The People Side of Change

This week I've focused on the people side of the change management process along with some links to further reading you may be interested in.

Accepting new technology is not easy for everyone and I’m reminded of the renowned American psychologist Abraham Maslow’s well-known phrase:

 “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”
Adopting New Tools
One of the great things about the widespread use of technology platforms such as Microsoft 365 is the range of tools they provide business to increase its efficiency. However, the problem this presents is getting people to use them across the business.

When we first rolled out M365 we found that we had pockets of early adopters, but most people would only use a fraction of the capability available to them and continued to bang away with their proverbial hammer regardless of the other options they had. 
Adoption and Change Management (ACM)
According to ACM world leaders, Prosci. “Change management is the process, tools, and techniques to manage the people side of change to achieve its required business outcomes. It is the systematic management of employee engagement and adoption when the organisation changes how work will be done”. Simply put it’s the process of leading horses to water AND getting them to drink. You can read more on Prosci ACM HERE.
So How Do You Approach ACM?
Leading authors Hiatt and Creasy in Change Management: The People Side of Change – say there are 5 key areas you need to have covered:  
  • Awareness
Make your people realise there is a need for change.
  • Desire
Create a desire for the change to happen with incentives and motivation to take part in the change. What’s in it for me? 
  • Knowledge
Make sure your people have access to the information and training they need to prosper in the new normal so they understand why it’s a good thing.
  • Ability
Giving your people the ability to learn new skills and by managing their behaviour, the change will be accepted.
  • Reinforcement
To sustain the change makes it clear to all your people that there is no turning back. 
Summary
Interestingly, since the lockdown, people have become much more open to embracing the technology tools we have provided, most likely as they have never been more aware of the need for change. On the back of this, we are pushing forward several transformational projects, which will significantly improve our business.

It is difficult to cover such a broad topic in such a short article, but if this has caught your interest call us or your IT partner to discuss further.

About the author

Stephen Dracup

Stephen is an experienced telecoms & IT professional with over 35 years industry experience. After graduating from the University of Manchester, Stephen started his career with Lister and Co PLC working for them for 12 years, rising to the position of Head of IT.

Stephen then set up Hoodpoint Communications, specialising in providing ICT, Data and Voice communications and business phone systems. The business was sold to Chess in 2005.

Stephen stayed on at Chess, rising to the role of Group Managing Director in 2012. He became Chief Operating Officer in 2020 and runs the operational teams day to day as well as Marketing and Commercial. He is also closely involved in Chess M&A activity.

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