous initiatives

• Help people understand the need

to evolve

• Help people let go of the past

6. Concerns About Competence

Resisting change when you feel unintelligent or fear the

change will fail.

Strategies:

• Communicate clearly about the change

• Provide training and support

• Help people see they can do it

• Consider running the two processes concurrently to aid

in the transition

7. More Work

Feeling overloaded, especially if things go wrong in

managing the change.

Strategies:

• Have some of the team solely

focus on the change

• Use rewards and recognition for team members

• Reward others who made sacrifices to make the change

happen

8. Ripple Effects

Feeling the ripples of change through work disturbances

rebelling against the change.

Strategies:

• Perform stakeholder identification

• Perform stakeholder analysis

• Conduct impact analysis to identify how to minimize

disruptions

9. Past Resentments

Having a difficult time letting go of the past and of history.

Strategies:

• Respect the past and memories

of team members

• Check if any repairs need to take

place before moving toward the future state

10. Sometimes the Threat is Real

Resisting change when you know there will be

downsizings, losses, or replacements.

Strategies:

• Be fair

• Tell the truth

• Be transparent

• Implement quickly

Change Curve Model*

* Most people attribute the Change Curve Model to Elisabeth

Kubler-Ross and her work with the grieving process.

Minimizing Negative Change

Impacts

Stage 1

• Provide information for understanding.

• Share how to get help regarding reactions to the change.

• Communicate frequently with those impacted.

• Share where to get information.

• Answer all questions.

Stage 2

• People may resist either actively or passively.

• Allow for feelings, anger, and concerns to be stated.

• Poor management of this stage leads to chaos.

• Prepare for this stage by performing impact analysis.

• Determine mitigation strategies.

• Monitor this stage for unforeseen reactions.

Stage 3

• Turning point for change management from chaos to

success.

• Support people in the need to test and explore how they

will be impacted by the change.

• Provide training and support, if necessary.

• Allow time for acceptance and some lack of productivity

until adjustments to the change occur.

Stage 4

• Changes will become comfortable.

• People will see improvements for processes.

• Benefits will be realized (e.g., productivity, efficiency,

ROI, etc.).

• Celebrate successes so people begin to see change can

be good.

Summary: Change Management

• The key elements of change management are essential

for successfully handling transitions.

• The change curve model explains the four stages of

change people and organization’s encounter.

• Using strategies to overcome resistance to change

makes implementations more successful.

• An impact analysis can be developed to minimize

negative change impacts in alignment with the change

curve model.