Category Archive

Full article with thanks to https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2020/02/16/successful-change-management-6-surprising-reasons-people-resist-change-and-how-to-motivate-them-to-embrace-it-instead/ Everyone knows change is hard and the most difficult part of any change effort is obtaining buy-in. Relatively speaking, it is often the change itself—new software, new organization charts or new work methodologies—that is the easiest to manage. The more difficult part of change is building buy-in, channeling shifts in behavior and accelerating acceptance. …

Full article with thanks to https://hbr.org/2020/05/5-questions-that-newly-virtual-leaders-should-ask-themselves t is safe to say, that for the first time in the age of technology, ad hoc face-to-face meetings are no longer an option for many people. While we don’t anticipate in-person meetings to go away forever, working during the Covid-19 crisis does provide us with the opportunity to reflect on how the best …

Full article with thanks to https://www.panorama-consulting.com/barriers-to-organizational-change/?utm_campaign=Organic%20-%20LinkedIn%20-%20OCM&utm_content=146665308&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-672814 While everyone wants change, no one wants to change. This is a well-known adage in the field of change management. Put another way, it’s often easier to convince people of the need for something new than to get everyone moving in the same direction toward that objective. While change management practitioners understand this adage, many …

Full article with thanks to https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/what-800-executives-envision-for-the-postpandemic-workforce The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruption to our working lives in the short term, and is likely to change the way that we work in the long term. To understand these changes, McKinsey commissioned a survey of business executives around the world in June 2020. The results suggest that the crisis may accelerate some workforce …

Full article with thanks to https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/what-800-executives-envision-for-the-postpandemic-workforce The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruption to our working lives in the short term, and is likely to change the way that we work in the long term.1 To understand these changes, McKinsey commissioned a survey of business executives around the world in June 2020. The results suggest that the crisis may accelerate some workforce …

Full article with thanks to https://www.itproportal.com/features/how-to-lead-digital-transformation-through-change-management/ As enterprises move to a digital-first world, change management must shift at the same pace. There’s so much information concerning operational evolution and how businesses should undergo such processes in order to remain relevant. But before delving into the powers of a well-executed project, such as digital transformation, the first step that’s required is …

Full article with thanks to https://blog.walkme.com/digital-strategy/ When someone says the word digital strategy, marketing may immediately pop into mind. But digital strategy is the overall approach a company will take to define what type of software they invest in and how to maximize that software. Table of Contentshide1. What is digital strategy?2. Why is a digital strategy important?3. Five essential questions for planning your …

Full article with thanks https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/doing-vs-being-practical-lessons-on-building-an-agile-culture# Four global success stories offer insights and lessons learned on achieving organizational agility. Around the world, a growing number of organizations are embracing agility to improve delivery, increase speed, and enhance customer and employee experience. Indeed, in the time of COVID-19, many organizations have accelerated their shift to agile. Our recent research found that agile organizations responded faster to …

Full article with thanks to https://www.panorama-consulting.com/digital-coe/?utm_campaign=Pushnami%20-%20Digital%20Strategy&utm_source=Pushnami Is your organization considering digital transformation? Even amid the unexpected events of 2020, research shows that 70% of companies are either maintaining or increasing their spending in this realm. If your organization decides to embark on this journey, it’s time to start thinking about building a digital center of excellence (COE). Today, we’re sharing exactly what …

Full article with thanks to https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/change-management-agile-world-getting-ready-war “What do you mean there’s no big bang release date? How will we know what to build if we don’t know what the thing will do far in advance? How can we train people to use something if we don’t have all the user requirements and specs up front?” Such questions ring through the …

Full article with thanks to https://www.imaworldwide.com/blog/5-implications-for-change-management-in-an-agile-world As change management consultants, we’re often asked how Agile and change management fit together.  There are a lot of questions about how adding change management to an Agile project management cycle works; there are concerns expressed about whether change management will slow things down, and get in the way of the speed and innovation derived from …

Full article with thanks to https://blog.walkme.com/what-is-digital-transformation/ What is digital transformation, why does it matter, and how can organizations implement change? Questions such as these have become very relevant in today’s dynamic and fast-paced economy.  In an era where disruption and innovation have become the norm, organizations cannot afford to sit idly by while their competitors adopt and profit from new tools …

Full article with thanks to https://www.octanner.com/insights/articles/2019/10/23/how_does_leadership_.html Debunking 5 myths about the role of leaders in creating thriving workplace cultures. True or False: Do leaders really impact company culture? TRUE. It is not shocking that effective leadership correlates to great organizational cultures. After all, leadership is defined as someone who has influence or authority, and leaders can reinforce values while simultaneously holding people …

Full article with thanks to https://www.panorama-consulting.com/how-to-manage-change-during-a-merger-or-acquisition/ Any type of change is traumatic, but few things are scarier than a merger or acquisition. Whether you’re doing the acquiring or you’re being acquired, this process can be stressful for everyone involved. Managing change related to a merger or acquisition is necessary for both the short- and long-term health of your organization. While mismanagement …

Full article with thanks to https://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/seven-steps-to-merger-excellence/ Mergers and acquisitions often create winners and losers at both the corporate and individual staff levels. One culture unseats another. One employee outweighs another. Power struggles prevail. And while policy and organizational decisions are made from above, the organization sits in limbo, slowly becoming disengaged from its focus. It is a hardly satisfactory state, …

Full article with thanks to https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/successful-change-leader/ Great Change Leaders Focus on People & Process Successful change is one of the biggest problems that modern organizations face. In our fast-changing world, the strategic imperative to change is often clear: Without doing things differently, our company is unlikely to succeed, or last. But change-management research has demonstrated time after time that organizational …

Full article with thanks to https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/06/15/three-tips-for-managing-resistance-to-change/#d9cf26d642bb Change happens every day in organizations all over the world. Yet for many people, change can be scary. Many of us like to hold on to a sense of safety and security. We get comfortable doing things a certain way, so being asked to do something differently can trigger emotions such as anger, frustration, …

Full article with thanks to https://www.strategicsourceror.com/2020/05/building-effective-business-case-for.html Change management is a structured approach designed to ensure end users and adopters understand why changes in an organization are occurring and inevitably adopt and utilize the resulting new systems. Change management is a necessary component to project success because if business users to do not adopt new systems then organizations do not achieve their target …

Full article with thanks to https://www.prweek.com/article/1686239/one-biggest-change-management-moments-weve-ever-experienced-agencies-helping-clients-navigate-re-entry Businesses are playing it safe in bringing employees back to the office. From Los Angeles to Miami, most U.S. cities are pushing ahead with reopening their economies, meaning businesses can begin to bring employees back to their offices, as long as local and state rules are followed.  Yet even with the green light, many …

Full article with thanks to https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2020/05/10/change-management-strategies-for-getting-back-to-work-10-ways-to-ensure-success/#dcfbe872b46b The coronavirus pandemic has thrust every business and leader into a situation of managing change and thinking about how to get people on board for what comes next. In retrospect, the giant social experiment in which organizations suddenly sent everyone home was the easy part. The bigger challenge will be to bring people back …

Full article with thanks to https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/accounting-audit/article/21136982/building-a-change-management-capability-what-the-coronavirus-crisis-revealed Effective change management can help organizations pivot quickly, decisively, and effectively, even when—perhaps especially when—unforeseen circumstances strike. And while each business is unique, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Accounting firms are certainly familiar with change. Market dynamics, shifting stakeholder expectations, regulatory rule-making—all this and more compel the profession to be agile. Traditionally, …

Full article with thanks to https://change.walkme.com/how-does-organizational-culture-affect-change/ Culture is one among many factors that influence a company’s ability to change. A few of these include: Culture Leadership External circumstances, such as customer needs and desires Among many other things. When developing an organizational change project, change practitioners should examine all of these factors in detail. Each factor will have a different …

Full article with thanks to https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/leadership/changing-change-management# Simon Willmett outlines the seven main challenges facing every small business, and offers ways to overcome them. Setting up a business is certainly not without its challenges and requires vast amounts of determination, patience and effort. With figures showing that SMEs account for 99.9pc of the 5.7 million businesses in the UK, standing out …

Full article with thanks to https://blog.smarp.com/how-covid-19-is-accelerating-digital-transformation-in-the-workplace#A-Wake-Up-Call-for-Business-Leaders The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting the business world and companies have no choice but to review their strategies to overcome the crisis.  he COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting the business world and companies have no choice but to review their strategies to overcome the crisis.  The global COVID-19 lockdown has unprecedented impacts on our personal …

Full article with thanks to https://www.businessballs.com/strategy-innovation/pest-market-analysis-tool/ PEST market analysis tool PEST analysis method and examples, with free PEST template The PEST analysis is a useful tool for understanding market growth or decline, and as such the position, potential and direction for a business. A PEST analysis is a business measurement tool. PEST is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social and …

Full article with thanks to https://www.businessballs.com/improving-workplace-performance/nudge-theory/ Nudge theory is a flexible and modern concept for: Understanding of how people think, make decisions, and behave, Helping people improve their thinking and decisions, Managing change of all sorts, and Identifying and modifying existing unhelpful influences on people. Nudge theory was named and populariozed by the 2008 book, ‘Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness‘, written by American academics Richard H Thaler and …

Full article with thanks to https://www.businessballs.com/change-management/formula-for-change/ Beckhard-Harris Change Equation The Model Having a much broader view of an organisation, managers much often notice the need for change far earlier than do employees. Therefore, they may often find themselves faced with general resistance to any change initiatives, as individuals generally favour the status quo. The Beckhard-Harris Change Equation aims to serve as …

Full article with thanks to https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/343129 You don’t have to start a business to own one. Owning a business is one of the best ways to create lasting wealth and freedom. But there’s a lot of uncertainty.  Maybe you don’t have the funding, connections, or world-changing vision required to get moonshot ideas like Tesla, Amazon, or SpaceX off the ground. …

With thanks to Fionnuala Courtney and PulseLearning for their post, shared and fully attributed here: https://www.pulselearning.com/blog/6-steps-effective-organizational-change-management/ Are you new to the concept of change management?  Do you want to understand what all the fuss is about? This quick read from PulseLearning in 2016 is a great introduction to the subject. Most organizations today are in a constant state of flux as they …

Full article with thanks to https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-six-types-of-successful-acquisitions Companies advance myriad strategies for creating value with acquisitions—but only a handful are likely to do so. There is no magic formula to make acquisitions successful. Like any other business process, they are not inherently good or bad, just as marketing and R&D aren’t. Each deal must have its own strategic logic. In our experience, …

Whole article with thanks to https://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/insurance/the-impact-of-the-pandemic-on-insurance-mergers-1004175814/ Brokerages negotiating a merger or acquisition don’t have to stop because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Canadian M&A advisor suggests. “A good deal can get done. I suspect it may take a bit longer,” said Georges Pigeon (pictured), Montreal-based deal advisory partner with KPMG Canada who has led more than 100 mergers and acquisitions in the …

Now is a great time to plan for the future development of your business. Customer distractions are at a minimum, and valuable thinking time needs to be used wisely. Merger or acquisition is a strategic growth opportunity that every business should keep under consideration and reading up on what lessons have been learned by others is a good way to …

Everyone likes a three step plan. Simple to follow and explain to colleagues and even customers. Here is a really good one from Phil Lewis if you are struggling to think how to start when needing to plan for change in your organisation. Whole article with thanks to https://www.forbes.com/sites/phillewis1/2020/03/12/make-your-change-management-projects-work-with-this-proven-three-step-sequence/#2c1a245f390a The secret of Tony Blair’s political success, according to many colleagues …

Perhaps the best advice for any management team considering approaching another firm about a potential merger or acquisition. Get this one wrong, and no amount of Post Merger Integration (PMI) activity is likely to paper over the cracks. Thank you to Craig Blackmore and Verde Corporate Finance for the call out. Full article with thanks to https://realbusiness.co.uk/expert-advice-on-planning-a-merger-and-acquisition/ Successfully approaching mergers …

Excellent article here from Gordon Kedslie about how organisations can sensibly prepare to “conquer change”, including three top tips: involve the right people early on, getting buy in on changes from key stakeholders ask the hard questions up front, including where we are today and where we want to be in the future if it involves new technology definitely consider …

A great Case Study here on what can go badly wrong if you don’t get your M&A integration planning right.  Thank you to Sukand Ramachandran of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and ITPro. When dealing with a merger or acquisition there’s a lot for the boardroom to consider, from potentially differing business cultures to the rationalisation of technology platforms and …

Whole article with thanks to https://www.business2community.com/workplace-culture/5-tips-for-overcoming-resistance-to-change-02266831 In support of any organisational change initiative, really good change managers arrive with an easy to follow list of what to do, and what not to do. My personal favourite when planning how best to overcome resistance to change is ‘Be honest and open about personal impact’. When leaders explain to staff why it …

Great read here on the benefits of organisations building in house capability to manage change. ‘To get ahead of the competition, organisations need to flip the script on change and enable employees to lead change themselves’. Thank you to Mara Hoogerhuis and Jillian Anderson for sharing. Full article with thanks to https://www.gallup.com/workplace/268991/adapt-constant-change-create.aspx As leaders well know, constant change is the …

Answering properly the ‘why are we doing it’ question is so important when leaders start to talk to their people about organisational change. Sadly, it often forgotten as we get caught up too quickly in implementing change. Always stop and think, do my staff really understand why we are changing? If they don’t, the chances of your change initiative succeeding …

Although we should all keep our business planning under constant review, human nature means we often only do this when events prompt us to do so. New Year thinking often prompts big ideas. And why not? We should all think outside the box sometimes. Even Boards of Directors in mature businesses need to be reminded to plan regularly. Think big. …

Changeability is a strategic advantage – one of several takeaways from a Change Management Institute virtual round table session on the challenges presented by Enterprise Change. What is so different about supporting change for a whole organisation, or enterprise, compared to helping smaller change initiatives? How would you recommend making a start with larger change programmes? What would you prioritise …

Every change starts with an idea. But how many of these new ideas actually survive implementation?  Why is the effective management of organizational change so important? As business leaders, we are trained to be creative, to find better ways of working, always looking expand our organisation’s capability. Standing still is rarely viewed as successful business activity. We are often good at …

The sad reality is that many business change or transformation initiatives fail along the way. Not due to any lack of effort or investment, but rather a lack of clear thinking or poor communication. Here are some ideas to mitigate against these two common causes of failed change. Most people like check-lists. So, start with a check-list of things you …