Description

Understanding how to implement change in an organisation

Adjusting processes, systems, and frameworks is a necessary part of any successful organisation. When changes are implemented in an effective manner, team members and leaders can identify areas of improvement and make meaningful progress to foster success. Change implementation may come in many forms, including small tweaks to existing processes, large shifts in existing frameworks, or entirely new processes and initiatives. Effective change implementation allows organizations to quickly adapt to changing market conditions without losses in productivity or profitability.

Leaders must ensure that change initiatives are implemented effectively in order to prevent employees from reverting back to what's comfortable and familiar. This can lead to poor performance or even disruption of processes, vision, products, and the general wellbeing of the organization. Therefore, it's essential for leaders to remain mindful of their approach when implementing changes.

Organisations are facing the challenge of optimally modifying their business through regular change initiatives. Research indicates that 70% of projects don't reach their full potential due to a lack of sufficient preparation, commitment and personnel capability. This underscores the need for professionals to combine traditional project and business management experience with change management skills in order to achieve successful outcomes.

About this course

•  Training Provider: OHS.com.au
•  Location: Online
•  Course length: Varies average 20 minutes
•  Time: Self-paced
•  Certification / Accreditation: Certificate of Completion

Background – Implementing change in the workplace
1. Identify change areas - To effectively implement organisational changes, it is essential to identify which changes can most effectively benefit the organisation. All modifications should be in line with the company's vision, purpose, and business objectives, and should improve performance or procedures. It is important to involve the core decision-making team, senior leadership and employees in these conversations to ensure the proposed changes are necessary.

2. Key leader identification - The implementation of successful change requires the
identification of a key leader and several coordinators to assist with relaying
communications and responding to inquiries related to the changing efforts. Depending on the organisational structure, the change management process may be the responsibility of the department that is most closely associated with the initiative - for example, changes to employee benefits could be managed by the Human Resources department.

3. Change strategy development - The change management team should collaborate to create a strategy that incorporates each step of the implementation process, timelines with milestones and a final completion date, a communication plan with the requisite documentation for each team, and performance indicators for assessing success.

4. Start implementation process - Prior to the implementation of changes, ensure that teams and individuals are sufficiently prepared. Allot sufficient time to ensure that each division, member of staff and stakeholder is acquainted with the forthcoming shift. When communicating, emphasize the reasons for the change, as creating a sense of urgency and need will minimise any opposition from personnel and increase their acceptance and involvement with the new methods.

5. Team collaboration - Collaborate with your team and set clear expectations with regards to changes and timelines. Promote open communication to ensure that the change is accepted by employees. Outline the process of change and provide the respective timelines; be sure to include a final date to signify the official end of the change.

6. Initiate the transition - Maintain an organised timeline and execute the change, ensuring that all employees have successfully adopted the change before the established deadline. The management should be well-prepared to address any queries or worries that may come up prior to and after the deadline.

7. Progress continuation - After instituting the transformation, arrange periodic check-ins with various teams to guarantee the progression was successful and they are succeeding with the new alterations. Locate any obstructions in the change management plan and document them for more efficient change management in the future.

Course Outline
OHS’s Implement Change training course is designed to equip individuals and professionals with the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully manage change on organisational level. Participants will learn how to identify changes in their environment, develop strategies for effective change governance, understand different stakeholder engagement processes, develop suitable communication plans and understand the importance of having defined change roles. This course offers an opportunity to deepen knowledge of how individuals are affected by changes, as well as build momentum and sustainance of said change.

Learning Outcomes

•  Develop an understanding that change is a continued process that never stops.
•  Set a communication plan for the change.
•  Understand the motivators of change.
•  Communicate effectively with their team during the change process.
•  Understand the impact of change on the organization.
•  Overcome the barriers to change.
•  Set behavioural parameters regarding the change particularly with senior   management.
•  Identify ‘the way it used to be’ saboteurs.
•  Take responsibility to lead change.
•  Understand the psychology of how humans react to change.
•  Position the change as a positive opportunity for employees.
•  Choose Change Agents that will model the positive differences of the change.
•  Build an effective feedback loop to improve further changes.