It’s often said that the only constant in life is change — but that doesn’t make it any easier. In 2023, business leaders faced an all-time high rate of change, and expect change to accelerate further in 2024, according to Accenture’s Pulse of Change: 2024 Index. This will invariably add to the already existing change fatigue plaguing employees today.
Such fatigue is the symptom of attempting to address fundamental change by making short-term, surface-level adjustments to existing tools and processes. In contrast, sustainable, successful change requires leaders to think beyond execution and approach change management initiatives as large-scale, strategic transformations that impact the very heart of an organization: the people.
Communicating the “why” is critical to success
According to a McKinsey report, the single factor with the biggest impact on organizations’ transformation success rates is leadership’s ability to foster understanding and conviction among the workforce. Companies with leaders who explain why change is necessary, clarify implications for all employees, build conviction internally, and align everyone around common goals experience 4.7x greater improved and sustained performance compared to those without.
Additional research supports these findings by showing that change is “most effectively spread socially.” Encouraging employees to embrace major change as a means to their own success and empowering them to take ownership of this transformation leads to better and faster outcomes.
Two ways you can put people first in change management
But how exactly can your organization take a more strategic and people-centric approach to change management? If you’re asking this question, you’re not alone. “Change management: Everyone wants it, nobody does it” was one of the most popular sessions at our 2023 annual user conference, ENGAGE. During the presentation, the speakers shared several specific ways that Smartsheet supports people-centric change management — let’s take a look at a couple of them here.
1. Accurately calculate scope and impact of the change
One of the most common ways companies set their change initiatives up to fail is by underestimating the size of the shift and the amount of effort required. Without a clear and accurate understanding of expectations, teams often feel blind-sided, grow frustrated, and are unable to deliver.
Setting up a Change Calculator makes it easy for leaders to create a rating system to consistently and accurately evaluate the size of change initiatives based on a number of custom factors. Utilize forms in Smartsheet to determine the size of a potential change by asking about particulars such as how many people will be involved and whether the change will impact existing operations or systems, require a cultural shift, or involve customers.
2. Provide detailed rationale with consistent updates
Organizational alignment is crucial to successful change management or transformation. Enabling teams to move in lockstep means ensuring everyone has visibility into information including change rationale, goals, challenges, and risks — and not just at the beginning of the initiative, but throughout. True transformation is a lengthy process with many stakeholders and moving parts, so keeping everyone on the same page is a big challenge with an even bigger impact.
Setting up a Change Canvas within a Smartsheet dashboard as a resource not only challenges the team to practice critical, long-term thinking, but it also keeps individuals and teams aligned and working in the same direction. A Change Canvas serves as a living, centralized source of truth that tracks key information around stakeholders, impacted teams, communication plans, and more.
Learn more
Whether you’re implementing a new digital asset management tool, updating your company’s pricing structure, or moving to a hybrid work environment, tools like the Change Calculator and Change Canvas can help you take a more strategic, people-centric approach to change management.
The importance of putting your employees first becomes even more critical when you are leading a strategic transformation that spans teams and functions, and ladders up to company-wide strategic initiatives. Learn how Smartsheet helps customers align people, processes and technology for successful strategic transformations.