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Category: Transformation and Change Management

The Next Major Trends in Change Management

Publié le by Thomas Charbonneau

Article written by Valérie-Kim Besner
Executive Director – Client Partner

On November 15th, I had the opportunity to speak at the conference “Effective Communications to Overcome Resistance and Improve Engagement,” organized by Les Affaires. My intervention focused specifically on the major trends in change management. In other words, those that should not be overlooked for a successful and sustainable transformation! Change management is a dynamic discipline, and trends and innovations in this field are numerous. Below, I discuss the 3 essential trends and provide some keys to better approach them.

1. Democratization of Change Management Responsibilities

Given that leadership engagement is crucial for the success of change in a company, why do only 15% of managers feel adequately equipped to play their role in change in 2023? This is the dichotomy between the current situation and the optimal situation. For a long time, change management efforts were focused on the project team and senior management. However, change management is primarily a matter of proximity! Individuals undergoing transformation now more than ever want to learn and experience change with their immediate managers and with team members who have influence on them (e.g., change agents, HR or communications business partners, representatives from labor relations committees and unions). Making these individuals key players in change management is essential to mobilize all affected groups. However, be cautious not to ask managers to take on this crucial role without preparing them and providing them with the necessary means. Supporting managers, equipping them, giving them leeway, and coaching them are basic prerequisites to make them change management experts! Change management is an ecosystem that surrounds not only a project but also a way of life in a company. It is therefore democratized and makes sense only if it involves everyone!

2. Approaches Increasingly Focused on Humans, with an Emphasis on Individuality

Expectations towards change management specialists have evolved significantly in recent years. From simply communicating about change to prepare employees, we have moved on to making change acceptable, then to fostering commitment to that change. Today, it is about creating a positive change experience for the affected individuals. So, how do you successfully meet this challenge? By not neglecting any aspects of the employee experience. This experiential and employee-centric strategy allows impacted individuals to feel heard and valued, making them more inclined to take initiatives and experiment. Change, whether related to processes, tools, culture, or structure, represents an opportunity to go further, learn new techniques and knowledge, participate in something greater than their job, rally towards a common goal, exceed individual and team limits, celebrate success, etc. Change then becomes a mobilizer and an engine of engagement.

3. Change Management as an Element of Organizational Culture

This trend emphasizes the importance for companies to gain flexibility and efficiency in the face of constant changes in the environment, thanks to an organizational culture that fully integrates change management principles and values. Integrating change management into the organizational culture takes time and requires long-term commitment, but it is essential to create a resilient and adaptive organization in a constantly changing world. Concretely, this involves engaged leadership actively supporting change management initiatives, and open and transparent communication becoming the norm. It also involves training and development so that everyone understands the basic principles of change management and develops the skills required by the changes. Ensure that the organization’s values include flexibility, adaptability, and innovation. Thus, change management will not be perceived as a one-time project but as a way for the organization to operate continuously. The organization’s environment is constantly evolving, and the organization has what it takes to adapt to it! Dedicate a structure within the organization that focuses on change management, such as a center of expertise, is an excellent way to support transformation projects.

Turning Change into an Opportunity

In conclusion, to effectively manage change, I recommend that companies strengthen their change management skills. They should make the necessary efforts to anticipate concerns and impacts of the impending change and ultimately implement actions to make the change project appealing. In other words, it is essential to have enthusiastic and competent leaders in change, well-equipped to address concerns and impacts, and capable of mobilizing and engaging employees in the transformation adventure.

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5 key actions to successfully accomplishing a rapid digital transformation

Publié le by Angelina Chardonnieras

For most companies, digital transformation consists of adapting their processes and adopting digital tools to meet their strategic business objectives. This complex process involves a fundamental shift in corporate culture and changes at every level. In the last few years, as companies have experienced significant upheaval, the need to speed up their digital transformation has become clear.

Transformation happens throughout the company: in sales, operations, finance and human resources. All these departments can gain added value and efficiency by automating time-consuming, repetitive, low value-added tasks to focus on more strategic activities, thereby increasing the company’s market share and speeding up its growth.

The pandemic has forced many companies to adopt digital tools. Two years in, one might assume that they are on top of this process and have made their digital transformation a priority, especially given its many benefits. However, our latest study, conducted in partnership with Léger, shows that only 31% of managers report high technology adoption.

Even today, IT and/or department managers are too often seen as being responsible for digital transformation, which is too seldom part of real, far-reaching change. In fact, implementing new technology leads to comprehensive, company-wide change, which in turn leads to a change in corporate culture.

This article discusses 5 key actions to successfully accomplish a rapid digital transformation.

1. Foster an innovation-friendly culture

Technology should help your organization evolve and become even better at what it does. In the long run, technology should enable you to improve your customers’ experience, launch new or improved products, free up profit margins to expand your market share or come up with a new business model that could revolutionize your industry. But the most important thing is to have an innovation-friendly culture, because the technology can change. As Talsom’s President, Olivier Laquinte, said in Les Affaires, “the important thing is not the destination, but the journey.”

To ensure employees are committed to the change, leaders need to share their vision and regularly reinforce it. Creating all-level committees or working groups and celebrating milestones are useful ways of achieving this goal.

2. Prioritize and develop an investment plan

A digital transformation project can take anywhere from a few months to several years. Caught between the time it takes to achieve full adoption and the increasingly rapid changes in technology and consumer needs, it’s vital that companies have a long-term investment plan to support their transformation. However, our most recent study shows that less than half of the respondent organizations have a digital investment plan.

3. Identify key resources and skills and create a development plan

In its broadest sense, digital transformation raises many questions about the possibility of human beings being replaced by “machines”. If the transformation changes the kind of work, rather than replacing human skills, in most cases it will lead to new ones. More than half (64%) of the managers in our Léger study believe that a lack of skills is hindering their growth. It’s essential that you know what skills are required in order to target the gaps and needs, to carry out your transformation and ensure its long-term sustainability. This enables you to find the most talented people and implement a skills development plan, so they will grow with your company. Given the current labour shortage, especially in Québec, retaining your best employees and identifying transferable skills gives you a competitive advantage.

If the gap between your needs and the skills available is too great, it may be worthwhile to bring in an external partner, whether to fill a one-time specific need – for IT skills, for example – or a more long-term gap, such as finding a partner to guide and support you throughout your transformation.

4. Sharing achievements sustains commitment

If you don’t make lasting changes to team processes and habits, it’s easy to fall back into old patterns. To be sustainable, employees must remain committed to a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, and the company must recognize milestones and reward change-makers.

Talsom’s most recent study shows that most managers say they have sufficient resources to help them use technology. On the other hand, a quarter of employees state that these resources are insufficient. The difference can be explained by the lack of clear and measurable objectives. Communicating concrete improvements and engaging teams in providing suggestions for improvement and feedback creates a concrete, data-driven cycle of continuous improvement.

5. Successfully managing the change

According to our most recent study, only 12% of employees are comfortable with using new technology. Lack of training and insufficient concern for people’s individual needs is a major barrier. It’s rare for IT and HR departments to have any expertise in internal change management, as evidenced by a recent Forbes article, which states that 70% of organizational change initiatives fail. Working with a change management partner ensures better employee uptake, so you’ll get the most out of your investment.

Want to know more about Canadian corporate digital transformation and the challenges it presents?

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Have you taken on the best project and change management practices?

Publié le by Talsom

Is your organization implementing or planning the implementation of a new technology such as an ERP, PLM, CRM, HRIS, or even a new e-commerce platform? Within the constant ebb and flow of our organizations, change management is a key pillar in supporting project management and creating symbiosis between people and technology. It helps minimize uncertainty, address resistance, and encourages compliance and buy-in from employees.

In fact, project leadership that leverages sound change management techniques are six times more likely to reach or surpass their objectives than those that do not!

Talsom created the following questions as a starting point to reflect on your project and change management processes. To obtain a birds-eye-view of your current situation, 3 key pillars are considered: project supervision, project management, and change management. Your answers will help us:

1- Create a customized summary of your project and change management context
2- Share a high-level evaluation of your status with regards to the 3 pillars of project and change management
3- Provide you with recommendations that you can then leverage as a starting point for a discussion with your peers

Take the test and instantly get your diagnosis with
customized recommendations

Top Five Tips for Communicating Change Effectively

Publié le by Talsom

When it comes to change management, effective communication helps to produce the best results. To remain competitive, perform well and adapt to market fluctuations, businesses have to evolve. But the changes that accompany such evolution sometimes prompt employees to experience uncertainty or to feel a loss of control. Seventy percent of change solutions fail in part due to human factors. Why is this the case? One reason is that due to a lack of effective communications, employees are prevented from understanding the reasons behind the change.

Communication is essential for helping employees to successfully navigate through a transition period. To help guide your success, Talsom is providing advice below on how to execute such communication effectively.

  1. Getting Started? Start Planning!

Before doing anything else, structure your efforts by preparing a communication plan as part of your change management plan. In so doing, you will ensure that the information you are expressing is consistent.

Start by describing the reason behind the change and what it means for employees, so that you may then concentrate the message towards a description of the coming changes, in particular as regards any applicable technical aspects. At the same time, determine who your target audience is: each recipient concerned by the project should not be approached in the same way.

Planning and punctuality go hand in hand. Start communicating early, that way you are more proactive and employees will begin to feel involved in the process. “But isn’t it risky to do so if I lack information?” You can communicate without necessarily having every detail that concerns the change or the solution. For example, you may wish to share information concerning needs and inform employees that other details will be communicated shortly. It is the lack of information that creates confusion and resistance.

Several parties are involved in this type of project, including senior executives, members of the project, internal and external clients, supplies and even sub-contractors.

 

  1. What Should You Communicate? Address the “Why” before the “How”.

“Why are changes being made?” is one of the first questions that employees generally tend to ask. Concentrate your initial communications on the reasons for the change and do not forget to reinforce this aspect throughout the transition.

If there is uncertainty, questions will result. Communicating is not only a method for sharing a message, it also involves the adoption of an interactive and iterative approach for fostering understanding and for providing a group with common direction. Communication addressed to employees, especially at the very start, should aim to answer the most relevant questions:

“How will the change affect me? How will it affect my team?”

In each of your answers, employees must also be able to discover what the change means for them personally. It is extremely important for them to understand how their roles will change and their adaptation to the image of the business.

 

  1. And if You Have Several Target Audiences? Adapt Your Message.

The same message should not address everyone (except perhaps key elements concerning the announcement of the project). During a project, information can pass from executives to middle managers all the way to employees. It is thus important to adapt the messages and to present them as simultaneously as possible to avoid an information overload. You can analyze the impacts of your target recipients to define the messages and the frequency of communications.

Without effective communication, the target recipients’ lack information combined with their personal perceptions will lead to misunderstandings that will have an impact on the transition.

 

  1. How Can You Ensure that You Are Heard? Use the Voices of Leaders.

Comparative analysis research shows that employees are more responsive to messages when they are shared by two categories of individuals within the organization:

  • The sponsors of the change who can discuss the reason behind the transition. The sponsors play a key role because they regularly communicate key messages concerning the vision and goals of the project.
  • Their immediate supervisors who can better speak to the personal impact that the change creates.

 

 

  1. How Can You Communicate? Use a Multi-Channel Approach.

When businesses are undergoing change, employees have the reflex to send messages that are often lost in their recipients’ voluminous inboxes. On average, less than half of internal communications are actually opened. By promoting multiple channels of communication, you will reduce these risks and thus increase your chances of reaching and mobilizing 100% of the target audience.

By communicating announcements or updates on your Intranet, you will facilitate employee access to this information, as employees will be able to consult it as needed at a later time. Discussion boards are another effective solution during a period of organizational change. By sharing their questions, concerns and ideas publicly or in a private group, your employees will become more involved in the change.

It is also recommended to encourage sponatenous interaction via online instant messaging. As a manager or company executive, it could even be helpful to make yourself available for virtual meetings to speak with employees.

But by making communications appealing, isn’t this an effective solution for reducing a lack of comfort during a transition period? Cloud-based platforms such as GoAnimate design animated videos to help teams explain organizational change or the solutions that it presents. By using a scenario?based tool that is fun, personalized and often humorous, you will help foster a friendly environment that promotes your employees’ understanding and involvement.

Face-to-face meetings with employees remain the best way to ensure that your messages are well received. By obtaining their feedback directly, you can adapt your communication approach as needed.

A change champion network is also helpful for communicating key messages, particularly when you have a large number of employees and it is important to have supporters in each department.

Change generally involves a lot of brainstorming within the organization. It is the people who make up the organization who, through their involvement and ideas, create it and provide it with direction. Employees will feel more invested in the process if they are given a voice by which to express themselves. With the right tools, your communication will be effective and inspire people to make a difference.

Manage the change. Strategy at the heart of the action.

Publié le by Talsom

Acquiring a new factory. Optimizing business processes. Deploying a technological solution. All of these changes
have one thing in common: they result in the evolution of beliefs, values, behaviours and ways of doing things.
It is accordingly essential to employ a targeted, engaging strategy to adequately accompany all stakeholders
concerned.
Are you about to build or review your change management strategy ?
Here are the five essential elements to consider when developing or updating your change management strategy.

N?1 Recognize the difference between a strategy and a plan

Your strategy must determine and coordinate the actions and operations required to implement the change on a
short, medium or long-term basis. It is thus necessary to clarify what you will need to do to achieve the change
you desire.
Your change management plan completes your approach by providing an answer to the question “How am I
going to do this? ” and by identifying the steps you must take to do so. Your change management plan will allow
you to organize your actions over time and according to the individuals who are responsible for implementing
them. It will provide you with a framework, a structure and a monitoring and control mechanism whereby your
plan’s execution is ensured. You will thus reach the goals you set to accomplish the change you desire.

N?2 Develop a fact-driven strategy : striking a balance between objectivity and subjectivity

To build your change management strategy, you need to understand the gap that exists between your current
situation and the one you desire. The change analysis that you need to complete concerns the organizational
culture, human factors, business processes, technologies in place or any other relevant dimension that is directly
or indirectly associated with the change.
By completing a quantitative and qualitative analysis of organizational impacts, you will be able to adapt your
change management strategy according to your organization’s maturity and strengths.

N?3 Establish a clear and adapted change management strategy whereby you can:
• Promote an understanding of the gap that exists between your current situation and the one you desire;
• Consider the current and potential concerns and challenges;
• Complete and communicate the actions necessary for managing the change;
• Involve and engage all stakeholders at each organizational level of the organization (managers,
employees, union members, etc.);
• Engage the management team in an active, participatory and representative decision-making role

N?4 Link your strategy with your change management plan to:
• Identify and include all stakeholders concerned by the change;
• Consider the necessary success factors for executing the change; and
• Take into consideration the timeline, costs, resources and any relevant constraint that exists.

N?5 Follow up on the implementation of your strategy in order to:
• Ensure that your strategy aligns with your change management plan;
• Contribute to proactive decision-making during the governance and execution of the change;
• Adapt your strategy regularly to consider the evolving organizational context, in particular as regards the scope of the change, timeline, resources, level of engagement among stakeholders and other relevant elements;
• Emphasize the search for a strategy that is adapted and engaging for your stakeholders.
Developing a change management strategy is an important step that requires a formal process to