Why Use a Change Coach?
Most organizations (70%) run into significant change implementation problems due to confusion, unresolved issues and resistance from the people who are impacted by their change. The people side of change is causes 50%+ of implementation problems according to a survey of ERP Project Managers.
Simply communicating the business benefits of the change and training people is no longer enough. Impacted stakeholders, front-line leaders and employees want to know why the change is being implemented, how will impact them and be able to discuss and provide feedback and input during the run up to the implementation – in others be involved, engaged and listened to.
Change sponsors, leaders and advisors often have some basic change management training. What they lack is the experience and a full understanding of the what is needed to engage and support people through all the stages of the implementation process.
A Change Coach is a quick and cost-effective way to ensure that the people-side of change is well managed while building the change leadership capability of those involved. Well managed change has been shown to increase the achievement of project objectives x6 over poorly implemented changes. Faster, on-time and smoother with increased change acceptance, adoption and sustainment.
With a Change Coach, internal change sponsors, leads and advisors do the hands-on work of assessing the impact of changes, meeting with stakeholders, planning the communication and engagement activities, leading Change Champion Network meetings, facilitating employee problem solving sessions and more. The Coach provides helpful guidelines, tips and suggestions on what to expect and how to manage potential issues.
Following each of these sessions, the Change Coach debriefs what happened, what worked and needs further work, and helps plan next steps. In addition, at the end of each month, the Coach helps prepare a monthly update for the Senior Management Team and Project Steering Committee.
Would a Change Coach help your organization build capacity while ensuring the success of a business critical change?