The role of Change Management
in HR Technology projects
25 September 2008

Without change management

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Projects and Change
• Projects usually
– Make a step change
– Introduce new
– Improve the organisation
• They are connected

Technology

But...

Organisation

Culture

Process

People

Behaviour

Knowledge

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15%

Why?

We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we
were beginning to form up into teams we would be
reorganised. Presumably the plans for our
employment were being changed.
I was to learn later in life that, perhaps because we
are so good at organising, we tend as a nation to
meet any new situation by reorganising; and a
wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion
of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency
and demoralization.
Charlton Ogburn, Jr 1957

The change curve
Saying Goodbye Moving Forward
Shifting into Neutral
Adapted from Managing Transitions by W illiam Bridges

Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye….
Saying Goodbye Moving Forward
Shifting into Neutral
People need to say goodbye to: Emotions people experience:
• Processes of working • Confusion why they need to change
• Technical systems • Fear of what is next
• The knowledge and skills used in • Sadness of letting go
the “old world” • Relief even at saying goodbye to
• Established routines inefficient working
• Current behaviours • Excitement towards new possibilities
and new skill development

Shifting to neutral

Shifting to neutral….
Saying Goodbye Moving Forward
Shifting into Neutral
Emotions people experience:
• Resistance to the proposed change being
• Confusion as old habits are gone, but the
new ones are not established
• Stress about succeed in the future
• Innovation towards creating a new future
• Motivation to get involved in the process
• Anticipation of the new way of working

Moving Forward

Moving Forward…
Saying Goodbye Moving Forward
Shifting into Neutral
People have: Emotions people experience:
• New processes • Relief that the change is over
• New systems • Achievement at executing the
• New skills change
• New policies • Excitement about new skills
• New people and succeeding in the new
environment
• New environments
• Apathy towards the new way

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Change management frameworks

Change management frameworks
• Lewin
• Bullock & Battern
• Kotter
• Beckhard & Harris
• Nadler & Tushman
• McKinsey
• William Bridges
• Senge
• Stacy & Shaw
Every consulting firm on the planet

?

The right
approach for the
right situation

Change management frameworks
Approach Uses
Lewin Good for analysing change at the start
Bullock & Batten Good for simple isolated changes
Kotter Great approach for large or small changes, does imply a
linear approach
Beckhard & Harris Simple change formula (C=[ABC]>X) for analysing change at
any point in the process
Nadler & Tushman Good checklist for what should be covered in change
McKinsey Seven S Encourages problem focus & looks at change from
interdependent subsystems.
William Bridges Good at tackling inevitable change
Carnall Another good checklist
Senge Different approach, start small and grow. Don’t plan
everything up front as you cannot control change.
Stacey & Shaw A new framework promoting the fact that there are no easy
solutions. Not very prescriptive.
Adapted from Making Sense of Change Management by Cameron & Green

The change implementation process

Project implementation
Design
Start & Transition
up Build to Support
Initiation Deploy Close
Down

Change implementation
Change Close &
Initiation Implementation Review
Planning Solidification

How do they go together?
Change Close &
Initiation Implementation Review
Startup Initiation Design & Build Deploy Transition Close Down
Planning Solidification
Shifting into
Saying Goodbye Going Forward
Neutral

Change Initiation
• Steps
– Initial business case for change
– Define objectives
– Clarify to end state
– Complete initial stakeholder analysis
– Assess change readiness
– Develop a plan for the planning phase

Planning
• Steps
– Finalise business case to change
– Revise stakeholder analysis and initiate
engagement
– Define the high level changes in:
• Strategy
• Organisational structure
• Processes
• Behaviours
• Skills

Planning
• Steps
– Plan change specific communication
– Conduct change impact assessments
– Document current change capability of the
organisation and plans to increase
– Develop your change teams

Implementation
• Steps
– Monitor stakeholder analysis engagement
– Implement change specific communication,
including promotion of successes
– Implement plans to increase change capability
– Conduct training needs analysis & implement
training

Implementation
• Steps
– Conduct organisation design
– Implement work practice changes
– Monitor overall progress
– Deal with issues & modify the plan as required
– Develop your plans for solidification

Solidification
• Steps
– Work with key stakeholders to ensure business
strategy incorporates outcomes of the change
program
– Ensure new processes are incorporated into
“business as usual”
– Ensure position descriptions are updated to
include new behaviours and skills

Solidification
• Steps
– Ensure performance management processes are
updated to reflect the behaviours and cultures of
the organisation
– Ensure compensation & benefits are updated to
reflect the behaviours and cultures of the
organisation

Close & Review
• Steps
– Confirm that the plan has been fully implemented
– Release change specific resources
– Hand over outstanding activities
– Document benefits achieved to date and plans for
measurement of future benefits
– Report on
• What went well?
• Where are the improvement opportunities?
• Were there any implementation gaps?

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Success factors

Success factors
• Be able to describe the change in 1 minute or less
• Ensure all the details are planned with accountabilities
• Understand the impacts
• Plan the “Saying Goodbye” period
• Communicate through the “Neutral Zone” with the 4
P's of transition (Purpose, Picture, Plan, Part)
• Create temporary solutions to the transition problems
and uncertainty in the “Neutral Zone”
• Launch people in to the “Moving Forward” through
communicating and practicing the new attitudes and
behaviours needed to make the change work