When continuous change capability is built into how your organization operates, you move from reactively managing resistance to building a culture that’s comfortable with change.
Written by the consultants who run these selections, not by a software vendor.
[ From the guide ]
It happens time and time again. A company invests in new technology, nurturing the rollout through implementation and go-live. But just a few months later, hardly anyone is fully using the system in the way leadership envisioned. It’s not the fault of the technology; it’s the people who haven’t caught up.
The real problem stems from a focus on configuration and delivery during tech projects, while the people side is an afterthought. As a result, frustration builds causing adoption to lag. Meanwhile the project isn’t generating the ROI the company was counting on. To fix this issue, Organizational Change Management (OCM) needs to move from being on the periphery to being part of the project’s plan from day 1.
When continuous change capability is built into how your organization operates, you move from reactively managing resistance, to building a culture that’s comfortable with change. This guide explores how to ensure that move happens.
In the past, large-scale tech projects happened once every few years and change management was an add-on. Companies launched it at the end of a technology project, solely to address training and final communications. But today change happens more rapidly. As outlined in a recent Forbes article, the rate of change affecting businesses has risen by 183% since 2019. With new tools, upgrades and process redesigns, a bolt-on approach just doesn’t cut it.
Instead, companies are looking to change integration where OCM is embedded into every stage of the project. At each step, adoption goals sit right next to technical milestones. For example, during the design phase, feedback from future users shapes the system deliverables. Then, as development progresses, communication and training plans evolve along with the build. And the change management work doesn’t stop at go-live; it shifts to an emphasis on reinforcement, measurement and continuous improvement.
When OCM is integrated this way, adoption becomes a natural outcome of how you deliver technology.
The pace of technology never slows. In fact, it’s only increasing. While in the past, major technological change may have occurred over decades, tech innovation is now happening at a breakneck speed. Just over the last 10 years, we’ve seen blockchain, cloud computing, autonomous cars and now AI, just to name a few.
The capability of a business to quickly respond to change without missing a beat is what’s needed to speed adoption of new technologies. In tech projects, this agility enables your people to adapt to new systems and processes, ensuring that technology is adopted and ROI is maximized.
Continuous change capability is a change in mindset. Rather than endless transformation fatigue, it’s about being able to be comfortable with change as a new normal. This perspective translates into a competitive advantage because while every company can buy similar software, what sets you apart is how well your people make it work.