Organizational change management: Your process adoption secret weapon for strategic projects

05/21/2024

by Kaylynn Sanchez

What makes a project successful? “On time” and “on budget” are two of the most common responses. While true, these answers tend to miss the fact that a truly successful project must have a “why” and a “how.”

The Why: The strategic objectives behind the initiative. If the project doesn’t connect back to the organization’s larger goals, then it’s nearly impossible to justify the time and resources dedicated to it.
The How: The methods used to ensure the strategic project is executed successfully. Project management practices ensure the outputs of the project will have an impact whereas organizational change management (OCM) fosters long-term process adoption.

Process adoption is central to the ultimate success of any project, whether that project is focused on implementing a new technology or reorganizing a workstream. Achieving adoption relies on effective OCM, primarily because it connects the project’s outcomes to the “why” behind the change.

Organizational Change Management Supports the Strategic Plan

Successful projects start with a solid foundation and vision that ultimately connect to the organization’s larger strategic plan. This foundation should:

Establish the goal of the project and clearly articulate how it supports the firm’s strategic direction
Define the expected outcomes and benefits of the changes to inform and motivate impacted parties
Provide resources for teams to reference throughout the project

While the objective is defined and outputs are anticipated (the “Why”), there must be a plan to execute (the “How”), which is the initial link between strategic planning and organizational change management. Project management teams work on implementing the new tools, systems, and applications needed to achieve the project’s strategic vision. However, organizational change management focuses on implementing the changes in company culture, behavior, and mindset. Thus, a relationship is established between these two workflows as they support each other and, at times, overlap.

Organizational Change Management Creates a Positive Project Identity

All projects will earn an identity. Unfortunately, most projects default to an unfavorable identity because “change” tends to have a negative association. OCM workstreams need to influence the audience’s thoughts and actions in relation to the impending strategic change. How is this accomplished? By creating a positive project identity. Here are four quick tips to increase the likelihood of adoption:

Identify the potential impact on employees, processes, and systems and develop a comprehensive plan outlining the strategies for implementing the change.
Create strategic communications plans that inform impacted audiences of upcoming changes, adjustments, and timelines to provide transparency and foster early adoption.
Share anticipated benefits and project milestones to gain buy-in and increase excitement around future updates.
Serve as the middleman between project management workstreams and leadership to offer a safe space for honest feedback and to identify potential risks among users.

Organizational Change Management Provides KPIs for Process Adoption

Every strategic project has measurable goals to define success, often referred to as key performance indicators (KPIs). These indicators can be utilized in a multitude of ways and linked to various data points. OCM teams can leverage KPIs to enhance project effectiveness, initiating data collection early in the strategic project lifecycle to gauge overall reception to new technologies and processes. Consider the following examples:

As part of the learning and development plan for a technology initiative, OCM teams can collect proficiency scores and data from sandbox environments that employees utilize during training sessions.
OCM teams can gather data on employee experiences through surveys, which can then be analyzed to forecast user adoption rates and identify potential risks.
To measure the effectiveness of the resources developed to support the adoption of a new process or technology, OCM teams can track utilization rates.
Real-time metrics generated during the project, such as page clicks on communications, logins to environments, or knowledge check scores, can provide valuable insights into user adoption.

Organizational Change Management Possibilities are Endless

Leveraging OCM throughout your strategic objectives can ensure that the “why” of the project is clear, the “how” is effectively executed, and the project’s outcomes are embraced and integrated into the organization’s culture and operations.

If you’re interested in learning more about how organizational change management can support your strategic vision, fill out the form below to connect to a Sendero consultant.