Change Management Plan for 2023: Top Investment in People

The only constant thing in business is change. But changes these days are getting bigger and coming faster than ever. As a result, companies have to adapt to changes that are having a more profound impact on their business—from fluctuations in the economy, shifting consumer demand, and technologies evolving more rapidly every day.   

Now is the perfect time of year for your business to take a step back and regroup. The end of the year is the perfect time to take a moment to reassess your company's change management plan to prepare for anything 2023 has in store.  

Read on to learn how building a change management strategy can be the most proactive step to turn changes in your industry to your advantage.   

What is change management? And how can it help your business adapt to changes faster and more effectively? This site says it best: "Change management is a process a business follows to implement changes across the organization. Change management plans are typically used for significant or complex organizational changes that require a more strategic approach." 

Take the applications your business uses for communication, timekeeping, or project management, for example. Platforms like Slack, Asana, or Harvest are not new platforms. But they present a compelling image of how your business may need help rolling out fundamental changes to how your team works together.  

Chances are, there are still one or more people on your team who need help getting on board with a platform that everyone is working from and depending on to do their job. Well, hold on to your hat. While you may be struggling to get a couple of hold-outs to work on the same platforms as everyone else, this Forbes article indicates that digital transformation of our businesses is going to become a leading source of changes for businesses in 2023. We could see a massive impact in technologies from artificial intelligence to working in a virtual or augmented reality. 

What is your business plan to handle these changes? 

Every business is different, but for the majority of companies, the life cycle of change has three main components: identification, engagement, and implementation. So how can your business control this life cycle to ensure all your crucial initiatives get buy-in and are adopted throughout your organization? We recommend that business owners:  

How can you scale your change management strategy beyond just a few projects? The answer lies in your process, technology and talent: 

1. Processes - whether those are the policies, business rules, or procedures your team follows to get work done—are easily complicated. A successful process for change management should ideally be easier and make more sense than the changes that the implementation of new strategies will create. Having everyone sign a compliance form before they switch to a new platform is a great way to alienate your team and make sure no one likes the change. Focus on how the processes will make things easier and more effective and keep your team engaged throughout the transition. 
2. Technology – your business will face unnecessary challenges introducing and adopting the changes you're rolling out if you don't have the technology buttoned up. One key strategy to avoid this is to identify and tap any experts on your team who can help train others on the technology you'll be using. Delegating the training to a tech expert is a great way to lighten your workload and support your planned changes.  
3. People – The most essential tool for enacting change in your business is not a strategy, it is the people within your company. If you don't engage your team and get them on board for a new change, the change will fail. Your employees are your biggest asset, so make sure to involve them in every stage of the process—from identifying what needs changing to getting everyone on board with changes to implementing and maintaining their technical expertise over time. 

Change is unavoidable. The whole point of change management is to minimize or eliminate the downtime you'll inevitably experience getting everybody on board. You don't want to disrupt your IT, project management, or operations teams with significant changes that will take time away from their core business functions.  

Often that means adjusting your hiring strategy to include more people who are open to change and willing to take it head-on. And we can help. 

Staffing has always been the key to a seamless, frictionless change management strategy within your business. The people who help you implement and maintain change make the most difference. 

Harvey Nash USA has helped countless businesses grapple with change just by facilitating the right hire. So if you're looking to build a team that can take anything 2023 has in store, contact us today!