How do you manage multiple change initiatives without losing quality?

Ensuring that the change initiatives align with organizational priorities is critical. It’s important to ask the question “why now?” And if now, what can we stop? Is there a possibility to phase any of the changes?

Got to dive in with technology and find a solution to help you manage this. It can be done with spreadsheets on a small scale - but bigger initiatives need something like the #changeplan platform.

One of the most important aspects of organizational change is to get the entire team to buy-in to the necessity for change. Each productive unit must assume “owner value” so that every decision they contemplate seeks to achieve the overall objectives of the change process. It takes a bit of time but it tends to produce better results than that produced by forced change.

Managing multiple change initiatives without losing quality requires a clear and coherent vision and strategy for change, assessing the scope and impact of each change initiative, prioritizing and sequencing the initiatives, monitoring and evaluating the progress and impact of the industries, and adapting and learning from the change experience. Additionally, integrating change initiatives with the vision and strategy, using a structured approach and set of tools for managing the cumulative and collective impact of a ‘portfolio’ of change, and reducing the risk of colliding change initiatives can help generate the desired benefits.

It's stupid expectation ?? How do you manage multiple change initiatives without losing quality???? is like... How can I remain healthy while feasting on fast food for every meal and being glued to Netflix all day? Sorry! It's stupid expectation ?? Imagine a chef attempting to cook ten new recipes simultaneously. Sounds a bit foolish, right? I mean, who in their right mind would expect gourmet quality from such a chaotic approach? In the business, trying to simultaneously manage multiple change initiatives is a recipe for disaster. Believe me there is no strategy to make it work. So PRIOTIZE! Not every dish (or change initiative) needs to be prepared (or implemented) at the same time. Understand what's crucial now and what can wait.

This is an important point. Multiple changes competing for same resources is likely to create conflicts. More so, it will have an impact at the time of rolling out and embedding change. Perhaps a phased or iterative change execution will help right from design to delivery to embedding change. And the driver should be business benefits alongside Change capacity & appetite.

Don't lose sight of the people. A lot of change managers focus on systems and processes - which you absolutely should have - but don't give enough attention to the human side of change. Even if each change is positive and welcome, people can go into a state of 'change fatigue' so no matter what the drivers are or what the leadership appetite is, make sure that changes are delivered in a manageable way so that you take people with you. Check in regularly too as this a dynamic process.

Assessing change capacity and readiness on multiple levels is essential to generate the most success from an organizational change. A piece I've seen missing in many change initiatives is not assessing the needs at an individual or departmental level before launching the change program - this can lead to dissatisfaction if employees are stretched too thin, there are not enough staff/resources to manage daily responsibilities alongside the changes, or the organization is trying to take on too much too quickly. Leaders need to look at balancing employee capabilities with organizational goals and not make EVERYTHING a priority.

Ever thought of triaging your change support? It may be useful to have thresholds that guide how each change is handled. The implementation of a company-wide policy may require a different approach from the implementation of a new business process for a team or two. Taking stock of the nuances between each change can help to guide the quality of the support dedicated to from the get-go. Nonetheless, like any other triage, be prepared to do more (or even less) than expected once you get into the specifics.

Effectively managing multiple change initiatives without sacrificing quality necessitates careful prioritization, tailored plans with specific objectives and timelines, resource allocation to ensure teams have the right skills and support, clear and regular communication to engage stakeholders, ongoing monitoring of key performance indicators (KPIs) to make data-driven adjustments, proactive identification and mitigation of sources of resistance, and the fostering of adaptability. When necessary, consider seeking external expertise to bolster your change management efforts and ensure long-term success in a dynamic environment.

We have a fantastic team of change leaders who are championing the cause of bringing about significant transformation within every function at Cisco. The finance function had a special focus on the whole change strategy which was why a Finance Transformation Office was set up to establish, drive, and assess the change implementation and to review the change governance structure from time to time. This helped us bring about amazing transformation within Finance and the results were already being seen right from operational up to strategic level.

A project scope statement is a great way to outline this governance and clearly state all stakeholders, responsibilities, and deadlines. This can create efficiencies in making change decisions and reduce confusion on who is taking the lead on each aspect of the change.

Imagine your role as that of William Wallace, rallying different groups within your organization, with each change initiative representing a different clan in your army. To lead these initiatives successfully, leaders should employ strategies inspired by Braveheart, such as unification, communication, and unwavering commitment. Unification is the act of bringing together disparate groups under a common banner. Communication is the rallying cry that motivates your troops. Unwavering commitment is the symbol of leadership that inspires loyalty and dedication. As a champion change lead, encourage cross-team collaboration and knowledge sharing sessions to enhance the sense of unity and camaraderie among change initiative leaders and teams.

Having a governance structure not only streamlines decision-making but also fosters collaboration. By centralizing oversight, you can identify overlaps or gaps in initiatives, ensuring resources are used effectively. Moreover, involving various levels—from senior leaders to on-ground champions—boosts buy-in, making change more cohesive and successful across the organization.

A governance committee or structure is important for larger changes in organizations, while smaller ones or sprints can be done via core teams.

As a Change Manager managing multiple initiatives, you should encourage all business areas to consider communication collaboration. Can you talk to stakeholders once with a summary of all changes instead of multiple changes? Larger organisations, particularly banks, sometimes have a system that collates content and sends a weekly newsletter. If your organisation doesn't have this, could you create it? Some communications do need to be stand-alone, so they are not diluted.

Having transparent communication, and making sure it is consistent across various channels, can help change initiatives go a long way. I'd recommend having a central communication officer or department through which all major communications flow - this will help maintain a consistent voice and message. Communication also has to be ongoing in ways that work for each stakeholder group. The method of communicating to shift workers who aren't regularly at a computer is going to be different from communications sent to business units that are on computers all day, every day.

Sometimes you can leverage multiple change initiatives to support each other. I leveraged this technique many times, even gamifying it which allowed us to a) build awareness of multiple new products while b) reinforcing conversational selling techniques and c) building a habit of recommending membership programs while also d) orienting employees to a new store layout. This is a very retail example but I've also used it to tie multiple initiatives back to a single strategy: "while it may seem like we have all these different initiatives coming your way, they all tie back to this one overarching strategy that benefits you this way..." Connecting the dots lessens the risk of change fatigue.

Effective change management hinges on clear communication. It's essential to be transparent about the reasons for change and its benefits. By including stakeholders in discussions and decision-making where appropriate, you foster a sense of ownership and reduce resistance. Remember, every stakeholder group has unique concerns; addressing these directly enhances trust and smoothens the transition.

Clear and consistent communication is key. Everyone involved should understand the purpose of each initiative, what’s expected of them, and how their work contributes to the overall goal.

Don't wait for a change requirement to come down from executives or customers! Start collecting data on the processes you are responsible for today, immediately, without delay. When the inevitable mandate does come down, you are ready. Without today's data in hand, you will have no say in future processes. Be prepared!

Captain! Regularly charting your fleet's (change initiatives') progress, maintaining open lines of communication with teams to share insights and challenges, and remaining flexible to adapt your strategies when necessary will empower you to effectively monitor and evaluate your change progress and outcomes, ensuring successful transformations.

Regularly gauge the impact of your change initiatives. Utilize KPIs to measure their efficacy and gather stakeholder feedback for holistic insights. Address identified challenges promptly, and ensure you regularly update stakeholders about milestones achieved. Celebrate successes to maintain momentum and morale, while lessons from setbacks should guide future strategies.

While minitoring and evaluating progress , it is important to give chance for experimentation in applying change and adapt to the results of those experimentations.

Regularly review the progress of each initiative. This will allow you to identify any issues early on and make necessary adjustments.

It is crucial to remember the importance of documenting Lessons Learned from all previous experiences of change. As a personal practice, I allocate three hours annually, during which I intentionally disconnect from mobile devices and devote time to reading and reflecting upon the valuable insights gained from past experiences.

Change is fluid, requiring constant adaptation. Learn from both challenges and successes, adjusting strategies accordingly. Promote a culture that values continuous improvement, encouraging stakeholder feedback to refine future endeavors. This iterative approach ensures sustainable and impactful change.

Be open to learning from each initiative. What worked? What didn’t? Use this information to continuously improve your approach to managing change initiatives.

Handling multiple change initiatives is like juggling flaming swords while riding a unicycle on a tightrope over a pit of rubber duckies! To keep the show going, leaders must be masterful jugglers, prioritizing, delegating, and staying cool under pressure. Balancing change initiatives effectively means no duckies are harmed, and your unicycle stays on course to success!

I've seen changes that actually overlap or contradict each other but the change owner did not know of the other's efforts. Put a system in place that allows the change owners to see what other changes are happening or what could be bundled (perhaps several edits are needed to an SOP or batch record changes that can be bundled). By knowing what changes are in flight and what can be bundled, you have less of that "change fatigue" that can hit if the same process or document gets changed too often.

@mark green is spot on! The reality on the ground is that however prepared and organised you are, urgent priorities from different projects are going to hit at the exact same time. Keeping cool is one thing, but developing the ability to prioritise all the urgent priorities takes a high level of skill, diplomacy, patience, and personal resilience. Another crucial element is developing and investing in your change champ/super user network early on, and then leveraging that network to achieve next level cut through in your stakeholder group. Developing this skill and network - and the agility to pivot with zero notice - is what makes change management challenging, exhilarating, and satisfying.

Prioritization happens. The challenge often is that everything feels urgent and important. If it wasn't important to someone it most likely would not be on the table for implementation. Focus on ranking each project or initiative, but also, but them into a timebox - a period of when they will execute. Sometimes people want everything to happen right away because they are afraid if there is a delay it won't happen at all. By showing people an initiative has a place, they know when they will see action on it.

People are at the heart of change. Dr. Aneel Chima says it well: “Change is now perpetual, pervasive, and exponential. It’s happening all the time, from all angles, everywhere, and getting faster.” Measure how people feel, health, engagement, satisfaction, culture, environments. And all the drivers of these point towards the staff’s ability to handle and manage the pace of change. And support them through change using these insights. In short, don’t forget to measure, support and then succeed.