The Change Management Process: Achieving Desired Business Outcomes

Change management is a methodical approach to addressing the transition or transformation of an organization's objectives, processes, or technologies. The goal of change management is to implement strategies to effect change, control it, and help people adjust to change. It is essential to identify clear goals and milestones in order to ensure that the changes achieve the desired business results and meet governance and compliance expectations. It is important to share the purpose and advantages of a well-structured change management process with all levels of the organization, gaining approval from the organization's leaders and working along the chain of command.

Change control is a subordinate element of the overall change management process designed to guarantee that changes are controlled, recorded, analyzed, and approved. The owner is responsible for the effectiveness of the process and its improvement, while the manager is responsible for its execution. To comprehend how change management works, it's useful to apply its concepts and tools to specific areas of the business. Change isn't always seen as a positive thing, and many employees can resist changes within their organizations.

Obtaining the support of executive leaders and top management for the governance of change is essential to gain buy-in from staff who are expected to implement and follow the framework. There must be a process for planning and testing the change, communicating the change, programming and implementing the change, documenting it, and evaluating its effects. Since most employees aren't comfortable with changes, being transparent at every step of the change management process helps build trust and connection with employees. A change request is usually created by the person, process, or business unit that requires the change.

Before starting the process of change, it is crucial for success to identify the resources and people who will facilitate the process and lead the change. For personnel managers who work with frontline employees, competence refers to effectively advising direct reports during their change processes.