Written by Kathy Kieffer:

Change is all about us. Do more with less. Increase efficiency. Streamline processes. Reduce waste. Reduce cost. Work smarter.

Whether the catalyst comes from business, legislative, programmatic, budgetary, or other organizational actions, projects, and improvement initiatives require people to plan, do, test, refine, document, and implement. Often the focus is on the planning, refining, testing, and documenting rather than what it is that people need to perform throughout the initiation, transition, and post-project periods.

Organizational Change Management (OCM) focuses on the impact to people as organizational change moves forward. Transitioning to new systems, processes, tasks, responsibilities, workspaces, or something else all come due to needed improvements. Where project change management focuses on actions and documentation derived from changes within the project, OCM looks at the people side of change.

Isn’t attending to the people side just a communication issue?

It depends on how communication is defined. For instance, a multi-year improvement project may benefit from broadly distributed messaging, online forums, facilitated listening sessions, focus groups, web-based question/answer catalogues, invitation-only discussions with the change leader, and many other communication options. An OCM communication strategy looks at what is needed for people to perform at their best throughout the project or improvement cycle. Carrying forth this type of strategy involves managing how information is sequenced, which venues to use, who delivers the messages, and how the communication evolves as the project matures.

What about training? Is this OCM?

An OCM training strategy may take a multi-faceted approach, using web-enabled and just-in-time learning, or a combination of traditional and handheld learning options that provide ongoing training and performance support. Perhaps a tri-fold, paper-based reference document works for some whereas an online, searchable option is needed by others.  As with communication, an OCM training strategy looks at what people need to know to contribute to the improvement cycle while continuing to support the existing client or customer base.

So OCM is just communications and training? Hardly. OCM integrates the following:

• Leadership preparedness, and sponsorship
• Organizational change readiness
• Planning for, and assessing, change adaptability
• Anticipating and planning to mitigate negativity
• Task realignment or retirement
• Resizing or repositioning of functions
• Redesigning business rules and process flows
• Measuring the speed of adoption, time to performance

There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ in an OCM framework or methodology. Each project or improvement initiative, and the people impacted are different. By starting with a people-first approach, and an OCM mindset, the benefits to be derived from an improvement effort can be seen more rapidly and efficiently.

Kathy Kieffer – Consultant

Kathy has been a consultant with Momentum for more than ten years working as a project manager, business analyst, organizational change specialist, training developer and facilitator for federal and state government. Kathy currently maintains Momentum’s corporate certifications and oversees the development and learning for Momentum’s consultancy.