Understand how change occurs

Any referenced datasets can be downloaded from "Module downloads" in the module overview.

Superbly executed change can increase the value of the initiative by driving results quicker. Organizational change occurs when many individuals change – all necessary individuals must succeed for 100% adoption and success. 

Points to make

  • Change doesn’t happen because we ask or tell. 
  • Resistance to change is natural, instinctual, and it must be expected and not punished. 

2 things are required to drive change: 

  • Leadership 
    • Sponsorship (the difference between poor sponsorship and strong sponsorship is a 44% increase in probability of an initiative’s success) 
    • Change leadership (mentoring) 
    • Project management (the activities that make up the change process) 
  • A plan (strong leadership combined with a good plan increases initiative success probability from 15% to 93%, 6X) 

A plan addresses and prevents or removes the 5 roadblocks of successful change (5 aspects/phases of successful change according to the Prosci ADKAR model): 

  • People must be aware of the change, the need to change. 
  • People must be willing to change. 
  • People must know how – what’s required to change. 
  • People must be able/enabled to change. 
  • People must reinforce and sustain the changed state. 

A simple framework for a plan begins by asking Where, Who, What, Why, How, and When the change to support the initiative will take place. 

A useful tool to engage leadership to provide sponsorship is to build and present a business case that links the change to the business values. 

Click the Download Resources button on the module overview page, then:  

  1. Use the Change Planning Guide to answer some very basic questions about the organizations, groups, people, and systems that will be affected by the change you are about to institute. Use the answers to the questions to organize and plan the various activities and tools required to successfully structure and enable your organization to change its collective way of doing things. 
  2. Use the Change Planning Matrix Template to help with tracking.