Embedding Activities

The success of every Change Management Programme depends on how well the new processes and procedures are adopted and integrated into business-as-usual operations.  A critical mass of workers and managers must be emotionally connected to the new way of working. The following are activities to perform that will aid in adopting and embedding the change.

Recognise the effect on the people

An objective evaluation of the program's potential impact on the organisation's diverse demographics is a must for every successful Change Initiative.  This is a study to determine the nature and scope of change impacting each group of employees.  A group evaluation provides a platform for discussing the shift's meaning for them. Refer to the Change Impact Assessment for ways to complete an evaluation.

Make an emotional and logical argument for change

Many leaders are skilled at presenting a rational argument. Still, they need to be more skilled in touching people emotionally.  A driving force for heart and mind transformation ultimately comes from employee emotions.  Based on the employee evaluation, customise the Change Management communications for each diverse group. Plan two-way conversations to enable employees to interpret and playback the change in their language.

The leadership group sets the example for the transformation

Organisational reforms begin at the top. Senior executives need to be "in front" of the Change Initiative and "on top" of it, setting an example for the new behaviours they want their staff to adopt and holding one another accountable for success.

Give ownership to the people

Change Programmes that are conducted "to" workers rather than "with" or "by" them to increase their chance of failure.  Executives pushing for behaviour change from the top and anticipating it to trickle down through the formal structure can promote the opposite effect, with employees resisting the change. 

Organisations and the change management team should maintain a centralised Change Implementation Plan with a detailed roadmap outlining the formal components of the transformation.  They must, however, also consider the informal organisation, allowing staff to share and give feedback on their viewpoints, and offer informal support that makes it simpler for people to take ownership of new habits.

Engage with Human Resources (HR)

All HR systems, structures, procedures, and incentives must align with the transformation's objectives to facilitate long-lasting change.  Engage HR to define all the future organisation's people-related components, including its:

• Structure,
• Employee value propositions,
• Individual and team responsibilities,
• Necessary competencies,
• Skills, and behaviours. 

Include in the transformation programme initiatives like performance management, learning and development, workforce planning, and retention programmes.

Evaluations & Pulse Checks

General evaluations and pulse checks are crucial components of change programmes because they offer insightful data and a broad assessment of adoption and involvement.  The results of the evaluations provide ways to integrate improvements, contributing to the cycle of continuous improvement. Evaluations on the effectiveness of educational activities also provide data on how well individuals and groups accept the new ways of working.

Embedding the change post implementation is an extension of the activities you will have started in the Manage phase, specifically in Engagement Opportunities.

You will have already identified and implemented opportunities to engage during the Manage phase of the X4MIS methodology.

The continuation of these engagement opportunities through the Enable and Embed phases will instil in the stakeholders (management and staff) the importance of the change with the end-goal being to convert the Resisters and Bystanders to become Adopters.

In order to assess how successful the engagement and adoption has been, you should regularly take Pulse Checks to assess how successful the change has been in the organisation.

Pulse Checks

A Pulse Check survey is a quick and focused questionnaire given to the stakeholders (management and staff) to gather information about the transition programme.

Pulse Checks should be regularly done throughout the Manage, Enable and Embed phases.

The Pulse Check survey should be designed to provide the change team with answers to two extremely important questions:

• What is the general feel of the change within the stakeholders.
• How successful the existing engagement opportunities and training is going/has been.

The results of the Pulse Check will provide you with evidence, good or bad, as to how successful your engagement with the stakeholders has been.

By taking Pulse Checks regularly, if you are not getting the results you had planned, it allows the change management team to pivot, reassess and change the engagement activities.

Pulse Check Survey Questions

By reviewing the Change Implementation Plan and maintaining the focus on the Vision and Values, set up a brainstorming/whiteboard session with your change team to come up with a list of questions.

Your survey should not have any more than 10 questions and take 2-3 minutes to complete.

Try to include a range of questions that require different types of answers. For example:

• The reason for the change are clearly communicated to me
• Yes / No
• Have you been told how the change(s) will affect you and your team?
• A: Yes, and I am comfortable with how the change will affect myself and the team.
• B: Yes, I have been told but I am still unsure about how it will work in the future.
• C: What change?

Make sure you always have an option for free-text feedback where suggestions and recommendations for improvement can be recorded.

If possible, make your survey anonymous so you can elicit honest, unfiltered and authentic feedback from your stakeholders. Without this authentic feedback, it is possible the results of the surveys will not provide a true reflection of how successful your change initiative is or not.

Collating the Pulse Check Survey Results

Assign one of your change team to collate the results so they can provide an honest picture of the feel of the change within the organisation. 

Did you get the results you were expecting? 

If not, review your Change Implementation Plan, including the Communications Plan to evaluate the results against your plan(s).

Share the results with your change management team and conduct a meeting with them to:

• Assess the quality of the questions.
• Assess the audience participation. Did everyone return the survey? If not, engage with the managers of the teams surveyed to identify there were any reasons why. There could be a number of reasons which may include:
• Staff on leave or around a long weekend
• A busy period of the week, month or year meaning their staff had other priorities and deadlines to meet.
• Revisit the Communications Plan to come up with ways to improve the quality and/or quantity of your communications.

Conducting this assessment and identifying ways for improvement allows the change management team to then themselves change and pivot to achieve the vision and values of the organisation and its transformation change.

Irrespective of the results, ensure the results are shared with not only with management but also with the Change Sponsor, making sure you include any proposed changes for future communications.

Realising the Change

Making the change "real" is a crucial component of any Change Programme since changing mindsets can take longer to take hold than changing processes.  Establish opportunities for business teams and the entire organisation to regularly exchange success experiences and lessons learned to help address mindsets and behaviours. Develop libraries of innovative interventions, assets, tools and themes to utilise that address roadblocks or provide activities encouraging people to think differently and connect.

Identify barriers and opportunities

Complete a thorough review of the current organisation's culture, capabilities, and past experiences with change (both successful and unsuccessful), conduct a change impact analysis and present a compelling case for change that explains why changing people's behaviour is necessary.

Refer to the Change Impact Assessment or Change Readiness Assessment for ways to identify opportunities and barriers.