Drive Continuous Improvement
Content
For: Application
Development
& Delivery
Professionals
Drive Continuous Improvement With
Strong Change Management And
Employee Training
by Claire Schooley, July 23, 2014
Key Takeaways
Work Expectations Put More Responsibility On Employees
Fifty years ago, the hierarchical business approach meant employees followed directions
consistently and without question. This environment has given way to collaborative
management, cultures that value employee ideas, and environments of constant change
that require employees to continually upgrade their skills and assimilate new technologies.
Change Management Structure Helps Ensure Success With
Organizational Changes
The fast pace of business and its competitive nature make change -- ranging from simple
process changes to complicated transformational change -- continual. Organizations
must appoint a change management leader with expertise in change management
methodology to prepare for, implement, and reinforce changes with minimal disruption
to productivity.
Organizational Changes Accelerate Employee Development
Employees learn continually through informal discussions or formal courses. The
learning pace increases during a change initiative. Learning approaches such as
online learning, coaching, informal networks, and hands-on training provide skills
development and help alleviate employees’ concern about their ability to make work
changes successfully.
Change Management Benefits From Outside Expertise And Measurement
Change leaders need decision-making power and direct communication with an
executive sponsor -- an HR executive, a line-of-business leader, the CIO, or the CEO.
Hire a change management consultant if you have specific needs such as training or lack
staff change expertise. Measure the employee impact of change activities to increase
future success.
Forrester Research, Inc., 60 Acorn Park Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140 USA
Tel: +1 617.613.6000 | Fax: +1 617.613.5000 | www.forrester.com
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
July 23, 2014
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong
Change Management And Employee Training
Continuous Improvement: The Human Resource Management
Playbook
by Claire Schooley
with Paul D. Hamerman and Victoria Boutan
Why Read This Report
In a constantly evolving society, enterprises and their employees continuously struggle to remain both
competitive and profitable. Ongoing technological innovations have made it increasingly difficult for
companies to develop and maintain coordinated business strategies. As customers become increasingly
empowered, organizations need processes that allow them to make changes quickly and keep employee
skills razor sharp and aligned with company goals in order to stay on top of trends and remain competitive
with customers. This report introduces a framework for managing change and an explanation of the
learning delivery approaches that allow organizations to adopt change successfully. HR professionals
should play a leadership role in managing organizational change and provide business and technology
leaders with a structure for driving successful outcomes in people-driven initiatives. For continuous
improvement to be effective, technology must be an integral component to enable communication,
collaboration, and multiple modes of technology-supported learning, including social collaboration,
formal learning programs, and informal learning delivery.
Table Of Contents
Notes & Resources
2 Today’s Environment Demands A Different
Approach To Work
This research is based on discussions
with independent change management
thought leaders, change leaders within
large companies, as well as more than 25
end user clients via inquiries and consulting
engagements.
3 Change Management Is The New Normal: A
Continuous Process
11 Drive Continuous Improvement Success
With Learning Activities
12 Reporting, Measurement, And Outside
Expertise Add Value To Change
recommendations
14 Change Management Contributes To
Stronger Organizations
Related Research Documents
Improve Customer Engagement With A
Blended Learning Strategy
July 23, 2014
Disrupt The Employee Performance Process
To Align With Business And Customer
Outcomes
July 2, 2014
CRM Success Hinges On Effective Change
Management
December 3, 2013
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. Information is based on best available
resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester®, Technographics®, Forrester Wave, RoleView, TechRadar,
and Total Economic Impact are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. To
purchase reprints of this document, please email [email protected]. For additional information, go to www.forrester.com.
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
2
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Today’s Environment Demands A Different Approach To Work
Employee work expectations are different than they were 30 to 50 years ago, when companies’ primary
goals were productivity and fast growth and employees followed management actions and directives
without question. Mass production ruled. Today, technology permeates all areas of a fast-paced
business, and change is constant. Companies emphasize controlled growth and product or service
differentiation that depends on the quality of their people. In the work environment of the past:
■ Work processes were simpler, defined, and consistent. Employees performed their work as
management prescribed. They worked to get better at their jobs and show day-to-day consistency.
■ When change came, employees followed the requested protocol. Management had a tight grip
on processes and dictated what was to change and how. Employees had to embrace changes and
integrate them into their daily work.
■ Good employees were those who followed directions and carried out work requirements.
Employees who carried out work expectations and met deadlines could usually count on
employee longevity. Management was the authority, and it expected employee compliance.
In today’s work environment:
■ Employees are expected to enhance their workforce performance. Employees must have
basic job skills, including technology skills. They are encouraged to add personal expertise
to the job. Good employees are those who exceed job expectations — providing ideas and
recommendations for successful job refinements leads to advancement.1
■ Employees ask why when organizations announce change. When changes occur, employees
expect to receive an explanation of why the organization is introducing the change, details
regarding what it will mean for them, and an opportunity to give feedback. Often, employees
resist and change management interventions are necessary for success.
■ Organizations’ customer focus often means employee accountability and empowerment.
Leaders require employees to be accountable for the quality of their work and encourage their
ideas and suggestions to better serve customers. This often includes empowering employees to
make customer-related decisions.
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
3
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Change Management Is The New Normal: A Continuous Process
Due to the nature and pace of business today, changes are continuous, often with many change
initiatives happening simultaneously. These may be process changes such as moving to a new
technology system or transformational changes aimed at improving company performance. These
changes put stress on the organization, especially if it does not have a business change methodology
in place. Many organizations lack a fundamental change capability, including a plan to shepherd the
change process and the people expertise to spearhead the change initiative. Although the current
climate puts pressure on leaders to make changes quickly, they benefit from a more thoughtful
consideration of the scope of change, the involvement of their staff, and the cross-functional nature
of change.
Organizations need business change management when the change: 1) has a high level of complexity
across the organization; 2) involves people changes such as new job roles, behaviors, and skills; 3)
affects customer relationships; and 4) creates a change in company culture. The need for this level
of change management discipline arises as a result of significant events (e.g., mergers, downsizing,
restructuring, new governance or business transformation, or product launches), major technology
initiatives, introduction of new processes, and regulatory change.
Three main phases make up business change management from the people perspective: getting
ready, making change happen, and reinforcing change.
Getting Ready For Change Requires Vision, Sponsorship, And Resources
Planning for change includes developing a strong vision, identifying expected results, and getting
the executive stakeholder to commit to active involvement. To help ensure a successful initiative (see
Figure 1):
■ Create a carefully thought-out vision. Change leaders must articulate and buy into a vision
that clarifies why the organization must change and how the business will be different once
the change is implemented. Create a sense of urgency that will highlight the importance of the
change to the business. This vision should clearly show why the business needs the change and
the importance of acting soon.
■ Identify an executive sponsor. Although all executives need to be onboard and understand the
value of change management, a designated executive sponsor legitimizes the change and acts as
a tie breaker during a stalemate. Continue to the implementation phase only when strong and
active executive support is in place. More often than not, a change initiative without engaged
sponsorship will fail.
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
4
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
■ Commit resources to support the change. Executives must commit to support change with
funding and resources to carry out the many activities that make up change management.
Depending on the extent of the change, a budget based on identified activities and people —
some part time — must be in place.
■ Select a project team. An effective change manager has a collaborative working style, is a
coalition builder and a good communicator, and has experience and expertise in leading change.
Involve the change manager in the early planning stage to help define the vision and the desired
outcomes from the people perspective. Change management team member skills, staff resource
needs, and time frames should be identified during this planning phase. In addition to a change
manager, there should be a project manager responsible for the overall project, including project
planning, execution, monitoring, and closure.
■ Make sure the change manager and project manager are in sync. Although these two leaders
often have very different personalities and responsibilities, they need to work in parallel during
the project and understand each other’s roles. They should meet periodically and share progress
as well as challenges from the business side and the project side.
Figure 1 Getting Ready For Change
Change management process
Getting ready for change
• Create a carefully thought-out
vision.
• Identify an executive sponsor.
• Commit resources to support
the change.
• Select a project team.
• Make sure the change manager
and project manager are in
sync.
Making change happen
• Identify all employees the
change will affect.
• Assess readiness for change.
• Implement a continual and
varied communications plan.
• Develop a private change
management social network
site.
• Identify a change champion in
each affected line of business.
• Identify change agents in
affected lines of business.
• Plan training sessions.
• Recognize and reward
successful change behaviors.
82322
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
Reinforcing change as
the new normal
• Continue communications with
employees about successes
and challenges.
• Develop after-implementation
workshops.
• Continue to support the super
users and change agents.
• Celebrate successes and work
toward cultural integration.
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
5
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Making Change Happen Involves Communication And Change Agents
Implementing effective change activities is a critical part of the process. These activities include
high-level planning around why the change is needed all the way down to addressing employees’
concern about how the change is going to affect them. One of the reasons change management
efforts struggle and often fail is because those efforts do not directly address employees’ individual
concerns. Human nature makes people naturally resistant to change. Sometimes it’s cultural
resistance or resistance as a result of ineffective change management strategies. A direct result of this
resistance is slow adoption of technology updates. For instance, according to our respondents, the
top “people” challenges when implementing a CRM solution include cultural resistance to adopting
new ways of working (45%), difficulties in achieving user adoption (44%), insufficient planning and
attention given to change management (42%), and inadequate leadership (38%).2 To achieve success,
your change effort must (see Figure 2):
■ Identify all employees the change will affect. Effective change management starts with
identifying groups of affected employees, the extent of the effect, and the impact level of
the change on each. If job descriptions will change, make sure managers communicate this
individually to the employees and explain the support that they can expect to help with the
change. Be sensitive to employee worry — will I lose my job, will my job change, can I handle
the new responsibilities, etc.
■ Assess readiness for change. A survey to determine where people are in their acceptance of the
coming change provides a valuable gauge of employee sentiment. What concerns do they have?
Is there any confusion with the change process? Where are pockets of resistance? Use the survey
results to prepare follow-up materials and interaction sessions in person and online.
■ Implement a continual and varied communications plan. Middle managers need to be
onboard, and they also need the informational resources to answer questions from their direct
reports. After executives communicate the initial change announcement around why change is
required, garnering employee support requires a dissemination of information throughout the
management chain. The change management team can use a variety of approaches to reach all
employees, including town hall meetings, webinars, brown bag lunches, email, blogs, internal
networks, and newsletters.
■ Develop a private change management social network site. On a company’s internal social
network or intranet, leaders post information including best practices and employees ask
questions, raise concerns, and share ideas with other employees. This is an excellent resource
to use to take the pulse of the organization around change efforts and identify issues of concern
as well as successes in change management. For instance, Microsoft Yammer and Salesforce
Chatter are gaining momentum within organizations looking to engage employees through
social tools and accelerate innovations that customers crave.3
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
6
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
■ Identify a change champion in each affected line of business. These champions are
often leaders in their line of business or department. They work with the change team to
communicate change messages to their business unit, identify areas of resistance, confusion,
or misunderstanding, and plan interventions. These change champions also work with middle
managers to make sure that they have information to communicate to and answer questions
from their direct reports.
■ Identify change agents in affected lines of business. Pro-change workers in different lines of
business and departments act as the local “eyes and ears” of the change management leader.
These change agents raise issues and communicate worker reactions to the change management
leader. They also work with their coworkers to help them understand the change and get their
support and buy-in (see Figure 3).
■ Plan training sessions. Training activities give employees a deeper understanding of the
processes, technologies, procedures, etc., that will change. In general, people do not embrace
change because it is different and unknown. To give employees a feeling for what the change
will be like, identify the learning that each group needs and, as the launch approaches, provide
more-specific instruction and ensure that super users are available throughout the organization
to provide assistance.
■ Recognize and reward successful change behaviors. It is important to make sure managers
and supervisors recognize their teams’ milestones, even if it’s only with a pizza lunch together.
Behavioral change related to the change initiative should be part of employees’ performance
reviews; for example, a review might measure the degree of the individual’s success in making
change. This will help drive adoption and show the importance of change to the organization.
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
7
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Figure 2 Making Change Happen
Change management process
Getting ready for change
• Create a carefully thought-out
vision.
• Identify an executive sponsor.
• Commit resources to support
the change.
• Select a project team.
• Make sure the change manager
and project manager are in
sync.
Making change happen
• Identify all employees the
change will affect.
• Assess readiness for change.
• Implement a continual and
varied communications plan.
• Develop a private change
management social network
site.
• Identify a change champion in
each affected line of business.
• Identify change agents in
affected lines of business.
• Plan training sessions.
• Recognize and reward
successful change behaviors.
82322
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
Reinforcing change as
the new normal
• Continue communications with
employees about successes
and challenges.
• Develop after-implementation
workshops.
• Continue to support the super
users and change agents.
• Celebrate successes and work
toward cultural integration.
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
8
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Figure 3 Institute A Cadre Of Champions And Agents
The change management leaders must establish bases of support.
Sales
Operations
Project team
Finance
IT
Executive
sponsor
Change
champion
Change
Change
agent management
leader
82322
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
Reinforcing Change As The New Normal Emphasizes Feedback
Once implementation has occurred and employees are using the new technology or product, it’s too
early to declare success. Communication and reinforcement activities need to continue to ensure
that the change becomes a part of the organization’s culture. After implementing the change, make
sure that you (see Figure 4):
■ Continue communications with employees about successes and challenges. Once formal
implementation is over, make sure communications continue to drive sustained change.
Encourage feedback from employees one on one, through the internal network, via employee
surveys, etc. Address both positive and negative issues. List best practices from employees so
others can benefit from them, and address all the challenges so employees know change leaders
are listening and dealing with issues.
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
9
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
■ Develop after-implementation workshops. Once employees have embraced the change and
leaders have collected feedback, develop sessions that address any challenges, problems, or
unresolved issues that are impeding success. Make sure to address all issues even if solutions
are not immediately available. Employees need to know that they have been heard. Give a time
frame for resolution if possible, and continue to give updates.
■ Continue to support the super users and change agents. These people are your eyes and
ears to successes and challenges. Super users are employees in lines of business who catch on
quickly to the change and whom the project team can tap to help fellow employees, especially
during implementation. They also need support in terms of lighter regular workloads or more
assistance if they are needed more than anticipated to provide direct assistance to employees.
■ Celebrate successes and work toward cultural integration. Publically acknowledge the
successes of individuals, teams, business units, etc., as well as the efforts of leaders who worked
on the change management project. From an executive level, leaders should continue to present
the big picture of change and remind each employee of the project’s strategic vision. Keep
testing the environment and addressing any flare-ups until the change is really part of the way
business is done — once it is part of the culture, you have achieved success.
Do not be alarmed if your organization does not immediately shift to the desired state following
a change management initiative. Change takes time to stick, which is why celebrating short-term
wins and building on change in order to embed it into a company’s culture is crucial. Some strategic
business events, like mergers, are high-risk initiatives involving major changes over two or more
years; others, like bringing on a new application, must be implemented in six months. In the
case of BI, some changes might need to happen within a few weeks or even days.4 A solid change
management methodology includes all three phases: getting ready for change, making change
happen, and reinforcing change (see Figure 5).
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
10
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Figure 4 Reinforcing Change As The New Normal
Change management process
Getting ready for change
• Create a carefully thought-out
vision.
• Identify an executive sponsor.
• Commit resources to support
the change.
• Select a project team.
• Make sure the change manager
and project manager are in
sync.
Making change happen
• Identify all employees the
change will affect.
• Assess readiness for change.
• Implement a continual and
varied communications plan.
• Develop a private change
management social network
site.
• Identify a change champion in
each affected line of business.
• Identify change agents in
affected lines of business.
• Plan training sessions.
• Recognize and reward
successful change behaviors.
82322
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
Reinforcing change as
the new normal
• Continue communications with
employees about successes
and challenges.
• Develop after-implementation
workshops.
• Continue to support the super
users and change agents.
• Celebrate successes and work
toward cultural integration.
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
11
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Figure 5 The Change Management Process Includes Three Phases
Change management process
Getting ready for change
• Create a carefully thought-out
vision.
• Identify an executive sponsor.
• Commit resources to support
the change.
• Select a project team.
• Make sure the change manager
and project manager are in
sync.
Making change happen
• Identify all employees the
change will affect.
• Assess readiness for change.
• Implement a continual and
varied communications plan.
• Develop a private change
management social network
site.
• Identify a change champion in
each affected line of business.
• Identify change agents in
affected lines of business.
• Plan training sessions.
• Recognize and reward
successful change behaviors.
82322
Reinforcing change as
the new normal
• Continue communications with
employees about successes
and challenges.
• Develop after-implementation
workshops.
• Continue to support the super
users and change agents.
• Celebrate successes and work
toward cultural integration.
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
Drive Continuous Improvement Success With Learning Activities
This change management process will not be successful without carefully planned learning activities
throughout the change process. Providing training at specific times in the change process helps
alleviate employees’ uncertainties and concerns and speeds adoption of the change initiative. These
learning activities may include formal courses and/or very informal networks and conversations —
but all these experiences add to employees’ knowledge and understanding of the change. The timing
of the learning activities and the learning approach should be carefully orchestrated. A blend of
learning approaches is most effective and should be based on the nature of the content.
Quality, Timing, And Intensity Of Learning Experiences Foster Success
The most effective learning content has an engaging delivery approach, is presented at the time of
most need, and is in the depth appropriate to the user’s level of need. Keeping these three factors
in mind, employee learning experiences should be designed to reinforce continuous improvement
initiatives. When designing effective learning approaches in the context of continuous improvement:
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
12
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
■ Provide general change management training for all employees. More organizations are
routinely providing training in change management basics to all managers, executives, and
workers. Because change is ongoing, it makes sense to lay a solid foundation so all employees
understand the importance of the business change process and are familiar with some best
practices for addressing the people part of change initiatives.
■ Plan the employee learning content early on, tweaking as the change process unfolds.
Training is like peeling back the layers of an onion. To increase learning effectiveness, it is
advisable to start early and gradually increase the depth of training based on different employees’
needs. If the training is delayed until a couple of weeks before the change is implemented,
workers have little time to assimilate and practice. An incremental approach allows additional
flexibility to incorporate new content as additional needs arise.
■ Provide more-intensive training as the implementation date approaches. A change initiative
overview delivered early in the project lays out the changes and the employee training support
planned. As the project moves along, training experiences should become more specific. As the
implementation or crossover date approaches, employees need hands-on training and practice
sessions appropriate to their company role. Online training sessions should be recorded and
made available on an internal social network site or the corporate intranet.
■ Create satellite training groups with super users. While the training department may plan the
majority of the training activities, training groups in different locations and lines of business can
be an effective way to increase relevance to specific employee groups. Super users can provide
hands-on training, give coaching help, and provide one-on-one assistance to employees. These
groups must be flexible and responsive to employee needs as the change process moves along.
Reporting, Measurement, And Outside Expertise Add Value To Change
Other areas of concern around change management are staffing to run the business change
management component of change, assurance that the change effort is making an impact, and the
reporting structure for the change management team. When planning your change management
approach:
■ Determine the best reporting structure for change management personnel. The change
management function can live in HR, a line of business, or IT depending on staff expertise and
where the impact of change is the greatest. Change management units or centers of excellence
are becoming more common today because of continual change and are accountable to the
COO or CEO. The important factor is to house change management where it will have the
support it needs, be visible and recognized as an essential component to successful change, and
have autonomy to make decisions.
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
13
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
■ Employ a consultant under certain circumstances. If your organization does not have
organizational development or change management expertise, hire a consultant who works
well as part of a team, has change management expertise, and is familiar with a change
management methodology such as the Prosci or the Kotter methodology.5 Another reason to
hire a consultant is to provide support and advice to your change management team. Very often,
organizations hire a consultant to provide change management training.
■ Measure the impact of your change effort. All organizations want to know if employees
are performing at the level expected after implementation, if employees’ engagement and
commitment indicate that the culture has changed, and how employees at all levels view the
effectiveness of the change management activities. The data sources for indications of change
impact come from employee surveys, tracking performance change of employees (e.g., how
many employees have completely embraced the new technology or process), and feedback from
managers, supervisors, leadership, and change agents and champions in the field. A feedback
collection instrument is a useful tool for collecting this information (see Figure 6).
Figure 6 Example Of A Feedback Collection Instrument
Using a five-point scale from complete satisfaction (5) to unsatisfied (1), rate
the following criteria regarding your company’s change effort.
Criteria
Score
Were adequate resources provided for change management?
Did the organization follow a well-structured change management process/methodology?
Was there a well-qualified change management team in place?
Was enough good-quality training provided?
Did the training offerings use a good variety of training methods?
Was there support from the executive sponsor?
Were effective communication methods used throughout the project?
Did managers and supervisors handle resistance well?
Were employees recognized for meeting interim goals?
82322
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
14
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
R e c o m m e n d at i o n s
Change Management Contributes To Stronger Organizations
Business change done well creates support for the organization. Employees understand why change
is necessary and embrace the support mechanisms in place to aid in the change process. To get to
this stage:
■ Make a strong case for change management. If change management is not a part of new
initiatives, organizations face a greater chance of failure because no one is responsible for
helping employees understand the change and make the change with minimal disruption.
Increase your chances of success with continual and varied communications to employees
and strong sponsorship supporting business change.
■ Hire a change management expert. Change within business is accelerating, and
organizations need in-house change management expertise. Often, organizations hire new
HR leaders because they have proven skills in change management. In addition to leading
change initiatives, an internal change management leader can promote greater awareness of
the need for and value of managing the business side of change.
■ Integrate some areas of change management and project management. The change
manager and the project manager need to work together in planning activities and
determining milestones. The project team needs to understand the importance of business
change management, and the change management team must be aware of project goals and
timelines. Engage in team building to enable the two groups to work as a cross-functional
team that shares responsibilities for outcomes.
■ Make sure learning and change leaders work together to plan the learning strategy.
Employee resistance often increases when the organization leaves learning experiences for
the change initiative to the last minute, causing frustration and overload by presenting too
much material in a short time. Give people a chance to absorb the change by providing
learning activities throughout the project where employees can develop and practice their
new skills to gain confidence.
■ Be ready for hard work implementing change management. Organizations that have
been through a change management initiative report that people change is harder than
expected. Employees take time to make changes. They must hear information over and
over in different ways. They need opportunities to discuss change and understand their
role in change to feel more comfortable. All this means that change management staff must
constantly devise new approaches to help people move through the resistance stage. Don’t
shortchange the initiative on time and resources.
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
15
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Endnotes
Employee competence is a crucial dynamic for companies. Employee knowledge, skills, and abilities affect
a company’s productivity, ability to innovate, and success in satisfying customers. With today’s dynamic
market environments and the increase in employee mobility, learning organizations must show agility in
facing these challenges by using many learning approaches guided by the employee learning needs, learning
content, and the desired learning outcomes. For more information on blended learning strategies, see the
July 23, 2014, “Improve Customer Engagement With A Blended Learning Strategy” report.
1
2
Source: Forrester/CustomerThink June 2013 Future Of CRM Online Survey.
For more information on how CRM Success is dependent on sound change management initiatives, see the
December 3, 2013, “CRM Success Hinges On Effective Change Management” report.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, a US restaurant chain, competes in a crowded market where customer tastes
change rapidly. As such, the company must build an organization that can quickly change its customer
experience to satisfy its shifting customer demands. To fulfill this vision, Red Robin employs Yammer, a
social collaboration technology from Microsoft, to free the flow of information and knowledge within the
company, improving its organizational agility. This report shows customer experience (CX) professionals
how social technologies can play an instrumental role in helping the business respond to change as a matter
of routine. See the June 20, 2014, “Case Study: Red Robin Builds An Agile Customer-Centric Culture With
Yammer” report.
3
To compete in today’s global economy, businesses and governments need agility and the ability to adapt
quickly to change. And what about internal adoption to roll out enterprise-grade BI applications? BI change
is ongoing; often, many things change concurrently. One element that too often takes a back seat is the
impact of changes on the organization’s people. See the June 10, 2013, “Get Ready For BI Change” report.
4
The two most used methodologies for change management are “The Eight Step Process of Successful
Change” from John Kotter and ADKAR from Prosci. John Kotter is a well-known expert in leadership
and change, professor emeritus at Harvard Business School, and founder of Kotter International, a change
leadership company. Source: Kotter International (http://www.kotterinternational.com).
5
Prosci is a change management research company that also conducts change management certification
training nationally. Source: Prosci (http://www.prosci.com).
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
About Forrester
A global research and advisory firm, Forrester inspires leaders,
informs better decisions, and helps the world’s top companies turn
the complexity of change into business advantage. Our researchbased insight and objective advice enable IT professionals to
lead more successfully within IT and extend their impact beyond
the traditional IT organization. Tailored to your individual role, our
resources allow you to focus on important business issues —
margin, speed, growth — first, technology second.
for more information
To find out how Forrester Research can help you be successful every day, please
contact the office nearest you, or visit us at www.forrester.com. For a complete list
of worldwide locations, visit www.forrester.com/about.
Client support
For information on hard-copy or electronic reprints, please contact Client Support
at +1 866.367.7378, +1 617.613.5730, or [email protected]. We offer
quantity discounts and special pricing for academic and nonprofit institutions.
Forrester Focuses On
Application Development & Delivery Professionals
Responsible for leading the development and delivery of applications
that support your company’s business strategies, you also choose
technology and architecture while managing people, skills, practices,
and organization to maximize value. Forrester’s subject-matter expertise
and deep understanding of your role will help you create forward-thinking
strategies; weigh opportunity against risk; justify decisions; and optimize
your individual, team, and corporate performance.
«
Andrea Davies, client persona representing Application Development & Delivery Professionals
Forrester Research (Nasdaq: FORR) is a global research and advisory firm serving professionals in 13 key roles across three distinct client
segments. Our clients face progressively complex business and technology decisions every day. To help them understand, strategize, and act
upon opportunities brought by change, Forrester provides proprietary research, consumer and business data, custom consulting, events and
online communities, and peer-to-peer executive programs. We guide leaders in business technology, marketing and strategy, and the technology
industry through independent fact-based insight, ensuring their business success today and tomorrow.
82322
Development
& Delivery
Professionals
Drive Continuous Improvement With
Strong Change Management And
Employee Training
by Claire Schooley, July 23, 2014
Key Takeaways
Work Expectations Put More Responsibility On Employees
Fifty years ago, the hierarchical business approach meant employees followed directions
consistently and without question. This environment has given way to collaborative
management, cultures that value employee ideas, and environments of constant change
that require employees to continually upgrade their skills and assimilate new technologies.
Change Management Structure Helps Ensure Success With
Organizational Changes
The fast pace of business and its competitive nature make change -- ranging from simple
process changes to complicated transformational change -- continual. Organizations
must appoint a change management leader with expertise in change management
methodology to prepare for, implement, and reinforce changes with minimal disruption
to productivity.
Organizational Changes Accelerate Employee Development
Employees learn continually through informal discussions or formal courses. The
learning pace increases during a change initiative. Learning approaches such as
online learning, coaching, informal networks, and hands-on training provide skills
development and help alleviate employees’ concern about their ability to make work
changes successfully.
Change Management Benefits From Outside Expertise And Measurement
Change leaders need decision-making power and direct communication with an
executive sponsor -- an HR executive, a line-of-business leader, the CIO, or the CEO.
Hire a change management consultant if you have specific needs such as training or lack
staff change expertise. Measure the employee impact of change activities to increase
future success.
Forrester Research, Inc., 60 Acorn Park Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140 USA
Tel: +1 617.613.6000 | Fax: +1 617.613.5000 | www.forrester.com
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
July 23, 2014
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong
Change Management And Employee Training
Continuous Improvement: The Human Resource Management
Playbook
by Claire Schooley
with Paul D. Hamerman and Victoria Boutan
Why Read This Report
In a constantly evolving society, enterprises and their employees continuously struggle to remain both
competitive and profitable. Ongoing technological innovations have made it increasingly difficult for
companies to develop and maintain coordinated business strategies. As customers become increasingly
empowered, organizations need processes that allow them to make changes quickly and keep employee
skills razor sharp and aligned with company goals in order to stay on top of trends and remain competitive
with customers. This report introduces a framework for managing change and an explanation of the
learning delivery approaches that allow organizations to adopt change successfully. HR professionals
should play a leadership role in managing organizational change and provide business and technology
leaders with a structure for driving successful outcomes in people-driven initiatives. For continuous
improvement to be effective, technology must be an integral component to enable communication,
collaboration, and multiple modes of technology-supported learning, including social collaboration,
formal learning programs, and informal learning delivery.
Table Of Contents
Notes & Resources
2 Today’s Environment Demands A Different
Approach To Work
This research is based on discussions
with independent change management
thought leaders, change leaders within
large companies, as well as more than 25
end user clients via inquiries and consulting
engagements.
3 Change Management Is The New Normal: A
Continuous Process
11 Drive Continuous Improvement Success
With Learning Activities
12 Reporting, Measurement, And Outside
Expertise Add Value To Change
recommendations
14 Change Management Contributes To
Stronger Organizations
Related Research Documents
Improve Customer Engagement With A
Blended Learning Strategy
July 23, 2014
Disrupt The Employee Performance Process
To Align With Business And Customer
Outcomes
July 2, 2014
CRM Success Hinges On Effective Change
Management
December 3, 2013
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. Information is based on best available
resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester®, Technographics®, Forrester Wave, RoleView, TechRadar,
and Total Economic Impact are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. To
purchase reprints of this document, please email [email protected]. For additional information, go to www.forrester.com.
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
2
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Today’s Environment Demands A Different Approach To Work
Employee work expectations are different than they were 30 to 50 years ago, when companies’ primary
goals were productivity and fast growth and employees followed management actions and directives
without question. Mass production ruled. Today, technology permeates all areas of a fast-paced
business, and change is constant. Companies emphasize controlled growth and product or service
differentiation that depends on the quality of their people. In the work environment of the past:
■ Work processes were simpler, defined, and consistent. Employees performed their work as
management prescribed. They worked to get better at their jobs and show day-to-day consistency.
■ When change came, employees followed the requested protocol. Management had a tight grip
on processes and dictated what was to change and how. Employees had to embrace changes and
integrate them into their daily work.
■ Good employees were those who followed directions and carried out work requirements.
Employees who carried out work expectations and met deadlines could usually count on
employee longevity. Management was the authority, and it expected employee compliance.
In today’s work environment:
■ Employees are expected to enhance their workforce performance. Employees must have
basic job skills, including technology skills. They are encouraged to add personal expertise
to the job. Good employees are those who exceed job expectations — providing ideas and
recommendations for successful job refinements leads to advancement.1
■ Employees ask why when organizations announce change. When changes occur, employees
expect to receive an explanation of why the organization is introducing the change, details
regarding what it will mean for them, and an opportunity to give feedback. Often, employees
resist and change management interventions are necessary for success.
■ Organizations’ customer focus often means employee accountability and empowerment.
Leaders require employees to be accountable for the quality of their work and encourage their
ideas and suggestions to better serve customers. This often includes empowering employees to
make customer-related decisions.
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
3
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Change Management Is The New Normal: A Continuous Process
Due to the nature and pace of business today, changes are continuous, often with many change
initiatives happening simultaneously. These may be process changes such as moving to a new
technology system or transformational changes aimed at improving company performance. These
changes put stress on the organization, especially if it does not have a business change methodology
in place. Many organizations lack a fundamental change capability, including a plan to shepherd the
change process and the people expertise to spearhead the change initiative. Although the current
climate puts pressure on leaders to make changes quickly, they benefit from a more thoughtful
consideration of the scope of change, the involvement of their staff, and the cross-functional nature
of change.
Organizations need business change management when the change: 1) has a high level of complexity
across the organization; 2) involves people changes such as new job roles, behaviors, and skills; 3)
affects customer relationships; and 4) creates a change in company culture. The need for this level
of change management discipline arises as a result of significant events (e.g., mergers, downsizing,
restructuring, new governance or business transformation, or product launches), major technology
initiatives, introduction of new processes, and regulatory change.
Three main phases make up business change management from the people perspective: getting
ready, making change happen, and reinforcing change.
Getting Ready For Change Requires Vision, Sponsorship, And Resources
Planning for change includes developing a strong vision, identifying expected results, and getting
the executive stakeholder to commit to active involvement. To help ensure a successful initiative (see
Figure 1):
■ Create a carefully thought-out vision. Change leaders must articulate and buy into a vision
that clarifies why the organization must change and how the business will be different once
the change is implemented. Create a sense of urgency that will highlight the importance of the
change to the business. This vision should clearly show why the business needs the change and
the importance of acting soon.
■ Identify an executive sponsor. Although all executives need to be onboard and understand the
value of change management, a designated executive sponsor legitimizes the change and acts as
a tie breaker during a stalemate. Continue to the implementation phase only when strong and
active executive support is in place. More often than not, a change initiative without engaged
sponsorship will fail.
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
4
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
■ Commit resources to support the change. Executives must commit to support change with
funding and resources to carry out the many activities that make up change management.
Depending on the extent of the change, a budget based on identified activities and people —
some part time — must be in place.
■ Select a project team. An effective change manager has a collaborative working style, is a
coalition builder and a good communicator, and has experience and expertise in leading change.
Involve the change manager in the early planning stage to help define the vision and the desired
outcomes from the people perspective. Change management team member skills, staff resource
needs, and time frames should be identified during this planning phase. In addition to a change
manager, there should be a project manager responsible for the overall project, including project
planning, execution, monitoring, and closure.
■ Make sure the change manager and project manager are in sync. Although these two leaders
often have very different personalities and responsibilities, they need to work in parallel during
the project and understand each other’s roles. They should meet periodically and share progress
as well as challenges from the business side and the project side.
Figure 1 Getting Ready For Change
Change management process
Getting ready for change
• Create a carefully thought-out
vision.
• Identify an executive sponsor.
• Commit resources to support
the change.
• Select a project team.
• Make sure the change manager
and project manager are in
sync.
Making change happen
• Identify all employees the
change will affect.
• Assess readiness for change.
• Implement a continual and
varied communications plan.
• Develop a private change
management social network
site.
• Identify a change champion in
each affected line of business.
• Identify change agents in
affected lines of business.
• Plan training sessions.
• Recognize and reward
successful change behaviors.
82322
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
Reinforcing change as
the new normal
• Continue communications with
employees about successes
and challenges.
• Develop after-implementation
workshops.
• Continue to support the super
users and change agents.
• Celebrate successes and work
toward cultural integration.
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
5
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Making Change Happen Involves Communication And Change Agents
Implementing effective change activities is a critical part of the process. These activities include
high-level planning around why the change is needed all the way down to addressing employees’
concern about how the change is going to affect them. One of the reasons change management
efforts struggle and often fail is because those efforts do not directly address employees’ individual
concerns. Human nature makes people naturally resistant to change. Sometimes it’s cultural
resistance or resistance as a result of ineffective change management strategies. A direct result of this
resistance is slow adoption of technology updates. For instance, according to our respondents, the
top “people” challenges when implementing a CRM solution include cultural resistance to adopting
new ways of working (45%), difficulties in achieving user adoption (44%), insufficient planning and
attention given to change management (42%), and inadequate leadership (38%).2 To achieve success,
your change effort must (see Figure 2):
■ Identify all employees the change will affect. Effective change management starts with
identifying groups of affected employees, the extent of the effect, and the impact level of
the change on each. If job descriptions will change, make sure managers communicate this
individually to the employees and explain the support that they can expect to help with the
change. Be sensitive to employee worry — will I lose my job, will my job change, can I handle
the new responsibilities, etc.
■ Assess readiness for change. A survey to determine where people are in their acceptance of the
coming change provides a valuable gauge of employee sentiment. What concerns do they have?
Is there any confusion with the change process? Where are pockets of resistance? Use the survey
results to prepare follow-up materials and interaction sessions in person and online.
■ Implement a continual and varied communications plan. Middle managers need to be
onboard, and they also need the informational resources to answer questions from their direct
reports. After executives communicate the initial change announcement around why change is
required, garnering employee support requires a dissemination of information throughout the
management chain. The change management team can use a variety of approaches to reach all
employees, including town hall meetings, webinars, brown bag lunches, email, blogs, internal
networks, and newsletters.
■ Develop a private change management social network site. On a company’s internal social
network or intranet, leaders post information including best practices and employees ask
questions, raise concerns, and share ideas with other employees. This is an excellent resource
to use to take the pulse of the organization around change efforts and identify issues of concern
as well as successes in change management. For instance, Microsoft Yammer and Salesforce
Chatter are gaining momentum within organizations looking to engage employees through
social tools and accelerate innovations that customers crave.3
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
6
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
■ Identify a change champion in each affected line of business. These champions are
often leaders in their line of business or department. They work with the change team to
communicate change messages to their business unit, identify areas of resistance, confusion,
or misunderstanding, and plan interventions. These change champions also work with middle
managers to make sure that they have information to communicate to and answer questions
from their direct reports.
■ Identify change agents in affected lines of business. Pro-change workers in different lines of
business and departments act as the local “eyes and ears” of the change management leader.
These change agents raise issues and communicate worker reactions to the change management
leader. They also work with their coworkers to help them understand the change and get their
support and buy-in (see Figure 3).
■ Plan training sessions. Training activities give employees a deeper understanding of the
processes, technologies, procedures, etc., that will change. In general, people do not embrace
change because it is different and unknown. To give employees a feeling for what the change
will be like, identify the learning that each group needs and, as the launch approaches, provide
more-specific instruction and ensure that super users are available throughout the organization
to provide assistance.
■ Recognize and reward successful change behaviors. It is important to make sure managers
and supervisors recognize their teams’ milestones, even if it’s only with a pizza lunch together.
Behavioral change related to the change initiative should be part of employees’ performance
reviews; for example, a review might measure the degree of the individual’s success in making
change. This will help drive adoption and show the importance of change to the organization.
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
7
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Figure 2 Making Change Happen
Change management process
Getting ready for change
• Create a carefully thought-out
vision.
• Identify an executive sponsor.
• Commit resources to support
the change.
• Select a project team.
• Make sure the change manager
and project manager are in
sync.
Making change happen
• Identify all employees the
change will affect.
• Assess readiness for change.
• Implement a continual and
varied communications plan.
• Develop a private change
management social network
site.
• Identify a change champion in
each affected line of business.
• Identify change agents in
affected lines of business.
• Plan training sessions.
• Recognize and reward
successful change behaviors.
82322
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
Reinforcing change as
the new normal
• Continue communications with
employees about successes
and challenges.
• Develop after-implementation
workshops.
• Continue to support the super
users and change agents.
• Celebrate successes and work
toward cultural integration.
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
8
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Figure 3 Institute A Cadre Of Champions And Agents
The change management leaders must establish bases of support.
Sales
Operations
Project team
Finance
IT
Executive
sponsor
Change
champion
Change
Change
agent management
leader
82322
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
Reinforcing Change As The New Normal Emphasizes Feedback
Once implementation has occurred and employees are using the new technology or product, it’s too
early to declare success. Communication and reinforcement activities need to continue to ensure
that the change becomes a part of the organization’s culture. After implementing the change, make
sure that you (see Figure 4):
■ Continue communications with employees about successes and challenges. Once formal
implementation is over, make sure communications continue to drive sustained change.
Encourage feedback from employees one on one, through the internal network, via employee
surveys, etc. Address both positive and negative issues. List best practices from employees so
others can benefit from them, and address all the challenges so employees know change leaders
are listening and dealing with issues.
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
9
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
■ Develop after-implementation workshops. Once employees have embraced the change and
leaders have collected feedback, develop sessions that address any challenges, problems, or
unresolved issues that are impeding success. Make sure to address all issues even if solutions
are not immediately available. Employees need to know that they have been heard. Give a time
frame for resolution if possible, and continue to give updates.
■ Continue to support the super users and change agents. These people are your eyes and
ears to successes and challenges. Super users are employees in lines of business who catch on
quickly to the change and whom the project team can tap to help fellow employees, especially
during implementation. They also need support in terms of lighter regular workloads or more
assistance if they are needed more than anticipated to provide direct assistance to employees.
■ Celebrate successes and work toward cultural integration. Publically acknowledge the
successes of individuals, teams, business units, etc., as well as the efforts of leaders who worked
on the change management project. From an executive level, leaders should continue to present
the big picture of change and remind each employee of the project’s strategic vision. Keep
testing the environment and addressing any flare-ups until the change is really part of the way
business is done — once it is part of the culture, you have achieved success.
Do not be alarmed if your organization does not immediately shift to the desired state following
a change management initiative. Change takes time to stick, which is why celebrating short-term
wins and building on change in order to embed it into a company’s culture is crucial. Some strategic
business events, like mergers, are high-risk initiatives involving major changes over two or more
years; others, like bringing on a new application, must be implemented in six months. In the
case of BI, some changes might need to happen within a few weeks or even days.4 A solid change
management methodology includes all three phases: getting ready for change, making change
happen, and reinforcing change (see Figure 5).
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
10
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Figure 4 Reinforcing Change As The New Normal
Change management process
Getting ready for change
• Create a carefully thought-out
vision.
• Identify an executive sponsor.
• Commit resources to support
the change.
• Select a project team.
• Make sure the change manager
and project manager are in
sync.
Making change happen
• Identify all employees the
change will affect.
• Assess readiness for change.
• Implement a continual and
varied communications plan.
• Develop a private change
management social network
site.
• Identify a change champion in
each affected line of business.
• Identify change agents in
affected lines of business.
• Plan training sessions.
• Recognize and reward
successful change behaviors.
82322
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
Reinforcing change as
the new normal
• Continue communications with
employees about successes
and challenges.
• Develop after-implementation
workshops.
• Continue to support the super
users and change agents.
• Celebrate successes and work
toward cultural integration.
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
11
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Figure 5 The Change Management Process Includes Three Phases
Change management process
Getting ready for change
• Create a carefully thought-out
vision.
• Identify an executive sponsor.
• Commit resources to support
the change.
• Select a project team.
• Make sure the change manager
and project manager are in
sync.
Making change happen
• Identify all employees the
change will affect.
• Assess readiness for change.
• Implement a continual and
varied communications plan.
• Develop a private change
management social network
site.
• Identify a change champion in
each affected line of business.
• Identify change agents in
affected lines of business.
• Plan training sessions.
• Recognize and reward
successful change behaviors.
82322
Reinforcing change as
the new normal
• Continue communications with
employees about successes
and challenges.
• Develop after-implementation
workshops.
• Continue to support the super
users and change agents.
• Celebrate successes and work
toward cultural integration.
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
Drive Continuous Improvement Success With Learning Activities
This change management process will not be successful without carefully planned learning activities
throughout the change process. Providing training at specific times in the change process helps
alleviate employees’ uncertainties and concerns and speeds adoption of the change initiative. These
learning activities may include formal courses and/or very informal networks and conversations —
but all these experiences add to employees’ knowledge and understanding of the change. The timing
of the learning activities and the learning approach should be carefully orchestrated. A blend of
learning approaches is most effective and should be based on the nature of the content.
Quality, Timing, And Intensity Of Learning Experiences Foster Success
The most effective learning content has an engaging delivery approach, is presented at the time of
most need, and is in the depth appropriate to the user’s level of need. Keeping these three factors
in mind, employee learning experiences should be designed to reinforce continuous improvement
initiatives. When designing effective learning approaches in the context of continuous improvement:
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
12
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
■ Provide general change management training for all employees. More organizations are
routinely providing training in change management basics to all managers, executives, and
workers. Because change is ongoing, it makes sense to lay a solid foundation so all employees
understand the importance of the business change process and are familiar with some best
practices for addressing the people part of change initiatives.
■ Plan the employee learning content early on, tweaking as the change process unfolds.
Training is like peeling back the layers of an onion. To increase learning effectiveness, it is
advisable to start early and gradually increase the depth of training based on different employees’
needs. If the training is delayed until a couple of weeks before the change is implemented,
workers have little time to assimilate and practice. An incremental approach allows additional
flexibility to incorporate new content as additional needs arise.
■ Provide more-intensive training as the implementation date approaches. A change initiative
overview delivered early in the project lays out the changes and the employee training support
planned. As the project moves along, training experiences should become more specific. As the
implementation or crossover date approaches, employees need hands-on training and practice
sessions appropriate to their company role. Online training sessions should be recorded and
made available on an internal social network site or the corporate intranet.
■ Create satellite training groups with super users. While the training department may plan the
majority of the training activities, training groups in different locations and lines of business can
be an effective way to increase relevance to specific employee groups. Super users can provide
hands-on training, give coaching help, and provide one-on-one assistance to employees. These
groups must be flexible and responsive to employee needs as the change process moves along.
Reporting, Measurement, And Outside Expertise Add Value To Change
Other areas of concern around change management are staffing to run the business change
management component of change, assurance that the change effort is making an impact, and the
reporting structure for the change management team. When planning your change management
approach:
■ Determine the best reporting structure for change management personnel. The change
management function can live in HR, a line of business, or IT depending on staff expertise and
where the impact of change is the greatest. Change management units or centers of excellence
are becoming more common today because of continual change and are accountable to the
COO or CEO. The important factor is to house change management where it will have the
support it needs, be visible and recognized as an essential component to successful change, and
have autonomy to make decisions.
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
13
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
■ Employ a consultant under certain circumstances. If your organization does not have
organizational development or change management expertise, hire a consultant who works
well as part of a team, has change management expertise, and is familiar with a change
management methodology such as the Prosci or the Kotter methodology.5 Another reason to
hire a consultant is to provide support and advice to your change management team. Very often,
organizations hire a consultant to provide change management training.
■ Measure the impact of your change effort. All organizations want to know if employees
are performing at the level expected after implementation, if employees’ engagement and
commitment indicate that the culture has changed, and how employees at all levels view the
effectiveness of the change management activities. The data sources for indications of change
impact come from employee surveys, tracking performance change of employees (e.g., how
many employees have completely embraced the new technology or process), and feedback from
managers, supervisors, leadership, and change agents and champions in the field. A feedback
collection instrument is a useful tool for collecting this information (see Figure 6).
Figure 6 Example Of A Feedback Collection Instrument
Using a five-point scale from complete satisfaction (5) to unsatisfied (1), rate
the following criteria regarding your company’s change effort.
Criteria
Score
Were adequate resources provided for change management?
Did the organization follow a well-structured change management process/methodology?
Was there a well-qualified change management team in place?
Was enough good-quality training provided?
Did the training offerings use a good variety of training methods?
Was there support from the executive sponsor?
Were effective communication methods used throughout the project?
Did managers and supervisors handle resistance well?
Were employees recognized for meeting interim goals?
82322
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
14
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
R e c o m m e n d at i o n s
Change Management Contributes To Stronger Organizations
Business change done well creates support for the organization. Employees understand why change
is necessary and embrace the support mechanisms in place to aid in the change process. To get to
this stage:
■ Make a strong case for change management. If change management is not a part of new
initiatives, organizations face a greater chance of failure because no one is responsible for
helping employees understand the change and make the change with minimal disruption.
Increase your chances of success with continual and varied communications to employees
and strong sponsorship supporting business change.
■ Hire a change management expert. Change within business is accelerating, and
organizations need in-house change management expertise. Often, organizations hire new
HR leaders because they have proven skills in change management. In addition to leading
change initiatives, an internal change management leader can promote greater awareness of
the need for and value of managing the business side of change.
■ Integrate some areas of change management and project management. The change
manager and the project manager need to work together in planning activities and
determining milestones. The project team needs to understand the importance of business
change management, and the change management team must be aware of project goals and
timelines. Engage in team building to enable the two groups to work as a cross-functional
team that shares responsibilities for outcomes.
■ Make sure learning and change leaders work together to plan the learning strategy.
Employee resistance often increases when the organization leaves learning experiences for
the change initiative to the last minute, causing frustration and overload by presenting too
much material in a short time. Give people a chance to absorb the change by providing
learning activities throughout the project where employees can develop and practice their
new skills to gain confidence.
■ Be ready for hard work implementing change management. Organizations that have
been through a change management initiative report that people change is harder than
expected. Employees take time to make changes. They must hear information over and
over in different ways. They need opportunities to discuss change and understand their
role in change to feel more comfortable. All this means that change management staff must
constantly devise new approaches to help people move through the resistance stage. Don’t
shortchange the initiative on time and resources.
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
For Application Development & Delivery Professionals
15
Drive Continuous Improvement With Strong Change Management And Employee Training
Endnotes
Employee competence is a crucial dynamic for companies. Employee knowledge, skills, and abilities affect
a company’s productivity, ability to innovate, and success in satisfying customers. With today’s dynamic
market environments and the increase in employee mobility, learning organizations must show agility in
facing these challenges by using many learning approaches guided by the employee learning needs, learning
content, and the desired learning outcomes. For more information on blended learning strategies, see the
July 23, 2014, “Improve Customer Engagement With A Blended Learning Strategy” report.
1
2
Source: Forrester/CustomerThink June 2013 Future Of CRM Online Survey.
For more information on how CRM Success is dependent on sound change management initiatives, see the
December 3, 2013, “CRM Success Hinges On Effective Change Management” report.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, a US restaurant chain, competes in a crowded market where customer tastes
change rapidly. As such, the company must build an organization that can quickly change its customer
experience to satisfy its shifting customer demands. To fulfill this vision, Red Robin employs Yammer, a
social collaboration technology from Microsoft, to free the flow of information and knowledge within the
company, improving its organizational agility. This report shows customer experience (CX) professionals
how social technologies can play an instrumental role in helping the business respond to change as a matter
of routine. See the June 20, 2014, “Case Study: Red Robin Builds An Agile Customer-Centric Culture With
Yammer” report.
3
To compete in today’s global economy, businesses and governments need agility and the ability to adapt
quickly to change. And what about internal adoption to roll out enterprise-grade BI applications? BI change
is ongoing; often, many things change concurrently. One element that too often takes a back seat is the
impact of changes on the organization’s people. See the June 10, 2013, “Get Ready For BI Change” report.
4
The two most used methodologies for change management are “The Eight Step Process of Successful
Change” from John Kotter and ADKAR from Prosci. John Kotter is a well-known expert in leadership
and change, professor emeritus at Harvard Business School, and founder of Kotter International, a change
leadership company. Source: Kotter International (http://www.kotterinternational.com).
5
Prosci is a change management research company that also conducts change management certification
training nationally. Source: Prosci (http://www.prosci.com).
© 2014, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
July 23, 2014
About Forrester
A global research and advisory firm, Forrester inspires leaders,
informs better decisions, and helps the world’s top companies turn
the complexity of change into business advantage. Our researchbased insight and objective advice enable IT professionals to
lead more successfully within IT and extend their impact beyond
the traditional IT organization. Tailored to your individual role, our
resources allow you to focus on important business issues —
margin, speed, growth — first, technology second.
for more information
To find out how Forrester Research can help you be successful every day, please
contact the office nearest you, or visit us at www.forrester.com. For a complete list
of worldwide locations, visit www.forrester.com/about.
Client support
For information on hard-copy or electronic reprints, please contact Client Support
at +1 866.367.7378, +1 617.613.5730, or [email protected]. We offer
quantity discounts and special pricing for academic and nonprofit institutions.
Forrester Focuses On
Application Development & Delivery Professionals
Responsible for leading the development and delivery of applications
that support your company’s business strategies, you also choose
technology and architecture while managing people, skills, practices,
and organization to maximize value. Forrester’s subject-matter expertise
and deep understanding of your role will help you create forward-thinking
strategies; weigh opportunity against risk; justify decisions; and optimize
your individual, team, and corporate performance.
«
Andrea Davies, client persona representing Application Development & Delivery Professionals
Forrester Research (Nasdaq: FORR) is a global research and advisory firm serving professionals in 13 key roles across three distinct client
segments. Our clients face progressively complex business and technology decisions every day. To help them understand, strategize, and act
upon opportunities brought by change, Forrester provides proprietary research, consumer and business data, custom consulting, events and
online communities, and peer-to-peer executive programs. We guide leaders in business technology, marketing and strategy, and the technology
industry through independent fact-based insight, ensuring their business success today and tomorrow.
82322
