Organizational Change Management Readiness Guide

Readiness Guide

Organizational

Change

Management

Readiness

Guide

Organizational Change

Management

This guide provides California State departments a practical

overview of Organization Change Management (OCM) to help

prepare your organization for change during transition. The guide

focuses on key concepts that help you ready your department for

organizational change. Any size project at any size organization.

The pillars of change in this guide and accompanying tools help

you mature your organizations readiness for change.

These next few pages provide descriptions, tools and templates

anchored to the five pillars of change; Communication, Readiness,

Sponsorship, Stakeholder Management and Training. Take the

Readiness Assessment to evaluate your organization’s readiness

for change and focus on the key areas that will prepare your

organization for successful change. Assess your readiness now!

How This Guide Will Help

KICKSTART YOUR READI NESS FOR CHANGE!

To kick off your readiness for any

change project, follow these three

steps:

1. Complete the Readiness Assess-

ment included in this guide.

2. Review your score and recommen-

dations.

3. Follow the recommendations for

your organizational readiness planning.

Get Ready for Change!

“WE NOW ACCEPT THE FACT THAT LEARNING IS A LIFELONG PROCESS

OF KEEPING ABREAST OF CHANGE. THE MOST PRESSING TASK IS TO

TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO LEARN.” – PETER DRUCKER

What is OCM?

I T ’ S A B O U T T H E P E O P L E, PEOPLE

Organizational Change Management (OCM) is an approach to

transitioning an organization, its groups and individuals from their

current state to a new state. It helps an organization integrate and

align people, processes, culture and strategy. It is all about

managing the most important part of change...the people. The

more mature an organization’s change management ability the

more comprehensive, structured and cyclical the change process

will be. This helps an organization implement change strategically,

dynamically and ultimately more successfully.

The topic of OCM is massive, complex, varied and can be

intimidating. But like anything else, with some research, hard

work, team effort and a great attitude you will be well on your way

to managing the changes your organization needs to make your

next project a success!

OCM That Fits You

The size and complexity of both your project and your organization

determines the components of change you should include in your

OCM approach. The Five Pillars of Change are explained on Page

5 but this list shows what pillars you need to concentrate on for your

upcoming project size and type.

Small / Simple / Transactional Project

Communication - Sponsorship

Medium / Operational Change Project

Communication-Sponsorship-Stakeholder Management

Large/ Complex / Transformational Project

Communication-Sponsorship-Stakeholder Management

Readiness - Training

RIGHT HE RE!

Where Do I Start?

Readiness Assessment

Instructions:

This Readiness Assessment assists you in evaluating your readiness for change. It may be

used in several ways:

1. Self-evaluation, as a way to validate intuitions and feelings about how ready your or-

ganization is for change.

2. Hand out the assessment and use it as a discussion topic with the management or work-

group teams.

3. Solicit reviews from staff and ask for honest answers, protecting confidentiality. Share

results with project stakeholders, such as implementation and business change management

teams.

Assessment Scoring

1. Project Manager/Change Manager leading the change effort should take this assessment

from an organization perspective, not from his/her individual perspective.

2. Average Score is calculated at each pillar of Organizational Change Management via this

Readiness Assessment.

3. Average score below 4.0 for any of these categories indicates that organization is not

fully prepared and should spend efforts based on the guidance from that particular section of

the guide.

4. For each question, in the column to the right, enter the number that best represents

your organization’s ability to manage change. Responses are interpreted as follows:

1=Strongly Disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neutral,

4=Somewhat Agree, 5=Agree, 6=Strongly Agree

HOW READY ARE YOU FOR CHANGE? WHAT CAN YOU DO TO IMPROVE?

Communication - Informing who is affected and impacted

regarding the change.

Response:

(Enter a

Number

between 1

and 6)

The organization has a clearly defined vision and strategy and changes are

continually communicated with all stakeholders.

Priorities are set and continually communicated regarding change projects and

other competing initiatives.

The organization uses multiple communication methods to keep stakeholders

informed.

The organization’s messaging about change projects is clear, concise and

consistent.

Mechanisms are in place to identify lapses in effective communication.

Total Communication Score / 5 = Average Score

Communication is the foundation and mechanism to build positive organizational change.

For more information, tools and templates for developing a solid communication strategy for

your change effort see Page 5 Pillar #1:

Communication

Strong, Supportive Sponsorship can make or break a large scale change initiative.

Having an engaged, active sponsor is critical to success. For more information, tools and

templates for this pillar of OCM see Page 5 Pillar #2:

Sponsorship

Sponsorship - Ensuring there is active sponsorship for the change

at a senior executive level within the organization, and engaging

this sponsorship to achieve the desired results.

Response:

(Enter a

Number

between 1

and 6)

Change initiatives in the organization have an executive sponsor identified.

The executive sponsor has the necessary authority over the people, processes

and systems to authorize and fund change initiatives.

The executive sponsor can build awareness of the need for change (why the

change is happening).

The executive sponsor will actively and visibly participate with the project team

throughout the entire change process.

The executive sponsor will resolve issues and make decisions relating to the

change project schedule, scope and resources.

Total Sponsorship Score / 5 =Average Score

Stakeholder Management - Gaining buy-in for the changes from

those involved and affected, directly or indirectly. Involving the

right people in the design and implementation of changes, to

make sure the right changes are made.

Response:

(Enter a

Number

between 1

and 6)

The executive sponsor is willing and able to build a sponsorship coalition for

change, and is able to manage resistance from all stakeholders.

Change is managed effectively and change successes are celebrated, both in

private and in public.

Stakeholders hear a consistent and unified message from various levels of ex-

ecutives.

Change initiatives are accurately tailored to the particular needs and concerns of

each stakeholder group.

Special tactics have been developed for handling resistance to change from

various stakeholders.

Total Stakeholder Management Score / 5 = Average Score

Readiness Assessment

CONTINUED

Stakeholder Management is the effort to engage key players of your change effort early

and consistently during the change cycle. Identifying and managing these relationships often

directly correlates to the success of the change effort. For more information, tools and

templates see Page 6 Pillar #3:

Stakeholder Management

Training - Training the appropriate resources on the change

Response:

(Enter a

Number

between 1

and 6)

Organization recognizes and reinforces skills and behaviors required for the

change effort.

Skills and knowledge needed for transition have been identified.

Skills assessments are continually conducted for change projects and gaps are

identified for transition.

Training is developed and scheduled proactively, based on gaps and need as-

sessments.

Flexible methods are employed for training i.e. Web Based, Webcasts, Guides,

In Class training etc.

Total Training Score / 5 = Average Score

Readiness - Getting people ready to adapt to the changes by

ensuring they have the right information and toolsets.

Response:

(Enter a

Number

between 1

and 6)

A structured change management approach is being communicated and applied

to change projects.

Change management team members have been identified. Managers and staff

are trained on Organizational Change Management.

Project team and change management teams are tracking progress and able to

resolve related issues through set project management processes. A project

plan has been integrated with a change management plan.

Resources for change projects are identified and acquired based on a project

plan. Resources have the necessary time to complete work for the change.

Feedback processes are continually used to determine how effectively change is

being adopted by stakeholders.

Total Readiness Score / 5 = Average Score

Readiness Assessment

CONTINUED

Readiness is the benchmark of successful change. This pillar puts it all together, organiza-

tional readiness is about getting an entire group and culture to accept and move forward

with change. For more see Page 6 Pillar #4:

Readiness

& Page 8:

Readiness in Detail

Training is recommended to understand gaps in skills and provide opportunities to learn

new ways of doing business before a change is implemented. For more information, tools

and templates regarding training for your change effort see Page 7 Pillar #5:

Training

The Five Pillars of Successful Change

COMM UNICATI ON

SPONSORS HIP

STAKEHOL DER -

1. Communication

Communication is the fundamental pillar of change. People crave information and want to know what is

going to happen, how, when and why! It is the engagement mechanism for change. Communication helps

you frame how your stakeholders are exposed to the change and thereby gives you the avenue for

influencing how they view it. Without quality communication your change participants will not have the

awareness and understanding they need to commit to and implement your change successfully. By

formally setting expectations, employing tools to improve communication and proactively seeking ways to

reduce misinformation, stakeholders are more likely to buy into a change initially. They will also stay more

committed to the change, ultimately leading to a successful transformation. Good communication should

be deliberate and well thought out. Develop your communication strategy in the early stages of planning

the change itself. Communicate early, openly, often, through multiple methods and allow for feedback.

Idea: To build on your communication planning for change, review the section titled “Readiness in

Detail”. Ensure an adequate communication plan and overall strategy is established for your

change effort and confirm communication is flowing at all levels in your organization.

2. Sponsorship

When change occurs people turn to the organization’s leaders for direction and support. Ensure there is

active sponsorship for the change at an executive level within the organization, and engage this

sponsorship for a successful outcome. A sponsor builds commitment across the organization and

particularly at the senior management level.

Sponsors have ultimate responsibility for projects. Success of a project can be directly linked to an active

sponsor who champions the change, mitigates change resistance and builds organizational alliances.

Idea: To build on your sponsorship of change, validate that

the level of your primary sponsor matches up with the size

and type of the change. Determine if the change has the

right level of sponsorship before moving ahead.

Category Artifact Description Link to the Artifact

Checklist Communication Checklist

http://www.change-management.com/tutorial-checklist-

communication.htm

Worksheet Communicating a Compelling Vision for Change

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-Communicating-

Compelling-Vision.docx

Template Communications Plan Template

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-Communications-

Plan.doc

MANAGEMENT

REA DINESS

TRAINING

US E THESE RESOURCES TO GET STARTED T ODAY

Communication Tools and Templates

Category Artifact Description Link to the Artifact

Checklist Sponsorship Checklist

http://www.change-management.com/

tutorial-checklist-sponsorship.htm

Tool

OCM Change Leadership

Review

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/

OCM-Change-Leadership-Review.doc

US E THESE RESOURCES TO GET STARTED T ODAY

Sponsorship Tools and Templates

The Five Pillars of Successful Change

3. Stakeholder Management

The primary goals of Stakeholder Management

are to accurately identify all stakeholders and

make them aware of the change and its benefits

throughout the change process. This helps gain

and maintain stakeholder buy-in. Much like

Sponsorship, actively engaging stakeholders

early during the change cycle often directly

correlates to the success of the change.

 Perform change activities with stakeholders, not ‘to’ them.

 Commit to a partnership with your stakeholders.

 It is absolutely critical that those impacted by the change understand the needs

for and benefits of the change.

Once you have identified and planned a strategy to engage your stakeholders, ask

yourself what else is going on in the organization and what could distract them.

Ensure you are able to focus your stakeholders on the change. Strategize and tailor

your messaging to the types of stakeholders on the project.

Idea: To build on stakeholder management, conduct a stakeholder analysis

with your leadership team. Ensure this analysis is continually revisited and

refreshed. Too often, stakeholders are replaced with others that may have a

different agenda. Effective stakeholder management provides you the tools

to look ahead and anticipate problems before they happen.

Continued...

MANAGEMENT

REA DINESS

TRAINI NG

Category Artifact Description Link to the Artifact

Work-

sheet

Developing a Strategy to Deal with

People’s Response to Change

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-

Developing-A-Strategy.doc

Tool OCM Job Duty Assessment

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-Job-Duty-

Assessment.doc

Tool

OCM Gap Analysis Walkthrough

Worksheet

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-Gap-

Analysis.doc

Tool OCM Stakeholder Map

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-

Stakeholder-Map.docx

Tool Stakeholder Analysis

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-

Stakeholder-Analysis.docx

US E THESE RESOURCES TO GET STARTED T ODAY

Stakeholder Management Tools and Templates

4. Readiness

This is a measure of the reality of the current

organization in relation to the future state. When

determining readiness for change you should consider

the culture and history of change in your organization,

accountability, resource availability, and availability of

staff with change management knowledge and

experience. There are two perspectives by which

readiness is assessed:

1. The human side of change. Supporting the people

and culture involved in the change.

Communication

 Create a strong, centralized

voice for policy and program

coordination, development,

implementation and monitoring

 Conduct individual business

meetings and brown-bag

lunches with various business

units to identify concerns and

problem areas prior to the tran-

sition

 Have on-site representation

during the transition time period

to answer staff questions and

address concerns/issues

Stakeholder Mgmt.

 Tailor your messaging to the

types and styles that most

impact your stakeholders.

 Create a decision making

framework for the leadership

team to use to engage and

make decisions with stake-

holders.

Sponsorship

 Engage your executive leader-

ship sponsors to create a strong

centralized voice to share the

vision (policies and process

changes, timelines for change,

benefits of change)

 Get sponsor buy-in and agree-

ment

Tips and Tricks

...Readiness Continued

2. It is necessary to document and understand the organizational processes impacted by

change. This readies you to migrate from “current state” to “future state” processes.

Business Process Modeling allows you to identify processes impacted by the new system,

create a baseline for process improvements, increase efficiency in day-to-day operations,

educate staff and advance business understanding. See the Business Process Modeling

Guide or BPM Quick Start Guide in your packet for more information.

The first perspective is about getting people ready to adapt to change by ensuring they have the right

information and toolsets. It is covered more in the Readiness In Detail section on the next page.

Idea: To build on your readiness, review the section titled “Readiness in Detail” and follow steps 1

thru 5. Ensure you are prepared by advocating a holistic approach to the change effort with your

leadership team.

5. Training and Turnover

The primary goal of Training in OCM is to understand gaps

in stakeholders’ skills and provide them opportunities to

learn these skills before the change is implemented. A

learning solution should be designed to foster

understanding, acceptance and commitment, enable all

users to work with, and build their confidence in the new

processes/systems. Additionally, turnover is a “hidden” cost

of change management. Staff turnover is often prevalent

and disruptive during a major change effort and can result

in reduced employee morale and retention. Engaging staff

early and providing adequate training and communication about the change is essential to demystify

rumors and opposition in your organizational change initiative. Training and knowledge transfer / skill

building will help ensure that your staff have the necessary technical and business knowledge, skills, and

abilities to successfully navigate the changes of your project.

Idea: To build on training in your organizational management strategy, educate your leadership

team and change agents in organizational change management methodologies such as ADKAR, as

well as the specifics on the change itself. Additionally, to ensure you have planned adequately for

staff turnover, create a transition plan that can set the stage for new employees.

The Five Pillars of Successful Change

Category Artifact Description Link to the Artifact

Worksheet Planning for Implementation

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-

Planning-For-Implementation.doc

US E THESE RESOURCES TO GET STARTED T ODAY

Readiness Tools and Templates

Category Artifact Description Link to the Artifact

Tool

OCM ADKAR Assessment

Tool Reference

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-

ADKAR-Assessment.doc

Tool

SCO Generic Departmental

FI$Cal Transition Plan

DRAFT

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-

Generic-Departmental-Transition-Plan-

DRAFT.docx

US E THESE RESOURCES TO GET STARTED T ODAY

Training Tools and Templates

The Five Pillars of Successful Change

Readiness In Detail

WHAT YOU CAN BE DOING

NOW

TO GET READY FOR CHANGE?

All five of the change pillars provide insight into the areas of focus for a large scale

change to be successful in your organization. So now, what? You know what to focus

on, but what can YOU be doing to get ready for change right now?

Step 1: Assess Your Organization Change Readiness.

Review the assessment results from this guide. If the assessment was taken individu-

ally, get your leadership teams and sponsors together and review the results. If you can,

vet the assessment with a third party to assist with measuring your change readiness.

This could be a vendor or a different area within your organization.

Questions to keep in mind when assessing your OCM Readiness Level

 How well does your organization function during change efforts?

 How well positioned is the organization to be able to absorb all the changes planned without

creating significant risk of overload in affected areas?

 What are the resources involved and what is their degree of skills and experience?

 What is your leadership’s capability of sponsoring and supporting change?

 What generates desire for the change and what creates resistance to it?

 What do you need to improve support and reduce roadblocks for the change?

 What is your corporate culture and historical experience in dealing with change?

Step 2: Select an OCM Methodology.

Become acquainted with change management techniques and select a methodology

for your change project. Use a blend of techniques to best address your organization's

culture and specific project needs. There are many to choose from, refer to the “Dive

Deeper” section for several methodology selections and resources. Many California

State departments are using Prosci’s ADKAR training for their leadership teams.

Step 3: Start Planning, Select your Team Size & Strategy.

Discuss the information in this guide with your leadership team and develop a charter

and communication plan for the change effort. Be prepared for a significant workload

adjustment and priority discussion. Plan to spend 10-20% of your project budget on

readiness planning. Select team size and strategy. Identify and ensure legacy and

key subject matter staff are assigned as change agents for managing resistance.

Involve people from all areas of the organization. Plan early and embrace the

change. Communicate consistently at all levels of your organization including the

benefits and “WIIFM” (What’s in it for me?)”. Implement ways to measure readiness.

Step 4: Review the Business Process Modeling (BPM) Guide.

Remember that there are two perspectives to readiness. For the systems and proc-

esses perspective there is a separate guide in your packet. The Business Process

Modeling (BPM) Guide teaches you a repeatable process to identify as-is business

processes and provides guidance for assessing your readiness for process change.

Create a baseline for process improvements. Identify ways to increase efficiency in

day to day operations. Get started now by reviewing the BPM Guide included in this

packet.

Tips and Tricks

Carry out your plan! Embrace the change. Communicate consistently at all levels

of your organization including the benefits and “WIIFM” (What’s in it for me?)”.

Implement ways to measure readiness. Make Change Stick! (Kotter).

Step 5: Translate the Vision for Change into Reality!

Readiness

 Complete the Readiness

Assessment

 Conduct Business Process

Modeling(BPM) See BPM

Quick Start Guide

 If you have a Gartner sub-

scription: ITScore for Busi-

ness Process Management,

2013

OCM Methodologies

 PROSCI / ADKAR

http://www.prosci.com/

 4 Change Mgmt. Strategies

http://www.nickols.us/

four_strategies.pdf

 Change Management 101

http://www.nickols.us/change.pdf

Training

 Ensure you have

planned adequately for

staff turnover, create a

transition plan that can

set the stage for new

employees

 Identify roles, skill build-

ing requirements, train-

ing classes and estab-

lish a comprehensive

training plan

And Re m emb er …

 Celebrate your successes

 Keep the organization mo-

tivated during challenges

GE NE RATE A WARE NESS A ND G AIN COMMITMENT

Stages of Change

You know that the change needs to happen, but you don't really know how to go about delivering it. Where

do you start? Whom do you involve? How do you see it through to the end? Begin your OCM program

early. Using a time based approach to provide the right information, to the right people, at the right time,

in the right way. The Stages of Change maps the process of awareness, understanding, acceptance and

commitment to the phases of a project’s lifecycle. In the planning phase of your project generate

awareness about the change, providing project specific information and explain the goals and purpose of

the change. In the design phase help people understand the impacts of change by communicating

decisions made and informing people how they will work with the change.

During the build/test phase of your project communicate the changes to the impacted business processes,

clarify roles, discuss the implementation approach, determine training needed to build the skills required,

communicate the timeline and planned rollout activities. Also, during the deployment and transition phase

inform stakeholders of key milestones, provide ongoing support processes, encourage participation,

celebrate successes and communicate issues and resolutions timely. Make continuous efforts to ensure

that the change is seen in every aspect of your organization. This will help give that change a solid place

in your organization's culture.

One of the greatest challenges with any change initiative is

following through and sustaining the change. It is too easy for

an organization to fall back into old habits. Remember, it

takes time and diligence to change organizational behavior.

Clear, consistent, positive reinforcement of desired behaviors

is the best way to effect a change in the way people do

things.

To sustain the change, you need to use positive reinforcement of the new habit contin-

ues long after the initial change is completed. Be ready to implement and reinforce that

next big change. Avoid the “One and Done”, Make Change Stick!

Make Change Stick!

FOLLOW THROUGH AND SUST AIN CHANGE

Stages of Change - FI$Cal Change Management Office Wave 2 Kick Off

http://www.fiscal.ca.gov/documents/W2_Analyze_Kickoff_forDepts_v2.pdf

Category Artifact Description Link to the Artifact

Worksheet Leading People Through Change

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-Leading-People-Through-

Change.docx

Assessment Readiness Assessment—MS Word

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-Readiness-

Assessment.docx

Assessment Readiness Assessment—MS Excel

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/OCM-Readiness-

Assessment.xls

Guide Business Process Modeling Guide http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/BPM-Readiness-Guide-v1.PDF

Guide

Business Process Modeling Quick Start

Guide

http://www.cio.ca.gov/opd/pdf/itla/21/BPM-Quickstart-Guide-v1.PDF

Dive Deeper

OCM REFERENCES, Y OU C A N ’ T R E A D J U S T O N E

Below are some resources and best practices material for your organization to

dive deeper into the subject of Organizational Change Management.

Gartner Reference Materials (www.gartner.com)

 Organizational Readiness Guidelines for BPM

 Getting started With BPM, Part 1: Assessing Readiness

 Getting Started With BPM: Are You Ready?

 10 Best Practices in Organizational Change for Project Managers

 Gartner IT Score

*Subscription to Gartner for IT Professionals required.

Maturity Assessments and Models

 Who’s Ready for Whole System Change? - http://proactionassociates.com/site_ProAction/section_publications/PDFs/

PRO_article_WhosReadyChangeReadinessChecklist.pdf

 OCM Maturity— https://www.change-management-institute.com/sites/default/files/CMI%20White%20Paper,%20Change%

20Agility%20-%20Feb%202012_1.pdf

 Prosci OCM Maturity http://www.prosci.com/ecm1/maturity-audit/

Methodology Research and OCM Best Practices Research

 Prosci / ADKAR http://www.prosci.com/

 Free Management Library http://managementhelp.org/

 Four Change Management Strategies http://www.nickols.us/four_strategies.pdf

 Change Management 101 http://www.nickols.us/change.pdf

Change Management Literature

Kotter, John P. Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School, 1996. Print.

Conner, Daryl. Managing at the Speed of Change: How Resilient Managers Succeed and Prosper Where

Others Fail. New York: Villard, 1993. Print.

Bridges, William. Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1991.

Print.

Change Management Training

 Prosci ADKAR Training is available at College of Continuing Education

and Sacramento State: www.cce.csus.edu

OCM Templates and Maturity Audit Packages (For Purchase)

 Prosci CM Pilot Professional http://www.change-management.com/cm-pilot.htm

 Prosci Maturity Model Audit http://www.prosci.com/ecm1/maturity-audit/

OVERALL READINESS TOOLS FOR YOU TO GET STARTED TODAY

Stephen Adams

Elizabeth Bourrage

Jeanette Brazil

Denise Browne

Gary Cannon

Jessica Chin

Joy Guzman

Jacob Johnson

Laura Klein

Suzanne McBride

Jacquelyn Moore

Tim Paulsen

Mary Shear

Manpreet Sidhu

David Williams

Patrick Yim

The Information Technology Leadership Academy is a year-long program for state IT managers with a focus on developing

leadership skills. Participants in the academy are selected candidates from state agencies and departments that work in information

technology programs. Individuals with a vision for enterprise-wide thinking, strong potential for career advancement, and experience

carrying out their organization’s mission and vision are ideal candidates for acceptance into this program.

Version 1.1 October, 17, 2014