Organizations consist of people, and the project work is carried by relations. Therefore, successful organizational implementation requires an ability to put yourself in other people’s place and guide them securely through the changes. For this same reason Peak’s change managers spend less time behind the desk and more time amongst the people who are required to do things differently from what they are used to.
Organizational change management is fundamentally about helping an individual or a group from one situation to another. It is about understanding their starting point and also understanding what preoccupies them outside of just this change. Therefore, implementation of new IT-systems, changed work procedures or mergers, are not merely technical practices. They are about people. And about anticipating the challenges that will arise. The most important tool in this connection is your legs, that can carry you around to the people who have to be involved and enter into close cooperative relationships. An understanding of established frameworks and management principles is of course also helpful.
What are the effects of good change management?
Both employees and managers who are not sufficiently involved in designing both the future situation and the road to it, can become heavy opponents. In the worst-case scenario, they can bring down the results of the initiative. But with the right change management you can forestall these and create value by:
- Realising the benefits of the project
- Creating stimulating and innovative co-operative situations
- Ensuring motivation amongst employees and managers
- Creating a faster and better anchored transition to operation
