Kalleid Change Management

At Kalleid, we understand that people are at the center of any successful business transformation and implementing effective change management strategies is the core of our integrated approach to IT projects.

Importance of Change Management

In today’s technology-driven, fast-paced world, change is the only guarantee. Most companies are in a nearly constant state of flux to remain competitive as they respond to technological advancement, local and global economies, and a rapidly evolving business environment. Scientific organizations in particular are experiencing significant disruptive change as they work to develop the computing infrastructure necessary to manage, store, analyze and interpret massive quantities of highly complex data.

Disruptive change is never easy to manage, especially for large organizations. The 2008 McKinsey Quarterly survey of 3,199 executives from around the world revealed that approximately 70% of change initiatives fail. The biggest contributing factor to IT project failure is not the technology, however, it is the people involved in the change. Employee resistance and consequent lack of user adoption, combined with unproductive management behavior, are two common issues that prevent IT projects from realizing their full potential.

Human beings are creatures of habit, and we need support to change our established behaviors. This is particularly true in groups, where we look to our peers to derive meaning and guidance on how to behave. The individual experience of change progresses from awareness of the need to change, to acceptance of the change, and eventually to commitment to – or ideally advocacy for – the change. Effective change management utilizes customized tools to support each stakeholder’s journey along the “commitment curve” towards the adoption of a new way of working.

Our Change Management Strategy

Kalleid has been involved in major change initiatives in large organizations since its inception. Although every business’ change initiative is unique, there are several best practices that should be a part of every change management strategy. Kalleid change management professionals work in partnership with our clients to deliver the following:

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Assess and document the current state

A thorough assessment and documentation of current work processes and technology is essential to provide a solid foundation for change management. This assessment is typically conducted by business analysts as part of a workflow analysis to develop system requirements. This exercise will allow us to understand the change landscape, including cultural and personal enablers and barriers for change.

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Define the future state and secure change champions

Future state workflows are another deliverable produced as part of business analysis and serve to detail the desired end-state of the change initiative. Once the future state has been defined, we will help build consensus around the distinct business value that the change aims to deliver, which will act as a galvanizing call-to-action throughout the project. Our change management specialists will leverage the assessment to segment the population impacted by the change into meaningful groups, with at least one spokesperson, or change champion, identified.

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Change Management Plan

A change management plan should be developed that is aligned with both the project team and business leadership. In order to develop this plan, the effect of the change on each stakeholder group should be documented as it cascades through the organizational structure down to the individuals. The Change Management Plan should identify the different types of support (rewards, learning/training, communication, mentorships, involvement, counseling, etc.) that will be used to move stakeholders along the commitment curve. The plan will include detailed analysis of stakeholder impacts and recommendations on what support strategy will best meet their needs. Change management considers the whole person, including his or her environmental context, to design effective engagement approaches.

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Communication Plan

Effective and well-timed communication is a critical aspect of successful change management. A Communication Plan aligned with both the project team and business leadership serves to make sure your communications and messaging are targeted towards the needs of key stakeholders and that all communications are delivered at the right point in time. The Communication Plan documents the timeline for how the change will be incrementally communicated, key messages, the communication channels you plan to use, and the most effective means of communication for groups or individuals.

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Training Plan

Most change initiatives will require the groups of stakeholders to adopt new behaviors or learn how to operate in new processes or systems. As such, a Training Plan should be developed that is aligned with both the project team and business leadership. This plan leverages the detailed assessment of stakeholder impacts to identify customized training needs, including the recommended training curricula and delivery methods (eLearning, face-to-face training, mentorship, software simulations, etc.).

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Continuous Improvement

Throughout the change management process, a structure should be in place to measure the effectiveness of the change management activities and determine the likelihood of stakeholder change adoption. While the Change Management Plan provides the overall blueprint for change activities, a flexible approach that allows for necessary adjustments based on measured metrics and open feedback from those most affected is essential to success.

Kalleid change management professionals partner with our clients to develop an integrated approach to organizational transformation utilizing customized and appropriately paced tools to support stakeholders on their journey to change adoption.