Preparing for change – Pill 024

As their definition, Projects bring change most of the times, since they deliver something new to the organization, and unique. So what to keep in mind when delivering a Project?

Many change efforts fail because people are insufficiently prepared for change. When people impacted by the project (that we should have mapped within the Stakeholders) are not prepared, they are more likely to resist the change effort and less likely to function effectively under the new system. 
What can organizations do before change to prepare stakeholders? There are a number of things that are important at this stage. 

Do people know what the change entails, or are they hearing about the planned changes through the grapevine or office gossip? 

When employees know what is going to happen, when, and why, they may feel more comfortable.

Research shows that those who have more complete information about upcoming changes are more committed to a change effort.

Moreover, in successful change efforts, the leader not only communicates a plan but also an overall vision for the change. When this vision is exciting and paints a picture of a future that employees would be proud to be a part of, people are likely to be more committed to change.

So it’s fundamental to share the objectives and goals early in the project to be sure that everyone is aligned and can embrace the change that will occur.