The Process of CHANGE Management

It’s about changing the small things.

Over the last couple of weeks, we have spoken a lot about change – from all the change happening in the world to how to embrace change and even how to be a great change leader. A lot of change. A lot of ways to handle it. A lot of things we can do to make change work for us.

And we still aren’t finished yet.

You see to us change is in a word – revolutionary. It can take an organisation and turn it on its head. In a good way (most of the time). Change can take the ordinary and flip it so that it becomes superb. Doing the necessary in order to make things work in the best ways possible. That’s what change does. Or that’s the intention in any event. And it’s because change has the potential to be so momentous that we believe there are still avenues to explore.

So, bear with us as we take you on one last journey to ensure that you are well and truly prepared should change be on the cards for you – after all, change is inevitable.

What’s the difference between change management and change leadership?

No, this is not a matter of semantics. The terms aren’t interchangeable.

The distinction between change management and change leadership is actually quite significant.

Change management refers to a set of basic tools or structures intended to keep any change effort under control. The goal is to minimise the distractions and impacts of the change. Change management also usually concerns small changes (like process improvement) that contribute to a larger picture.

The world uses change management – the set of processes, tools and mechanisms that are designed to make sure that when you do try to make some changes, A, it doesn’t get out of control, and B, the number of problems associated with it – like employees rebelling against the change, or the bleeding of cash associated with ill-planned change (that you can’t afford) – doesn’t happen.

So, change management allows an organisation to make a big change and keep it, in a sense, under control while change leadership, concerns the driving forces, visions and processes that fuel large-scale transformation, directing organisations to new destinations. Change leadership also mobilises the resources that will facilitate the change.

Change leadership is more associated with igniting the whole change process. Making it go faster, smarter, more efficiently. Change leadership is associated, with large scale changes that need a little oomph.

It almost feels like a push and pull kind of effect – the change leadership is what gets the ball rolling while the change management puts on the breaks a little, ensuring things are under control.

Let’s talk change management

Ok we know the gist of change management – processes and tools to ensure that any change that’s going to take place is kept under control. Kind of like lighting a fire – someone needs to ensure that the fire doesn’t burn out of control or set other things alight. A custodian type of role.

A change manager – as custodian of the change process – will be responsible for planning, developing, leading, evaluating, assessing, supporting, and sustaining a change implementation.

It’s unlikely that there’s a universal change management approach that works in all situations. Why you may ask. Well, change is often chaotic, and using one specific model or framework may not always be useful.

Change managers are therefore required to consider various approaches for different implementations because they may face uncertainties that cannot be addressed by a planned, specific, set sequence of steps.

Having said that, and although there may not be one perspective change management approach, many models and frameworks consist of similar change management strategies and the overarching principle amongst all of them is this – in simple terms – “better safe than sorry”.

Some of the common change management methods include Lewin’s Change Management Model, McKinsey’s 7-S model, Kotter’s Theory, Nudge Theory, the ADKAR Model, Bridges’ Transition Model, Kubler-Ross’ Change Curve, and the Satir Change Model.

We’re not going to reinvent the wheel and give you yet another model to follow. What we are going to do is give you a solid guideline on what a change management strategy is and how you can apply it in your organisation.

Change management strategies

There are three main types of change management strategies: developmental, transitional, and transformational change. Each of these strategies serves a different purpose and can be used to achieve different goals.

1. Developmental change – involves incremental change management that focuses on improving an existing process, product, or service. This approach involves making minor adjustments to improve efficiency or effectiveness. Like upgrading software to improve functionality.
2. Transitional change – is more significant than developmental change and often involves a shift in processes, structures, or systems. The purpose of transitional change is to prepare the organisation or business for the future state. Like introducing a new product or offering a new service.
3. Transformational change – just as the name suggests, it involves a complete overhaul of an organisation’s processes, culture, and strategy. This approach can be disruptive but can also lead to long-term benefits. The purpose of transformational change is to fundamentally change the organisation or business and its way of operating. Like the implementation of a new technology or digital transformation.

Key steps in the change management strategy

This is not a new strategy. Instead, it’s common elements from all strategies that you can use when building your own change management strategy –

1. Create an execution-ready plan – before you can even announce that change is going to happen, you need to have a clear idea about what you want to achieve and how you’re going to introduce it to your employees. Document the changes and things to do to achieve them, craft a detailed timeline, and have a clear response to the potential concerns of your staff. While it’s important to have a structured approach, and as we already know, change is chaotic. The plan should therefore also account for any unknowns or roadblocks that could arise along the way. Change managers will need to be agile and flexible enough to change the plan if and as needed. As a starting point, the plan should detail:
   • Strategic goals: what goals does this change help the organisation work toward?
   • Key performance indicators: how will success be measured?
   • Project stakeholders and team: who will oversee the task of implementing change?
   • Project scope: what discrete steps and actions will the project include?
2. Prepare the organisation for change – in order to implement change, you need to prepare employees both logistically and culturally first. You cannot spring change on them and expect everyone to comply. Before you can even begin to delve into logistics you first need to help employees recognise and understand the need for change. Explain the various challenges that are being faced by the organisation and why the change is necessary. Having buy in from the employees is crucial to ensure success of the planned change.
3. Prioritise transparent communication – there are two components to this – transparency and the importance of open communication. While it’s important to keep change plans on the down-low in the beginning to prevent fear and panic, once upcoming change has been announced communication should be frequent, open and honest. It’s really important to communicate the entire process well. Communicating that ‘change is coming’ is not enough. You need to explain why the change is important and what benefits the organisation expects from it (as well as any setbacks – don’t try to dodge tough questions around the change).
4. Build a roadmap – this is over and above the plan you developed right in the beginning. Building a roadmap is however a key element in the whole change management strategy, particularly in larger organisations, as it helps the wider team not only recognise the current situation (which they sometimes may not be as keenly aware of the challenges or need for a change) but will also get a good sense of what the next steps and the final destination are. The roadmap will solidify the process for the management team and ensure that there are no gaps moving forward.
5. Implement the changes – now all that remains is to follow the steps outlined within the plan to implement the required change. Whether that involves changes to the company’s structure, strategy, systems, processes, employee behaviours, or other aspects will depend on the specifics of the initiative. During the implementation process, change managers must be focused on empowering their employees to take the necessary steps to achieve the goals of the initiative and celebrate any short-term wins. They should also do their best to anticipate roadblocks and prevent, remove, or mitigate them once identified.
6. Embed changes within company culture and practices – once the change initiative has been completed, change managers must prevent a reversion to the prior state or status quo. This is particularly important for organisational change related to business processes such as workflows, culture, and strategy formulation. By embedding changes within the company’s culture and practices, it becomes more difficult for reverting to old ways to occur.
7. Review progress – so you’re done and dusted with implementing your change initiative. Well done. That doesn’t mean that you’re finished. Conducting a “post-mortem” will help business leaders understand whether a change initiative was a success, failure, or mixed result. It can also offer valuable insights and lessons that can be leveraged in future change efforts.

And that’s change management. In a nutshell at least.

Let’s be honest – as much as the proposed change will be good for the organisation and even the team in the long run, the knee-jerk reaction of anyone really (because we’re all human) is to resist the change. After all, doing things the same way is more comfortable than going out of your way to pursue change and do things differently – why put yourself through that (asked rhetorically)?

There are things you can do to ease this of course. Like –

1. Encouraging employees to share their insights and opinions on the changes that are happening, thereby helping them to feel more engaged in the change management process;
2. Rewarding employees by recognising those who are committed to making the change work. This can be done in various ways, such as bonuses, promotions, or simply acknowledging their hard work and dedication, and
3. Celebrating successes and milestones during the transition process. This can help build momentum and keep team members motivated.

Change is difficult. We have established that.

People will try to avoid it at all costs – it’s just not something we like doing, voluntarily. But change while scary, does lead to growth. Without it, we would never be where we are today, typing on laptops and reading this article on our mobile phones.

Change is necessary. And when done right can be liberating.

If you are in need of change – where your legal tech is concerned – or if you want to find out how to incorporate a new tool into your existing accounting and practice management suite, or how to get started with legal tech,  feel free to get in touch with AJS – we have the right combination of systems, resources and business partnerships to assist you with incorporating supportive legal technology into your practice. Effortlessly.

AJS is always here to help you, wherever and whenever possible!

(Sources used and to whom we owe thanks: Centre for Creative Leadership; Forbes; Harvard Business School and Indeed)

– Written by Alicia Koch on behalf of AJS