Blog
July 15, 2022
Benefits of Effective OCM Strategies
In today’s rapidly evolving work environment, understanding how to navigate change is becoming increasingly important and integrated in organizations. According to Prosci®[1], effective OCM strategies enable organizations to be six times more successful when executing transformation initiatives and embracing change. Attain Partners has successfully led Organizational Change Management (OCM) efforts for over 20 various digital transformation initiatives across a wide array of industries. We help clients realize a return on their investments by ensuring an organization is ready to change, lowering the risk of a transformation initiative’s failure.
Risk Assessments: The first step to mitigating issues
Attain Partners recently led the OCM effort for a large-scale technology transformation initiative impacting over 1,000 stakeholders. Conducting a risk assessment was our first step in creating an action plan to mitigate and/or manage anticipated issues frequently associated with initiatives of this scale. A risk assessment considers the severity of an initiative’s degree of change/scope and whether an organization’s culture embraces or resists change. The resulting risk profile indicates whether the initiative has an overall low, medium, or high risk. In this case, the risk assessment revealed a medium risk score, mainly due to change-resistant behaviors amongst impacted stakeholders. Armed with this data, our change management team developed tailored change resistance plans to mitigate risk and achieve the desired business outcomes.
To manage resistance, we developed an action plan that integrated the Prosci ADKAR® model (described in the image below) which emphasizes the importance of individual change leading to organizational change. Our team developed targeted, strategic communications which raised awareness and generated desire for the change. We then conducted training and provided support resources to ensure stakeholders had the knowledge and ability to transition to the new solution with confidence. Finally, we planned and incorporated post-go-live activities to sustain reinforcement. Throughout the journey, this strategy resulted in stakeholder eagerness and excitement to transition to their new solution.
Sponsor Roadmap: Combat change-resistant behaviors
In addition to the resistance management plans, Attain Partners developed and implemented a Sponsor Roadmap which outlined the behaviors and actions organizational executives needed to employ to ensure they conveyed a unified leadership tone regarding the transformation. The roadmap was critical as stakeholders looked to senior leadership for assurances regarding the initiative’s importance and the organization’s commitment to the change. Our team’s detailed action plan successfully combatted change-resistant behaviors by improving buy-in across the enterprise, resulting in 92% of stakeholders reporting they felt confident that the organization was capable and ready to successfully transition to their new solution.
Risk of failure often associated with large-scale technology transformation initiatives may seem intimidating, but effective mitigation through tailored action plans is an invaluable and proven OCM strategy that helps produce the desired return on investment from transformational initiatives. These action plans have been shown to improve user adoption and contribute to overall project success.
Connect with our OCM Experts
No matter where your organization is in its OCM journey, we are here to help you navigate through your transformation initiative. Attain Partners has successfully worked with institutions across the United States to conduct a wide array of Organizational Change Management activities. For more information or to speak with one of our experts, please contact us here: [email protected].
About the Authors
Kyle Cadieux is a Senior Manager in the Attain Digital practice and an IDEA Board member and founder. Kyle has a demonstrated knowledge in Organizational Change Management, Organizational Design, and Human Capital Management. Prior to Attain Partners, Kyle supported Organizational Transformation work for the Federal Government at various Consultancies. Kyle is a Prosci® Certified Change Management Practitioner and holds an M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.
Jessica Lee is a Consultant in the Strategic Transformation Services practice. She has supported organizational change and project management efforts for Higher Education Clients and is a Prosci® Certified Change Management Practitioner. Jessica brings with her strong attention to detail and is committed to achieving the best results.
Brooke Williams is a Consultant in the Attain Digital practice of Attain Partners. Brooke has a background in litigation and is currently pursuing her M.B.A. from Old Dominion University. Aside from Attain Partners, Brooke is a Certified Paralegal and leads a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to molding middle and high school girls into leaders and innovative thinkers.
[1] Prosci. “Why Change Management.” Prosci, www.prosci.com/resources/articles/why-change-management.
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