The 5 Benefits of Change Management
Whenever a change is implemented in an organisation, there is always a risk that it will not be well-received and create anger, stress, and confusion. But when it is managed as it should be, it can have numerous advantages and benefits for the business if it is handled in this manner.
To give you an idea of what this could mean for your organisation, we have created a list of just some of the benefits of effective change management below.
What are the benefits of change management?
Change management benefits include:
1. Improved communication
When effective communication plans are brought in and employees are properly informed about changes that are due to be made, better communication is promoted throughout the organisation.
2. Improved productivity
Once a clear plan is in place and employees are aware of how change will be implemented, they should be able to focus on their work instead of worrying about the change itself. This is also achieved by the fact that handling change management properly mitigates disruptions and reduces the amount of time spent on implementation.
3. A reduction in costs
As employees focus more on their work and become quicker and more efficient at their tasks, costs to the organisation should be reduced.
4. Improved innovation and creativity
Change can often lead to great opportunities for creativity and innovation, and managing this change allows employees to explore new ways to do their work in relation to the change.
5. Improved morale within the organisation
When employees feel like they are an active part of the change management process and that their worries and concerns are being heard, they feel valued, appreciated, and like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. This can often lead to a boost in morale and loyalty to the organisation.
The importance of an effective change management process
The importance of effective change management cannot be understated; its inclusion within an organisation ensures that all changes are implemented smoothly and without any issues. In order to ensure successful change management is introduced to a business, the process itself must also be carried out carefully. This means making sure that 5 particular steps or stages are followed:
- Planning: In the planning stage of the process, a change management team should develop a plan for implementing the desired change. At this time, they should also identify the individuals responsible for each task and create a timeline for the change.
- Preparation: Employees should be prepared for the change at this time. The change management team will be responsible for communicating the change and explaining why it is happening, as well as what to expect from the change. They should also train employees on how to use new systems or processes.
- Implementation: This is when the change should be put into effect. The change management team should work with employees to ensure that the change is implemented properly and everyone has accepted it.
- Monitoring: This is the stage in which the change management team should be monitoring the change to ensure it is reaching the intended goal. Itās important to make changes at this time wherever necessary to ensure that the change is successful.
- Evaluation: At this time, the change management team will assess how well the change has been implemented, and whether or not it has successfully reached its intended goal. This is also the stage in which areas of improvement should be identified and recommendations made for changes to these.
The importance of change management within an organisation
Beyond the benefits and advantages to change management, there are a number of reasons experts would consider change management to be of vital importance to an organisation:
It is a reminder not to ignore the āpeople sideā of change
Poor management, or ignoring the āpeople sideā of organisational change management, presents a number of disadvantages:
- Productivity may decline on a larger scale for longer than it should reasonably take to implement the change.
- Managers may end up unwilling to devote time or resources to support the change.
- Key stakeholders may not attend meetings.
- Suppliers may be impacted or see disruptions caused by the change.
- Customers may start to feel the negative impact of a change that they shouldnāt even have been aware of.
- Employee morale suffers and divisions appear.
- Fatigue, stress, and confusion increase.
- Valued employees, who do not feel valued, choose to leave the organisation.
Project management may also suffer as a result of poor change management, resulting in:
- Missed deadlines
- Budgets overrunning
- Necessary reworks of parts of projects already completed
- Abandonment of certain projects
It helps individuals to practise implementing change
Given the amount of change occurring in organisations across the world today, it is more important than ever that management teams within these organisations practise at it. The more effective a team becomes at implementing change, the more a company is likely to be able to keep up with the market.
It encourages individuals to accept and implement change
The core of any business is its people, and change will not be effective if an organisationās employees donāt make changes to the way they work. Changes that are implemented should be the cumulative impact of successful individual change, meaning that all employees start doing their jobs in accordance with the change that needs to be implemented.
It increases the chances of success
Projects with excellent change management are far more likely to be successful and meet objectives than those with poor change management. However, even poor change management being implemented ensures better success than not managing the change at all.
Work with us on Change
Our Change Team aims to work with company executives to bring about a long-lasting positive effect on their respective businesses and organisations. We do this by using a blend of Understanding, specialist Consulting, and professionally Delivering on Change initiatives. Our primary goal is to ensure that our clients have the best in-house capability, so if you are looking to implement Change in your organisation and need the assistance of experts, contact us today.