1. The Change M nute
By Stephen Doiron
Change Management Professionals
www.ChangeManagementPro.ca
When do you need the Services of a Change Management Expert?
As a management consultant who specializes in change management, one question I am frequently asked by
organizational leaders is “How do you know you need the services of a Change Management Expert?” This is a
great question. If you are contemplating a change or are in the midst of one and are thinking that you may need
help, consider the following 3 questions or as I like to put it, paraphrasing comedian Jeff Foxworthy: You might
be in need a Change Management Expert if…. you answer “YES” to any of these questions:
1. Does a successful outcome (achieving ROI)
depend significantly on employees changing
what and how their work will be
accomplished?
Most change today involves people performing their
jobs differently. If success highly depends on
people changing how they do their work, then the
risks to achieving a positive outcome may be
increased substantially, especially if the change to
how work is performed is considered substantial.
As complex as the change itself may be, guiding
people through change is for many leaders the most
challenging part. In my experience, leading change
is a higher leadership practice because it involves
leading people from what is known to what is unknown. As such, leaders must employ tactics that are often
considered counter intuitive to prevailing management practices.
2. Is the scope of the change large? Will it impact multiple work groups, many stakeholders, or be enterprise
wide?
The grander the scope, such as in large organizational and transformational change, the greater will be the
amount of time and effort necessary for planning, coordinating, communicating, training and post-
implementation support across the organization. For leaders, this can divert time away from other equally
important activities. So getting support with the process (through internal or external resources) will help
address risks and ensure the change is embraced, and resistance is mitigated.
3. Must the change be completed within 12 months?
Change can create stress for organizational leaders and for the organization overall. This can be amplified if the
window of time for the change to happen is short. For most change, the shorter the time to delivery means the
less flexibility for the organization if any step does not go according to plan. The situation becomes more
complicated and the risks become greater if the scope of the change also involves multiple stakeholders.