Change management is the process of moving from one state to another desired state. 

In organisations, the need for change can be triggered by both external and internal factors, such as: 

• economic downturn
• technological advancements
• customer pressure
• legislative change
• government initiatives
• environmental factors
• a change in strategic direction.  

There are many types of change in organisations, all of which need to be managed. Examples include: 

• process changes, including the introduction of new technologies
• systems and ways of working
• cultural change
• introduction of new products or services
• entry to new markets
• restructuring and redundancy.  

Change can be incremental, step-by-step and potentially unnoticed, or transformational and therefore have significant impact.  

People professionals have a substantial part to play in any change situation and should be involved from the start of the change initiative to:

• advise on the skills available in the organisation and support the identification of any skill gaps
• assess the impact of change in one area of the business on other areas
• understand stakeholder concerns, and anticipate problems
• utilise negotiation skills with various stakeholders
• understand the right communication medium for each message and group
• support people to cope with the change.  

There have been many models developed to support the management of change, which include identifying the change required, designing and then implementing the change programme. These models provide a framework for people professionals to build on when planning for change in their organisation. 

The change curve has been derived from the work of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross who studied response to grief and came up with the stages individuals go through when they are faced with this: 

1. For many people the initial reaction to the need for change is shock – questioning and asking why.
2. They then move to the denial stage – change is not needed, everything is fine, it won’t work, it won’t happen.
3. After this most people go through a phase of uncertainty which can be the most difficult time. Uncertain, anxious, overwhelmed people who don’t know what to expect don’t perform well. The aim is to support individuals through this stage to the next stage;
4. Acceptance. At this stage individuals start to come to terms with the reality of the situation – that it is going to happen. They will then start to test out what it means – what will happen, and where they will fit in. It is important to recognise the need for individuals to test out the reality and support them through this stage to the reflection stage. Allow people to express their concerns and try to determine the root cause in order to address these.
5. At the reflection stage, individuals can assimilate what they know and understand what is happening and the impact on them before moving to the final stage of integration and acceptance of the change.

Understanding these stages and the need for individuals to come to terms with what is happening around them is crucial because of the amount and pace of change facing organisations today. Helping individuals to work through each stage is important in both making the change and sustaining it going forward.

Lewin’s force field analysis is a good tool to use to start looking at the change needed, the impact of the change and to identify areas where there could be resistance. It helps you to look at the proposed change then identify and analyse the drivers for the change and the forces against it. This helps with the decision-making process and subsequent communication of why the decision was made. Taking time to explore this will save time later in the change process, as many of the potential objections to change will already have been considered, with a plan put in place to address them.

Lewin’s (1974) Change Model

Lewin describes change in three stages: Unfreeze, Move, Refreeze:

• The ‘unfreeze’ stage 
  The aim is to examine the status quo - where are we now - to increase the driving forces for change and to decrease the resisting forces. This is the initial stage of identifying the need for change and the benefits and starting the communication and engagement process.
• The ‘move’ stage
  Lewin talks about taking action, making changes and, importantly, involving people in that process, all important steps in making the change happen.
• The ‘refreeze’ stage
  This stage means making the change permanent, establishing new ways of working and ensuring the desired outcomes are rewarded. This is an essential stage – ensuring the ‘move’ stage becomes the new norm and that individuals don’t revert to old practices.

Kotter’s eight-step change process was outlined in his book Managing Change in 1995.

The first three stages cover increasing urgency, building a guiding team and getting the right vision, which is grouped as ‘getting the right climate for change’ and maps to Lewin’s unfreeze stage.

The next three stages involve communicating to gain buy in, empowering action and creating short-term wins – the engaging and enabling stage.   

Kotter’s final two stages cover implementing change and, very importantly, sustaining change. Kotter refers to these as ‘don’t let up’ and ‘make it stick’.

Kotter’s model can be seen as more sophisticated and updated compared with Lewin’s, adding in key stages and points for action in more detail. However, the key stages of Lewin’s model are still very relevant and important context for any change plan. 

The following points offer some practical recommendations for each stage of the change management process, based on the Lewin and Kotter models above:

1. Identify the need for change, be clear where you want to be and envisage what the changed state will look like. Assess the drivers for the change and the forces against. Ensure you understand and can explain the benefits the change will bring.
2. Identify the stakeholders and put together a plan to involve them from the start. Determine who needs to be part of the team guiding the change and what each role and responsibility is within the change programme.
3. Set the scene for change – ready people for the change. As Lewin says ‘unfreeze’ – unlock the impetus to get things moving.
4. Put together a detailed plan for change which includes communication and stakeholder engagement. Consider the time frame and identify timescales for each part of the plan. Individuals are more comfortable with change if they know not only what but when it is likely to happen. Timescales need to be carefully considered – if your timescales are too short you may not have built in enough time for communication or any contingency to address issues and could find you are always behind. If you allow too much time, the project could lose momentum and the engagement of stakeholders, who start to wonder if it is ever going to happen. Ensure that part of your implementation plan covers communication and, where appropriate, consultation. It is important to keep stakeholders informed and updated throughout the change process.
5. Empower individuals to take the action required as outlined in the plan. Ensure everyone understands their role and responsibilities and has the skills and knowledge required to take the action needed. This will include regular communication and involvement and potentially training through the change.
6. Monitor progress of the delivery plan and take action to address any issues and keep everyone on track. It is advised that appropriate reporting processes are put in place to update on progress and get agreement to any variation to the plan. Identify any learning needs and consider and implement any training required to enable the change to happen effectively and ensure there is alignment with current processes, adapting these where necessary.
7. Take steps to embed the change, in Kotter’s model ‘make it stick’. This will involve sign off of the change programme as completed, along with a review of the impact of the change and lessons learned. Communication and involvement is a key part of this, as is ongoing monitoring and evaluation.  

The first step is to create a vision for change – determining exactly what needs to change and why. It is also important to be very clear and to envisage, before embarking on a change management programme, exactly what the change will look like – what you expect to be different. Having that vision in mind throughout the change programme will help keep the programme on track and mean you are able to take people with you on the journey.

It is always advisable to put together the business case for change, which can then be used to communicate the need for change, the benefits and the proposed plan.

The business case should include:

• what the change is
• why the change needs to happen – be clear on the impact if it does not happen within certain timescales
• the benefits of making the change
• any financial implications
• when the change is likely to take place
• how the change will be managed.  

Carrying out a stakeholder analysis is an essential part of the change management process. This involves:

• List all parties who are likely to be affected by the change – both positively or negatively, directly or indirectly.
• List all the names of stakeholders who might:
  • be concerned in any way with the change
  • hold an influential position
  • be affected by the issues/outcomes addressed in the change.
• Assess the stakeholders using a grid to identify levels of interest – high to low – and level of influence – high to low.  Where the stakeholder has both high interest and high levels of influence, you need to focus on communication and engagement and closely manage their involvement. Where the stakeholder has low interest and low influence, you need to focus on keeping them informed – still keeping in mind they are a stakeholder in the change.
• You can assess the needs and preferences of each stakeholder/stakeholder group by researching and finding out more information from them in the following ways:
  • through one-on-one interviews
  • using focus groups of representative people
  • by using a survey to gauge the level and area of interest. 

It is critical to understand and be able to communicate why change needs to happen and the benefits. Helping people to understand how the organisation will benefit, how customers will benefit and how they will personally benefit is essential in engaging with people and getting them on board with the change programme at an early stage. 

The benefits of change can be wide ranging and could be: 

• increased efficiency
• reduction in costs
• improved customer service
• increased market share etc. 

The plan for change will need to cover the following areas:

• Determining the goals and objectives of the change
• Designing the change
• Identifying the key stakeholders
• Identifying specific activities
• Communication
• Agreement to the change
• Implementation
• Monitoring and evaluating activity
• Ensure the change is embedded and lessons are learned.  

You will need to identify the drivers for change and plan your approach accordingly. Depending on where the need for change is coming from, you may need to focus more on communication than involvement or more on defining the change than engaging with the pre-determined change.  

Be a change leader

It is essential that you ensure the change is owned. The role of the change leader is to seek out and welcome new ideas, manage communication and the information required to make the change happen, integrating people and building a community around one vision. 

Kotter talks about building the guiding team as the second of his eight steps to change. A strong change leader should sponsor the change to generate a positive attitude towards it. Leading change is about pulling rather than pushing people to change – promoting rather than imposing. This involves everyone having confidence in the change, good planning, a positive attitude and an ability to motivate others. 

Building a team for change

It is important to ensure the right team are in place to support the change programme and engage with the right people from the start of the process. Important key skills include:

• communication – to articulate the vision for change and to listen to concerns and ideas
• planning and problem solving – to address issues and manage resistance 
• negotiation and influencing skills.

Depending on the type of change, you may need to bring in people with, for example, legal knowledge, IT skills, or learning and development skills, to identify learning needs and develop plans to address this, as well as other specialists from the areas of the business affected by change. 

There will inevitably be some resistance to the change, however clearly articulated and carefully managed the programme. To minimise levels of resistance and cope with this, be aware and recognise that people often find change difficult to deal with and need to go through their own process of acceptance. 

The change curve (as detailed above) can be an extremely useful tool in understanding how individuals react and respond to change situations and for taking them on the change journey. 

To minimise resistance:

• Ensure the culture is right for change – set expectations, prepare people for change
• Recognise individuals need time to understand and come to terms with change as they work through the change curve
• Ensure there is effective communication throughout the change process – explain and reinforce the need for change
• Ensure you engage people meaningfully
• Make sure you follow up – do what you say you will and keep talking
• Provide support and help with learning
• Ensure all members of the leadership team are as one – clear management agreement on strategy and plans and that employees know there is agreement
• Ensure the change is planned and that employees understand the plan
• Ensure the skills to implement the change are in place and employees have the skills needed to change.  

Carrying out a ‘lessons learned’ exercise is an essential and valuable stage in managing any project or change process. There will inevitably have been areas where activities could have been improved, engaged more people at an early stage or been completed more efficiently. It is important to receive this feedback and review these in detail, to identify how improvements can be made for the future and whether there is anything more that needs to be done to secure the success of the current change programme.

The 'lessons learned' exercise does not have to wait until the end of the change programme but can be carried out throughout at various stages, as often as any programme may require.

The key to carrying out the exercise is to have the key stakeholders involved. A clear objective and agenda for the meeting is important, to ensure the relevant areas are covered. The person leading the meeting must have the required facilitation skills, so that actions are clearly documented and followed up.    

MindTools.com - Lewin's Change Management Model

Kotterinc.com - The 8 Steps for Leading Change

Ekrfoundation.org - Kübler-Ross Change Curve

Books

Cameron, E. and Green, M. (2009) Making sense of change management. 2nd ed. Kogan Page. 

This guide was written by Angela Roberts, Director, The HR Consultancy.