What is Change Management (CM)?
Change Management is a structured approach to helping individuals and businesses of all sizes adapt to new processes, IT systems, or initiatives. It very much focuses on the people aspects of change, ensuring smooth transitions and successful adoption of the changes made. Change Management will help guide you to transition from how you currently run your business to how you might want to run it in the future whether it is introducing a new IT System, a revised process or a change in your organisational structure and will help ensure the changes are sustained into the future.
How can Small Businesses use CM to create value?
Small businesses can effectively use change management by clearly defining the purpose and scope of the change, engaging with their teams, planning and communicating what is going to happen during the change and implementing and monitoring the change. Once the change has been made, evaluating and sustaining the change, and learning and improving from the experience. This systematic approach helps minimise disruption and maximise the success of any business change.
Key Steps in Change Management for Small Businesses:
Appoint someone responsible for delivering the change and identify the benefits of making the change - Usually, a project manager or change sponsor and if the organisation is large enough, a number of change champions. Understanding how you will benefit from any changes made is critical e.g. reduced operating costs, more business from customers.
Define the Change - Clearly articulate the "what" and "why" of the change, ensuring everyone understands the scope of the change and any benefits.
Involve those affected by the change - Engage employees, customers, and other relevant business stakeholders in the planning and decision-making process to obtain buy-in.
Plan and Communicate - Develop a detailed communication plan for implementing the change and have regular communication sessions during the change for those to air any concerns.
Implement and Monitor - Put the plan into action and track progress, making adjustments as needed to stay on track.
Evaluate and Sustain - Evaluate the success of the change using any measures identified at the outset, identify any lessons learned, and make any adjustments post change implementation.
Additional Tips for Small Businesses:
1. Start Small - Implement changes incrementally rather than trying to introduces a lot of changes at once Keep communication regular, honest and transparent: Keep employees and stakeholders regularly informed throughout the process, addressing concerns and questions openly. Be prepared to say if things are not going according to plan but say how you will get things back on track. Doing this will create a level of trust and will encourage staff to raise concerns with you.
2. Training and Development - Make sure you find out what your employees will need in order to operate once the change has been implemented e.g. if you are introducing a new IT system what training and or development will they need.
3. Celebrate Successes - At regular points during the change journey, celebrate milestones to keep the teams motivated and engaged.
All of the steps above are designed to create value for a business. Some specific examples are outlined below:
If you identify what the benefits are of making a change and those benefits are realised, this could give you more money for investing in your business or making other changes.
If you are introducing a change initiative and have got a structured Communication plan in place then this will mean you can tease out and take steps to manage any resistance at an early stage of introducing the change which will save you time and effort and make it more likely that the change will be delivered successfully.
Engaging with your people effectively during a change and celebrating success will give you a motivated team of people more willing to collaborate with you and take on board other changes.
The bottom line
Using a structured change approach designed to take your people on the change journey with you will enable you to create additional value from your business for an affordable outlay. If you can clearly identify where you will benefit from making changes and realise those benefits then follow the steps outlined in this insight, this will give you a competitive edge.
Contact Us
Whether you are just getting started or are already on your change journey we will be happy to discuss your particular needs with you and provide you with a tailored proposition. Contact us to schedule a call and learn how we can help.
Simon and Zoe each have over 20 years’ experience working on business transformation programmes for some of the UK's most well-known and established private and public sector companies across a range of industries