Community organizer and writer Saul Alinsky wrote, “Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict.” You’re not living in an abstract world, and you’re definitely not living in a frictionless one. Change is constant; managing that change is a little more inconsistent. Whether an organization is implementing new processes or integrating updated systems, managing change is the crucial factor in success.

Managing change is more… manageable when a business, department, or team uses a systematic approach:

1. Go back to basics.

   What are the objectives? What are we trying to do? Who are the stakeholders? Who is impacted, whether directly or indirectly? How are they impacted? What are the threats? What are people most concerned about? But, on the flip side of that, what are the opportunities? ( need to create a sense of urgency for the change highlighting the risks threats, and opportunities  to the enterprise.

2. Build a strategy around these answers.

   Once you’ve determined your needs, you can develop a strategy for managing change (create a vision to help provide a direction for the change process). How are you going to communicate change? Implement it? You want to look at the change through a specific lens, through the eyes of the end-user or those affected by the change. This way, you will develop a plan that addresses their concerns and needs.

3. Build a project charter.

   Here’s our plan; we have a communications plan, a strategy, a resource plan. We know who is going to lead. You really want to drill down into detail as much as possible to make it smooth and completely comprehensive. Most projects tend to fail because of poor change management; no one buys in, productivity goes down. You need that level of detail to give people the background necessary to adapt and adopt to this change. Need to get the stakeholders actively engaged in implementing the change process? strategy

4. Tailor your plan and your message.

   A blanket plan won’t cut it. You have to customize it to your audience: finance, marketing, business line, production – whomever. Again, this allows you to hit the details about which they’re most concerned. (The communications plan must address the tone, manner and message of the major communications efforts and vehicles)

5. Monitor change.

   Is your message being managed? How do you adjust your message if it is not being absorbed? How do you make sure people are getting the message and following the new process or using the new system? Is change being integrated, and if not, why and what now?

Change is never “done.” It is a constant cycle of implementation, feedback, measuring adjustments/ modifications), and then starting all over again with other initiatives. It can get overwhelming if you let it. Change may be sparked by creativity or innovation, but it is implemented by a methodical approach that is replicable and applicable to any change that comes from this friction-filled world.