Blog

Articles

• October

  22
  2020
  

  Covid-19 has changed "effective sponsorship". Here is how.

  Do you know what #1 success factor is for any change initiative? I bet you guessed it. It is having a fully committed and visible sponsor. This has been true for as long as it has been researched. Sponsors can make or break a change. And Covid-19 will significantly amplify their impact, for better or for worse. Successful change demands effective sponsorship. Crisis-led change demands even more and better sponsorship. We know that sponsors must be Active, Build coalitions and Communicate directly with employees. That has not changed. But Covid-19 presents leaders with new challenges. Let’s look at what they are … without overlooking the fact that disruption also brings opportunity. New skills, same roles … and more important Some behaviours have become more critical than others in a world grappling with uncertainty and operating on new hybrid ground. Effective sponsors must mirror the traits of “adaptive ...

  Written by
  Morten Kamp Andersen

• September

  29
  2020
  

  Use ADKAR to help people return to the workplace

  Adapt. Reconfigure. Emerge stronger. Clearly, the post-Covid-19 area is riddled with organisational challenges. There is no blueprint for dealing with a pandemic in the workplace. But there are good and bad change management strategies. Change happens one person at a time. And change itself is a process, or better said, a journey. Breaking down change into smaller steps is the single best way to keep things on track and eliminate obstacles. Create Awareness and Desire for the change; deliver Knowledge; foster people’s Ability to implement skills and required behaviours; Reinforce the outcome: This is AKDAR´s method in a nutshell. Now, how do you apply ADKAR to today´s challenges, more specifically, to help people go back to the workplace? Just so we are on the same page, the first part takes you through the basics of the model. We then turn to explore the challenges specific to each phase ...

  Written by
  Morten Kamp Andersen

• September

  16
  2020
  

  CM is facing two new challenges due to Covid-19

  Change Management practitioners have a lot on their plate. Why? Because we now face two new challenges due to Covid-19; ensuring a safe move to the “new normal” and changing how we do Change Management. Returning to the workplace (RTW) might feel like stepping into a new world. Changes will impact every aspect of our work, from how we collaborate to where we work, and how we are managed. CM is the key to making that happen. At the same time, we as CM practitioners, must realise that Covid-19 is a before-and-after moment in the history of the discipline itself. In plain terms, we cannot afford to do CM the way we did it a year ago. Let’s see what those two challenges look like[1]. 1.“Moving back”: Look beyond the urgency to provide meaningful answers Returning to the workplace involves many changes. One of the most pressing ...

  Written by
  Morten Kamp Andersen

• September

  02
  2020
  

  4 simple steps to craft a compelling “why” for your change.

  You carefully explained what was going to change, and how. You repeated and reframed the message, many times. But to no avail. Resistance to change is a hard thing to beat, and the biggest cause of project failure. You need to shift the conversation. Here is the trick: don´t tell them what you are doing, tell them why you are doing it. A compelling why is all it takes to galvanise people into action and make change happen. The following model designed by our partner PROSCI guides you through the process of crafting the story of change. A simple, straightforward, yet highly effective method to get it right the first time around. The story of change, in a nutshell. The model is divided into four sections, each one targeting a specific set of arguments. You should start with the logical aspect of the “why”. But no not dwell ...

  Written by
  Morten Kamp Andersen

• August

  19
  2020
  

  Building a CM team: All you need to know about people and structure(s).

  You are responsible for building a Change Management (CM) team. Two questions pop into your mind. First, who should you choose? Second, how to structure the team? You will not be the only one to ask how to go about these tasks. And even if there is no right or wrong, we do know what might work best. Here are some key points to consider[1]. Choose the best people Let us focus on the most important element first: the people. That way, we will remain true to the core principle of CM. People are the core constituents of change. You obviously want the best to spearhead the next big move. Which attributes do great CM team members typically have in common? What should you pay attention to? According to research conducted by PROSCI, the topmost sought-after skills are the following: Communication: this one is straightforward. The ability ...

  Written by
  Morten Kamp Andersen

• June

  23
  2020
  

  Back to work after Covid-19: The importance of defining the impact of change.

  In our previous post, we emphasized the importance of empathy mapping in extreme circumstances such as Covid-19. Organizations now face the urgent task of redesigning the working environment in accordance with new sanitary regulations. Many employees have probably expressed concerns over the post-lockdown workplace rules and wider consequences of the crisis. Clearly defining the impact of change, and co-creating the roadmap with collaborators where possible, is key. Here is another essential tool to respond to Covid-19 related challenges and help people push past resistance. 10 working areas, different impacts. When asked to consider the potential advantages of highlighting the impact of change, participants in one of our recent webinars offered insightful answers: less rejection, greater efficiency and likelihood of success, coalition building, change reinforcement, better engagement, sensemaking… These are just a few key points that make a compelling case for defining the impact of change before taking any ...

  Written by
  Renaud de Lombaert

• May

  20
  2020
  

  Empathy mapping: a particularly valuable tool in times of crisis.

  Covid-19 has disrupted the workplace and upended routines in the blink of an eye. As governments relax lockdown measures, companies are pushed in the back to reshape the workspace in compliance with sanitary standards. For many employees, uncertainty translates into anxiety. Health concerns still loom large, but the sense of moving into unchartered territory can be equally unsettling. What will the atmosphere be like with less colleagues around, strict distancing rules and the compulsory wearing of masks? What if I am redeployed into a role? … The list goes on. Our partner PROSCI has drawn attention to empathy mapping[1] as an extremely valuable tool to navigate the “new normal”, by putting people first. Here is a way you could improve the response to the crisis. Mapping out thoughts and feelings. Empathy is the ability to understand another person´s feelings and experience. A visual and collaborative tool pioneered by ...

  Written by
  Renaud de Lombaert

• April

  28
  2020
  

  The 5 roles of Change Management in Agile.

  What better way to wrap up this series on CM and Agile than to talk about the roles that structure change. Leaders and senior executives, CM practitioners, project teams, managers and frontline employees … all have to join forces to make change a tangible reality, yielding long-lasting results. In Agile, these five roles do not lose any importance, nor do they get redistributed, but they need to be adjusted. Again, Agile should be treated as a transformation in itself, one that adds an extra layer to the challenges attached to the change initiative. This article will help you identify focus points and trouble spots.     Sponsors: the voice of change and … of Agile.   You probably already know that, depending on how involved they are, sponsors can make or break the best initiative. Make sure that the ABC of sponsorship is taken good care of. In short, sponsors must ...

  Written by
  Vincent Piedboeuf

• April

  14
  2020
  

  Making the most of Prosci’s Five Levers in Agile.

  Welcome back to our comprehensive series on Agile and CM! As we dig deeper into the practical aspects of integrating Change Management and Agile, now is the time to review the entire host of CM plans required to get the ball rolling. Here is everything you need to know to work your way around sprints and releases.  Back to the basics: five levers of CM and ADKAR. With PROSCI’s five levers, the process of change is given flesh and bones. A robust sponsorship roadmap is critical to enable leaders to be the face and voice of change. A carefully crafted communication plan also ensures that the message is sent at the right time to the right people through the right channel. Further down the road, empowering managers and frontline employees through the transition will call for a proper coaching plan. Equally important is the training plan designed to ...

  Written by
  Vincent Piedboeuf