Yet another attempt at solving the SUCCESS or FAILURE conundrum
Ron Leeman
My 95% positive PRACTICAL, PRAGMATIC, and PERSONAL Driving Change Management training now contains a session on "People Science" the new name for the "People Side of Change".
Yes this is starting to become an obsession but a healthy one I think for the discipline of Change Management and the constant surveys and research that say it FAILS!!!
I have written a few articles already about this suggesting alternative ways of measurement which you can read (if you haven’t already), by following the links below:
Well guess what I’ve thought of another way which is via a couple of activities that should be standard Change Management measures and are part of my Driving Change Management course. I’m talking a combination of Business Readiness (pre Go-Live) and Usage & Adoption (post Go-Live). And yes I’ve written about both before:
But I have never thought of using them together as ways of measuring the success of Change Management.
MEASURE A ... BUSINESS READINESS
Is a measure of “preparation”. Anything that involves a change to business operations requires Business Readiness assessment because a ready business will have made all the preparations necessary to accept the deliverables of a project, and begin operating them at go-live.
It’s main purpose is to:
The approach includes 8 stages one of which is Agree Scoring Criteria & Target Score. This would be the relevant module that would provide an overall figure for readiness against a target e.g. measurement of business functions against relevant statements/questions over the life-cycle of a project: These areas could consist of:
Whichever functions are chosen would have approximately 3 statements/questions assigned to each, using a 5-point Likert Scale for scoring. An initial survey would then be sent to respondents, normally about 10% of total impacted stakeholders, so they could rate their responses against the Likert Scale to evaluative questions/statements. The first survey would act as a “baseline”. The same survey (same questions/statements) would be sent out on a cyclical basis (normally monthly depending on the project length) to the same group of stakeholders/impacted individuals.
Analysis is done on all the results but it is usual not to act on the first survey but wait until the 2nd or 3rd survey to see if any “outlier” results need attention e.g. a static or downward trend from previous scores tends to indicate an area of concern although sometimes there is a valid reason for this. ?Specific actions/change interventions should then be implemented to address them the results of which should reverse the trend which would then show up in subsequent results.
This process would continue for the project life-cycle until a month before go-live. If the overall results have achieved the target score that is an indication that the business is ready. If it hasn’t it’s an indication that the business is not ready and a decision will have to be made which will depend on the circumstances and how far away from the target score the final score is.
Below is an example of a “real-life survey that shows the results for four months worth of Surveys at a month before going live, with the scoring showing progression and/or regression for all Areas and also at an overall Area level. The go-live score for this initiative was overall 4.5. Clearly at an overall score of 3.7 this was a "not ready" situation = fail. But guess what? They went live anyway and suffered the consequencespost-go-live.
So this is the first part of your change success criteria, reaching the go-live readiness score but it doesn’t end there because you’ve still got to get people to adopt and use what you’ve delivered.
MEASURE B ... ADOPTION and USAGE
First of all let me explain what “adoption” and “usage” are:
You probably knew that but let me give you an example just in case:
领英推荐
What this means is that "adoption" & "usage" are inextricably linked and both are essential in that alone neither can lead to success.
Merely saying that more use will yield more benefits, without considering the nature of the use, is clearly insufficient and by simply measuring the amount of time a system is used does? not properly capture the relationship between usage and the realisation of expected results.
ADOPTION
Let’s talk about “adoption first”.
Change adoption metrics are quantitative and qualitative measures used to assess the extent of acceptance, implementation, and integration of a new initiative or organizational change within an organization. These metrics provide tangible data and insights into how well the change is being adopted by employees and stakeholders. Change adoption metrics help organizations track progress, identify areas of success or resistance, and make informed decisions to drive successful change management. By measuring change adoption metrics, organizations can gauge the effectiveness of their change efforts and take proactive steps to address any barriers or challenges that may impede successful change implementation.
A general approach to measuring Adoption Rate
Adoption Rate Calculation
The adoption rate measures the percentage of individuals or teams within the organisation who have fully embraced and adopted the change. It indicates the overall level of acceptance and integration of the change initiative. So it's simply the number of individuals/groups who have adopted the change divided by the number of individuals/groups in the target population) multiplied by 100
If a change initiative is targeted at a department with 50 employees, and 35 employees have fully adopted the change, the adoption rate would be calculated as:
A few things to consider:
Organizations can enhance change adoption metrics by fostering stakeholder engagement, providing adequate support, communicating effectively, recognizing change champions, and continuously improving the change process based on feedback.
USAGE
Right let's move on to Usage shall we?
Usage statistics provide data on how frequently and extensively the new solution (process, system, or tool) is being utilised by employees. Usage statistics help assess the effectiveness of the change implementation and identify areas of high or low utilisation.
In the world of solution usage metrics are the "cream of the crop". The three main areas you should be looking at are:
A user can say they’re happy with a solution until they’re red in the face, but if nobody is actually using it what is the point? Usage metrics are one of the best ways to quantify what’s actually happening when people use your solution.
Usage is necessary but not sufficient as an overall measure of success. After all, what choice do users have but to use the now ‘only game in town’ system? Here are some common approaches to measuring usage statistics:
A FINAL FEW WORDS
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5 个月The success vs. failure debate is fascinating!?
Results-Oriented Consultant with Expertise in Storytelling and Communications. Few people can offer the breadth and depth of experience and skills across PR, Marketing, Communications, and Business Change.
5 个月Consult stakeholders on desired outcomes. Measure them.
I feel your struggle! Measuring success is so subjective. Maybe we should focus less on quantifying and more on personal growth and fulfillment. What matters most is how we feel about our own journey.
After Sales Service Advisor @ Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors | Public Administration Expert
5 个月Measuring success or failure in change management is indeed one of the complex challenges faced by today’s managers. From a scientific perspective, success and failure in this context are dynamic processes dependent on a variety of factors. First, it is important to consider key performance indicators (KPIs), which should be specific and measurable, such as employee satisfaction, adaptation rates to change, and achievement of organizational goals. According to studies on change management, failure in this field often stems from insufficient understanding of human factors, including resistance to change and lack of effective communication. Therefore, the key could be improving communication strategies and emphasizing the sustainable benefits of change rather than focusing on immediate results. Supporting Ron’s idea, we can conclude that measuring success or failure is not only about the end results but also about the long-term impact of the change. Focusing on the change process itself and how people adapt to it ultimately determines success.