What are the steps to create effective change management plans for complex, large-scale changes?

Crucial to creating an effective change community is to recognize the parallel change transpiring simultaneously within your organization. Organization’s rarely deploy a single change at one time so understanding how the project fits into the larger organizational vision is imperative to understand potential synergies and risks.

Inspiring and leading change amidst increasing complexity and daunting ambiguity demands “values-infused vision.” The fact is people going though change crave clarity. As Brené Brown reminds us, “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” In the absence of specifics, exactness, or details in the moments of flux, call upon your values-infused vision for aligning others to change. As long as change expectations are rooted in vision…compelling, inspiring, humane vision, then communities of support can organically form to help bring the change to life. For lasting results. And when a change vision feels distant and far away, or elusive, among the swell and volume, that’s when our values are called upon. Rely on values to remind us of our humanity.

Once the vison is defined, you should also carefully consider who will be sharing this vison with the organization. Visible and supportive sponsorship that will communicate a clear vision and inspire all involved, is detrimental to a successful change.

“Roadmaps” are a relatively new tool in the change toolbox. And the key to them is avoiding rigidity and embracing flexibility and curiosity. Roadmaps are a snapshot in time, based on what you know at that moment of assessment, and understanding of stakeholder needs and change expectations. Don’t hide the roadmap, waiting for perfection before publishing on some site. Instead, design and showcase as you go, bring in supporters and challengers to strengthen the roadmap. Let the roadmap be an ever present item on the agenda with Product Owners and Product Managers. And as you think about how to measure progress be inviting and welcoming to those most interested in the roadmap. Use tools like Miro, Mural or Atlassian’s offerings to engage.

Designing the change strategy and roadmap must include an intentional communications strategy. The communications strategy needs to be implemented even before the change has started: Who are the most important stakeholders internally and externally? Who are your identified champions and how will you activate them? Who are the resistors and how will you achieve their buy-in? A failure to communicate change mindfully and strategically, can potentially hobble the desired outcome.

Successful execution of a change plan- and sustaining it- requires effective communication throughout the entire process. A consistent communications cadence is required to help learn, inform, and adjust as necessary the change management process and plan based on stakeholder feedback. This helps to build consensus and buy-in across teams and the organization; thus, mitigating inertia and resistance.

There are so many variables with change, both in terms of technical and non-technical requirements, that no singular model or theory will ‘fix it’ Too often we try to lead and manage change in house but it ‘didn’t work last time’ so we get consultants in. A company comes in, having won the contract though demonstrating their value, with a particular model or theory that’s ‘guaranteed to work’ based on previous evidence. The problem being is that every situation, organisation and challenge is different. No one model will work. What’s needed is understanding and experience of numerous models and practical application of the theory in order to enable effective change. Very few can provide this level of ability, except the Military.

One of the things to also recognise is that recruitment of any staff whether replacing or new is that this is change. The impact is felt in many capacities throughout the department and possibly the whole company if small. My company was founded because throughout my recruitment career I witnessed the effects repeatedly