People at the heart of change management. In this conversation Judith Germain speaks to Jennifer Bryan about how to put people at the heart of change management. Jennifer advocates starting with the person furthest from decision making to understand their perspective, then working inward to establish buy in.
Key Takeaways
- Involve a wide range of stakeholders when planning organisational changes. Understand their level of interest and influence.
- Assess how the change will impact people and their day-to-day work. Address their concerns.
- Allow plenty of time for change readiness activities before go-live.
- Use change champions to cascade information and gather feedback. Empower them to engage their teams.
- Deliver what you promise or explain why plans changed. Maintain trust.
Topics:
Change Management Theories
- Jennifer believes change management should focus on people, not complex theories. She uses an “in-person in mind” approach.
Technology Changes
- Ask key questions upfront to understand the vision, timing, and expected reactions.
- Involve IT, HR, comms/marketing, operations etc. Change requires cross-functional collaboration.
- Assess how the tech change will impact people’s ability to do their jobs day-to-day. Address concerns.
Organisational Readiness
- Often the time and effort required for readiness is underestimated or overlooked entirely.
- Use focus groups and testing to ensure the change makes sense to all employees globally.
Small Scale Changes
- Even changes affecting a small team can send ripples through the organisation.
- Identify who will be impacted and how. Manage perceptions.
- Leverage change champions to cascade info and gather feedback quickly. Empower them.
Maintaining Trust
- Deliver what you promise or explain why plans changed. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Jennifer Bryan is a published author, TedX, global speaker, and MD of Change and Leadership. She is also a VP of the Association of Change Management Professionals UK and author of ‘Leading People in Change: A Practical Guide’.
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Jennifer Bryan can be found on LinkedIn here. Her website can be found here.
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