Organizational Change Management (OCM) is the strategy you employ when your organization is undergoing a transformation that significantly impacts the business.
It requires significant changes in how employees understand internal processes and their actions toward improved performance and sometimes strikes fear in the hearts of employees – but it doesn’t have to. Education and training at all levels are needed so that employees directly affected by the changes will know what to expect and how to adapt. Those indirectly affected should also understand how peripheral processes may change.
Creating an OCM Strategy for IT
Given sufficient effort and time, you might succeed without an information technology OCM strategy, but it could turn into a frustrating, drawn-out process and why put your employees through that experience.
The success of any IT OCM strategy depends on how well new systems, processes, and procedures are adopted. Best practices for OCM include:
- Explaining why the change is taking place
- Getting buy-in from leadership
- Communicating (and communicating some more)
- Explaining new behaviors your organization expects
- Providing training for everyone (to include a clear process for requesting IT service and support)
- Defining benchmarks for success
Clearly stating why the change is taking place and getting buy-in are critical to OCM success; otherwise, employees won’t be willing to invest the energy to make it happen.
How USDM Can Help
USDM’s focus is on maximizing the traction of your cloud-based transition, assisting your IT organization with adopting a new way of working, and gaining acceptance for outsourcing IT services across business units.
USDM’s OCM team assesses your organization’s unique character and challenges in the initial planning phase and orchestrates integrated workstreams to enable change adoption through awareness, understanding, ability, and ownership.
Stakeholder Impact Analysis
USDM’s Stakeholder Impact Analysis considers the effect of change on key individuals and groups, determines where changes can impact their success, identifies solutions, and recommends ways to mitigate risk.
From emerging and pre-commercial organizations to large enterprises, needs vary greatly and each assessment takes an approach that is as unique as your company and stakeholders.
Digitally Enhanced Communications
Change adoption requires communication, but that is especially challenging when employees work remotely. Most OCM practitioners rely on email and newsletters that are somewhat effective, but those least likely to read these communications are the ones for whom the messages are most important.
USDM uses creative videos to entice even the most message-resistant stakeholders. When email is necessary, our practitioners use engaging subject lines, incorporate helpful graphics, and target specific days and times for messages to be sent to increase the likelihood that they are read and the information is retained.
Learning Options
To be effective, your training efforts must translate to learning. USDM’s approach to learning is designed around stakeholder needs and augmented with eLearning, workshops, and experiential learning.
Employee Involvement Plan
The USDM OCM team analyzes your work streams to determine what activities can be used to build awareness and buy-in, then we identify change leaders who will help tailor messages to your broader internal audiences.
Our OCM team will meet with a designated transformation leader bi-weekly to share plans and deliverables.
Measurable Adoption Metrics
It is critical to develop key performance indicators (KPIs) and track the success of your OCM program. They are used to improve performance, get a holistic understanding of organizational performance, and improve your process for reaching goals.
Expectations and outcomes will be shared with your company’s transformation and change leads to engaging them in change behavior.
OCM for Emerging Companies
Pre-commercial startups are faced with many competing demands and priorities. Often, these growing companies lack the resources or technology expertise to move full speed ahead. USDM has helped hundreds of emerging companies with organizational change management to ensure fast and efficient digital transformation.
Contact USDM today to discuss a customized program to support your people and processes as you embark on organizational change.
Additional Resources
Project and (Senior) Program Management
Strategic IT Roadmap for Life Sciences
