Why Change Management Needs to be a Critical Part of Every Aspect of Your Business

Beginning any type of technological or digital transformation without a clear-cut plan in place is a bit like getting into a car for a road trip without a map. You may have some idea of where you're going and you probably know exactly what you'll do when you arrive, but you literally don’t have a clue how you're going to get there. 

At its core, change management is about more than just getting people comfortable with the idea of change. We're living in a world of change —  it's happening all around us, all the time. Instead, it's about controlling the impact that change has on your people, their job roles, their responsibilities, behaviours and much, much more. It's about allowing all of these things to come together to not only make the whole process easier but to deliver the results and outcomes you need when you need them the most.

Simply put, if you expect to thrive in the ever-changing world that we're now living in, you need change management. It's an absolutely critical part of nearly every aspect of your business for a host of unique reasons that are more than worth exploring. 

Change Management Empowers Your IT Infrastructure

A major reason why change management is such a critical part of your larger business strategy is that, at the end of the day, a tool itself is only as powerful as what you can do with it.

This idea has likely been at the heart of your business IT strategy from the start. It's less about investing in the power of modern technology for the sake of it and more about buying into the right tool to solve the right problem at the right time. But of equal importance is your employee's own ability to use that tool in the precise way that you need, which isn't just difficult without change management. It's largely impossible.

When implementing any new tool like a new piece of software, you need to make sure that you have the right people backing it. You need to communicate exactly why this is the right change to make for this time and, above all else, why this step matters.

You need to do whatever you can to mitigate resistance. Show people how this will help make their lives better. Invest in training and ongoing education to help them further their own skills. Solicit their open and honest feedback and show that you're willing to listen to what they have to say. Give them the resources necessary to actually use these tools and, rest assured, they will.

Change Management Increases Your Chances of Success

Throughout history, results demonstrate that nearly any project will be more successful if a change management plan is in place at the beginning.

Not only does it help make sure that you have good people backing the use of that tool and that you're able to mitigate resistance as outlined above, but it also helps in a lot of other ways, too. You're more aware of the types of risks that you're likely to face during the process, so you can take action today to help avoid them tomorrow. 

You're more in control of the pace of the change, which not only helps with a proper (and hopefully stress-free) implementation but also creates a solid foundation that you can use to build something far stronger and more important. 

Change Management Promotes New Best Practices

But finally, change management is an important part of your business is because it gives you the opportunity to establish the types of best practices today that will serve you well for years to come.

The sooner you start thinking about what change actually looks like, the sooner you're able to truly prepare for it. Opportunities to improve efficiency during the deployment and aftermath stages become obvious, which means they quickly become set in stone. You can identify ways to distil complicated processes down to their core essentials, making the whole process far easier for all involved.

But above all else, you put yourself in an excellent position to quickly derive value from the project. The sooner you can do that, the sooner you can start improving your ultimate return on investment — which means that suddenly, your project has begun to pay for itself. 

Powernet: Leveraging Technology to Guarantee Success

Adapting to a digital environment can be a complicated process for everyone involved, but for the benefit of your larger business technology strategy, it is an absolutely pivotal step to take at this moment in time. Technology is more than just a way to address the demands of today — it also guarantees the scalability and the agility that you're going to need to better prepare yourselves for the ones you'll face tomorrow, too.

This is why many organisations choose to partner with an MSP not just in terms of change management on the technological side of things, but with regards to implementing any changes to their current IT infrastructure. A valued partner like a managed service provider can help leverage decades of combined technical experience to your advantage, helping to properly align your IT with your business strategy and generate the outcomes you need along the way.

To find out more information about why change management is so important, or to learn more about our cloud services aimed at business leaders like yourself, contact Powernet today.