Organizational Change Management Strategy

<Name of Project>

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION......

II. BUSINESS CASE FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT......

1. Benefits of OCM on the <name of project>......

2. Change Principles......

III. PROJECT OVERVIEW......

1. Project Description......

2. Project Benefits......

IV. ASSUMPTIONS, CONSTRAINTS, DEPENDENCIES......

1. Assumptions......

2. Constraints......

3. Dependencies......

V. ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE IMPACT & RISK ASSESSMENT......

1. Scope and Type of Change......

2. Organizational Readiness Assessment......

3. Primary Sponsor Assessment......

4. Risk Assessment......

5. Stakeholder Analysis......

VI. STRATEGIC APPROACH......

VII. ONGOING READINESS & RISK ASSESSMENT......

1. Strategies......

VIII. RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT & COACHING......

1. Resistance Management......

2. Coaching......

IX. COMMUNICATIONS......

1. Communication Goals & Guiding Principles......

2. Communication Media......

3. Communication Processes......

4. Communication Plan......

X. LEARNING & TRAINING......

XI. IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT & TRANSITIONING FROM PROJECT TO BUSINESS......

1. Strategies for Implementation Support......

2. Strategies for Transition to Business......

XII. EVALUATION & REINFORCEMENT......

1. Adoption Measures and Management......

2. Recommended Evaluation Methods and Tools......

XIII. CHANGE MANAGEMENT TEAM......

XIV. NEXT STEPS......

XV. Appendix X

Document Information

Document Name / Document location

Document Owner(s)

For a current version of this document, please contact:

Name:
Title:
Organization:
E-mail:
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Version History

Version # / Date / Description of Major Changes

Document Sign Offs

Name / Position / Signature / Date
/ Project Manager
/Project Assurance
/Senior User(s)
/Sponsor

Content and/or Document Reviewers

Name / Position / Date(s) Reviewed

Page 1 of 26

Note to Author:

< You will find italic text like this enclosed in angle brackets throughout this document. This text is to guide you in the development of your OCM strategy. Replace any items appearing in <italics> with appropriate content. Text in normal, non-italicized font is provided as an example of how the OCM strategy may be worded. Use as is, add text, modify or delete as fits the purpose of your project.

  1. INTRODUCTION

The <project name>Organizational Change Management(OCM) Strategy is based on best practices which support technology-driven change. Organizational change is essential:

to support adoption of the new solution and

to achieve benefits generated by the business process transformation including implementation of the new technology

The <project name>OCM Strategy is a high-level document that outlines the approach to managing change throughout the project lifecycle and for the transition to a steady state of operational business. The strategy document is developed with consideration to environmental and cultural perspectives within the name oforganization and other influencing factors that could impact change.

The primary audiences for the OCM Strategy are the <project name>project teamand <name of organization> senior leadership. Once approved, it can be made available for broader consumption based on the decisions of senior leadership.

The change management plansare the documents that will drive the regular activities of the change management team and will be developed in accordance with the OCM Strategy. The essential tasks and activities derived from the change management plans are inserted into the <project name>project plan and will run in parallel with other project activities for the period of the project and also into the post-implementation review period.

  1. BUSINESS CASE FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT

<This section’s content is very generic in the current state. You will want to modify it to make it relevant and specific to the project.>

Organizational Change Management encompasses all activities aimed at helping an organization successfully accept and adopt new technologies and new ways to serve its customers. Effective change management enables the transformation of strategy, processes, technology, and people to enhance performance and ensure continuous improvement in an ever-changing environment. A comprehensive and structured approach to organizational change management is critical to the success of any project that will bring about significant change.

Effective organizational change management can positively impact achieving project outcomes, the project staying on schedule and on budget. It helps to ensure that all personnel affected by the change receive support to help them manage the change.

The overall goals of OCM are to increase the organization’s return on investment by increasing:

  1. Benefits of OCM on the <name of project>

the speed of adoption related to a change solution,

the utilization or participation in the new way of doing or being and;

the aptitude or ability to incorporate the change in to the work environment.

The Organizational Change Management strategy described in this document is based on the scope and vision of the <name of project> as described in the project’s Project Initiation Document and is required for developing detailed change management plan components. The change management plans will provide a structured approach towards change management on the <name of project> which is required as a major contributing factor for the successful roll out and adoption of the new solution enabled by the <name of project>.

The details of the change management plans will be customized and based on the specific needs of each stakeholder group affected by the project. The plans will also build upon lessons learned from previous change initiatives with similar stakeholder groups.

It is the intent that this Change Management effort will lessen the “Production Dip” that is inevitable in any varied and complex project.

Diagram 1: Change Life Cycle

Source: Weinzimer, P. (1998), Getting it right – creating customer value for market leadership, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

  1. Change Principles

If there are major changes to the project’s scope at anytime during the project, this document will require review to determine if the OCM Strategy needs to be modified.

The following are the key principles on which the OCM Strategy has been based:

The <project name> must follow a structured approach to managing change in order to ensure that (a) messaging is consistent and confusion or miscommunication is minimized; (b) users understand what is expected of them in terms of preparing for the use of the new solution; and (c) change activities are executed in a planned and consistent manner.

The Change Management Team is a joint business / project team with ownership of many change activities delegated to the business.

Support to users will be delivered through a combination of communications, training and education, stakeholder engagement, and implementation support.

In order to be effective, organizational change must be driven through every level of the business and change must be cascaded down through managerial levels to line staff.

<project name> change activities will be discrete and actionable and will run in parallel with other project activities.

  1. PROJECT OVERVIEW
  1. ProjectDescription

Describe the Project

  1. Project Benefits

<Describe the expected benefits of the project – from the Business Case

  1. ASSUMPTIONS, CONSTRAINTS, DEPENDENCIES
  1. Assumptions

The following lists the current, known assumptions.

  1. Adequate resources and funds will be made available for OCM activities.
  2. Integrated approach between Project Management activities and OCM will occur.
  3. Active and visible sponsorship from sponsors and managers, including a willingness to play a part in the change.
  1. Constraints

The Project Change Sponsor and Board should be aware of the following constraints as they refer to limitations that the project must execute within.

  1. Competing priorities for resources, projects and day to day activities.
  2. Timing – potentially constrained by Project Planning.
  1. Dependencies
  1. Technical time and deliverables associated with the project
  2. Xx
  1. ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE IMPACT & RISK ASSESSMENT

Insert the results from your Change Impact Assessment as noted below

  1. Scope and Type of Change

Insert the results from the Change Characteristics Assessment>

  1. Organizational Readiness Assessment

Insert results from your organizational readiness assessment

  1. Primary Sponsor Assessment

<Insert the results from the primary sponsor assessment.

  1. Risk Assessment

Graph the risk on a risk assessment table like the one below. Insert your own table and describe the risk of people not adopting the change.

  1. Stakeholder Analysis

Stakeholder analysis involves identifying key stakeholder groups and assessing their level of influence, how they are impacted by the project, the amount of support that is required of them and their anticipated reaction to the change. It is also includes assessing the groups’ potential issues, challenges and risks with the change and the potential barriers to adoption

An initial stakeholder analysis was completed. The team completing the stakeholder analysis included both business and project staff (<note which roles these are>).

The tables below are a summary of the Stakeholder Analysis

<Note: Format the information in the way that is most conducive for reader understanding. Chart format may be more appropriate than table format.>

Stakeholder Category / Stakeholder Group / Anticipated Reaction
(Resistant, Neutral, Supporter) / Stakeholder’s Level of Influence
(Low, Medium, high) / Impacted by Change
(Low, Medium, High) / Required Support from Stakeholder
(Necessary, Desirable, Not Necessary)
Stakeholder Group / Potential Issues, Challenges & Risks

Further to these initial assessments, a sponsor / key influencer model will be developed and documented in the resistance management coaching plan.

  1. STRATEGIC APPROACH

The change management strategy for <name of project> defines at a high level how much change management is needed. The change management process is continuous throughout the life of the project into the post project period. The <project nameChange Management Team will use the Manitoba eHealth standardized methodology for supporting stakeholders through the change. The team will:

set the climate for change by creating awareness of the need for the change and promoting desire for stakeholders to participate in and support the change

support stakeholders in gaining knowledge and understanding on how to change

support stakeholders in improving their abilities to implement the new solution and reinforce the change by enabling stakeholders to take ownership of the new solution

In order to enable the building of these factors that lead to adoption, the strategic approach includes the following key strategy components:

  1. Ongoing Readiness / Risk Assessment
  2. Resistance Management & Coaching
  3. Communications
  4. Learning & Training
  5. Implementation Support & Transitioning from Project to Business
  6. Evaluation and Reinforcement
  1. ONGOING READINESS & RISK ASSESSMENT

Assessing readiness for change does not stop at the initial organizational assessment. Throughout the project, the stakeholders’ receptivity to the upcoming transformationwill be constantly changing; therefore ongoing assessment to measure current readiness in relation to what is required for success must occur throughout the project.

  1. Strategies

Receive informal feedback on readiness through the project’s intake and feedback mechanism (to be developed as part of Resistance Management Coaching Plan)

Complete formal readiness assessments (approach to be determined) throughout the project to determine readiness of the different stakeholders groups

XX

The results of these ongoing assessments will form the basis for Change Management activities within each of the various Change Management Plans. The plans will be updated as required.

  1. RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT & COACHING
  1. Resistance Management

Resistance is a natural part of any transformative process.During the <name of project>, resistance will be managed through both proactive planning and reactive interventions. Proactive resistance management involves systematically identifying where resistance might come from and what it might look like.During this process, it is important for people to bring forward issues and debate and challenge each others’ thinking. At this time, the change management team will identify critical gaps and possible points of resistance, and address them before they even emerge.

Reactive resistance management is in response to specific points of resistance. In the reactive situation, leaders and the change management team must listen to employees and identify the root cause of the resistance. Specific action steps will be developed, communicated and implemented.It is important to be persistent and creative in dealing with individuals who demonstrate continued resistance. The change management team understands the necessity of remaining vigilant in managing resistance in the reactive mode in order to authenticate concerns among the stakeholders and alleviateany misunderstandings.

Based upon the assessments completed at this time, some points of resistance and risk have been identified. The following identifies these as well as potential strategies upon which the detailed change management plans can be developed. Special tactics, for immediate action, have also been identified.

<Note: Format the information below as works best for what you want to communicate. You may choose to put it into a table or other format.>

Identified Points of Resistance / Risk

XX

Strategies

The <project name> will engage project stakeholders early and often

XX

Special Tactics

XX

  1. Coaching

Few leaders have the complete set of skills to lead change successfully. The change management team’s role is to prepare and enable leaders to fulfill their role, especially in managing resistance. Leaders will need to recognize where they require skill development

and then engage in development activities to enhance their competency in managing change. The following are potential strategies that the change management team will use to coach the leaders.

Strategies

XX

A detailed Resistance Management Coaching plan will be developed to establish the details regarding proactive and reactive resistance management for the <name of project>. This plan will also provide an initial assessment of the key sponsors / leaders’ change management skills and abilities and the related coaching plan to enhance these skills. The plans will be both flexible and adaptable to the changing needs of the project.

  1. COMMUNICATIONS

Effective strategic communication is the key to successfully implementing any project. Communication is the glue that binds internal and external stakeholders to the vision, mission, goals and activities of the project. Inappropriate or insufficient communications can result in both increased resistance to change and ineffective adoption of the solution due to unrealistic expectations of the application’s capabilities, confusion resulting from change in the work process, fear of the unknown, and unrecognized project benefits.

Communication is two way. It is essential to provide open, honest, timely and high quality information about the project to all stakeholders. It is equally important to listen to the stakeholders, actively solicit feedback and then respond constructively. As with the other change management components, the goal of communication is to facilitate stakeholders to move along the change management continuum:

Communications are most important during the awareness and reinforcement stages however, are required throughout all stages. Communication during the awareness stage focuses on building an awareness of the need for the change to come, and the value proposition for the change (why do we need to do this and what will happen if we don’t). Once awareness is created, communication is used to create the will to change (desire) and influences people to try a new ways of doing things. During the desire stage, there may be significant resistance to the change and thus communication will assist with addressing stakeholders’ questions regarding the business reasons for the change, “what it is it for me”, what is in it for the organization, and leadership commitment to the new solution.

During the knowledge stage, communication messages focus on ensuring that stakeholders are knowledgeable about what the change will look like and how they will be educated about the change.

The ability and reinforcement stages, build on the awareness, desire, and knowledgecommunications that has been established. Communications assist in reinforcing the changes that result from the implementation so people do not revert back to doing things the old way.

The following sets out the project’s approach for strategic and effective communications.

  1. Communication Goals & Guiding Principles

Primary goal:To provide timely, accurate, essential project-related information to all stakeholders.>

Secondary goal:To aid the project team, sponsor and key influencers in managing stakeholder expectations>

Guiding Principles:

Communication will be consistent and continuous across project period. Stakeholders have multiple demands on their time which will inhibit their ability to absorb communications that are issued once only. Research indicates that it is essential to communicate messages between 4 and 7 times to respective audiences using a variety of means in order to ensure that messages have been heard and internalized. Additionally, consistent messages must be developed and used in order to avoid confusion from within the stakeholder community.

Communications will address every level of stakeholder, from sponsor to end user.

General communications will be developed as well as specific communications to support the specific issues, needs, challenges and opportunities of different stakeholder groups.

The <name of project> team will collaborate with the role responsible for communication at the business in order to facilitate message delivery and distribution.

Communications will use a broad array of media in order to ensure that messages are available and accessible by all that require them. The communications plan will incorporate a cascading approach in order to spread information throughout organizations.

Project name communications will include collaboration with related projects / related stakeholders to ensure consistent messaging.

Specific two-way communication/feedback channels for internal and external stakeholders will be established, the goal being to engage meaningful involvement of stakeholders and support a collaborative approach to implementation of the <name of project>.