Why Change Management Matters Even After the Change Occurred

Any amount of change is likely to create a certain measure of stress and uncertainty for users. It is likely the roll out of Remote Work capabilities was not done according to the same best practice standards organizations would prefer to have followed. The accelerated nature of this change was sure to have created even more stress for users. While understandable given these circumstances, it should not be acceptable for the long-term organizational change.

With Microsoft Teams, many organizations recognize that they can maintain a standard of employee engagement with a high-quality collaboration platform. But it is not enough to simply provide users with the platform. With a change management plan, there is an opportunity to align and get everyone speaking the same language. With awareness and adoption campaigns and defined feedback methods, you can reduce employee disenfranchisement with the technology and, ultimately, see a successful change.

A successful change management strategy does not only acclimate end users to change; if executed properly, you can create evangelists. When you turn your user base into raving fans, you can identify new ways to expand the use of the new technology and maximize on ROI for your new technology investment.

This piece requires a continuous and concerted effort to entice your people to change. You need to create the awareness and desire around the change. In the process of developing a change management plan, you need to have a vision of what needs to change. You can develop this vision by answering the questions:

• How does this change impact the organization and the people?
• How will the technology be used by different departments within your organization?
• What are some potential roadblocks that users may run into with the technology?

Once you have a clear vision, and have begun to execute on the change, you need to consistently re-engage the users in the change. On-going education for users through various mediums including in-person training sessions as well as online learning platforms such as Brainstorm QuickHelp will go a long way to creating raving fans of the new technology.

Change is the only constant in the world. You need to be ready to be agile and pivot towards the change. The change may not be as dramatic as as the current crisis has created but even relatively smaller shifts in technological needs could have major implications for your business if you are not prepared for it.

Your company’s growth and future success depends on your people’s ability to adapt to market forces in and out of your control. Using this recent change as a jumping off point for establishing healthy change management practices across your organization can be good for your overall organization. Be agile and use this change to set the standard in your organization for creating a repeatable change management process.

Global events have the potential to change the culture of workforces around the world, even after the event is long over. If change management is successfully implemented, you will continue to see the benefits of these changes. However, with a disenfranchised end-user base, they will be itching to get things back to the way they were before the event. Do not allow this to happen in your organization.

You may have already deployed Microsoft Teams within your organization to enable remote work, but to be agile and set up your organization and people for long-term success, developing a repeatable change management methodology is essential.

At Apex Digital Solutions, we are Adoption and Change Management Experts for Microsoft Teams. Our Ready for Microsoft 365 and Ready for Teams Meetings service offerings will empower your organization be more secure, productive, and engaged with Microsoft Teamwork and remote work solutions. Contact us at hello@apexdigital.com to get started with driving successful change in your organization.