The document discusses critical questions to ask before implementing change management. It recommends taking time to plan change in detail, develop strong communication, and gain employee commitment and support. Key factors for successful change include clarity of vision, leadership, accountability, champions, resources, roles, engagement, communication and commitment. The document lists 21 questions to ask that will help develop a strong change plan and turn an organization around quickly through change.

1. 20
Prepared by
Catherine Adenle
catherinescareercorner.com
Critical Questions to Ask
before
Change Management
21

3. Executing or
initiating
change?
First, take the
time to plan
every detail of
the change.

4. Poorly planned
change efforts will
affect employees’
engagement and
ultimately their
productivity.

5. Before you implement
a major change, ask
yourself some critical
change questions
about the change and
ensure you answer
them satisfactorily.

6. Next, develop a
strong
communication
plan to help
engage affected
employees and
stakeholders in
the process.

7. 5 Steps Approach
Strategy
Define the need for change
and develop change vision
Message
Communicate the vision
Enrollment
Gain support and
commitment for the
change
Training
Monitor and support
commitment through
processes
Reinforcing
Recognize and reward
change

8. Key Factors for
Successful Change
Management
• Clarity of Shared
Vision and Purpose
• Leadership
• Accountability
• Strong Champions
• Sufficient Resources
• Clarity of Roles
• Engagement and
Motivation
• Continuous and
Targeted
Communication
• Commitment
• Monitoring

9. How do I understand
the need for change,
its end goals and how
it fits into the
organization’s vision?
How do I use the
information to set the
stage for change?
1

10. 2
Are the reasons for change logical and
compelling enough? What are they and
how do they align with the
organization's goals or strategic plans?

11. How do I incorporate new values and
attitudes and weave these into our
culture so they are easily embedded? If
not, what do I need to get this done?
3

12. 4
How can I be generous with the time and effort
that I have to handle the change correctly? If I
can’t, what can I do to address my workload so
that I can dedicate the time needed to
implement the change successfully?

13. How do I ensure that employees clearly
understand why they are being
asked to change?
What is the ‘WIIFM’* statement of the
change for employees and the
organization?
5
*What's In It For Me?

14. How can I best align
the workforce to be
accountable and
support the change?
6

15. 11
What are the
resources
readily
available for
the change;
how am I going
to utilize them
successfully?
7

16. How do I prepare the
framework to
communicate the
change vision, outline
its benefits, the
desired results and
behaviors required for
change to happen and
for it to stick?
8

17. 9
What can I do
to keep the
information
flow frequent,
timely and clear
to all
stakeholders
and also listen
to their
concerns?

18. 10
How do I build a solid foundation
for employees’ inclusion and
participation via consultative
communication approaches?

19. 11
How can I best govern this
change and build infrastructures
to accelerate initiative launch
and achieve great results?

20. Who will be the supporters of change and
how can I leverage their support as
change champions?
12

21. SAY NO
13
Who will feel threatened by change and
how will I deal with their concerns?

22. How do I deal with general change
resistance and also offer support to
manage the pace of transition?
14

23. How can I
motivate
and support
employees during
this change? How
can I involve some
of the people
affected by the
change?
15

24. 16
How can I form a steering committee
comprising of representatives of all the
parties affected by the change and
involve them in its planning and
implementation at the earliest stages?

25. 17
Will the other leaders involved be
visible leaders, can they come out of
the boardroom to the shop floor?
If not, what do we need to do to be
visible to employees during
this change?

26. Through the change, how do we
nurture a new culture by developing
positive behaviours and shared values?
18

27. 19
How am I going to measure change
successes, review lessons learned,
transfer ownership and after action
reviews?

28. 20
How can an ongoing commitment
at the top and across the
organization guide organizational
behaviour and be maintained to ensure
that change is embedded and a culture of
constant improvement is implemented?

29. How do I
continue to
reinforce change,
implement
corrective
actions, celebrate
successes,
recognize and
reward
achievements?
21

30. Asking these 21
critical change
questions will help
you to develop a
strong plan for
change.
It will also help to
turn your organization
around quickly and
successfully.

31. After these
questions, do you
think you need help
to implement the
change? If you need
help with the
change, know why
and speak up. That’s
the best way to
implement a
successful change.

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Prepared by
Catherine Adenle
catherinescareercorner.com
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