A Primer on Change Management
In today’s fast-paced business environment, being able to adapt to change is important. Within UC Merced, there has been lots of change surrounding our requirements, processes and systems. As a result, to ensure that you continue to be successful in your daily operations and do not fall subject to change fatigue, an employee must be adaptable.
This does not mean that the responsibility to learn how to deal with and manage the change is just on the employee, however. To ensure the success of a new initiative, UC Merced also has the task of helping employees understand, commit to, accept, and embrace the overall change. This process of easing the University, or any organization at that, through these transitions is called Change Management.
Throughout the early planning stages of the Alpha Financials implementation, the project sponsors and team were cognizant of the significant changes that a project of this magnitude would bring. This led to the project incorporating the principles of Change Management through all stages of the project, from planning to HyperCare[1] support.
Why is Change Management Important?
Change management is a formal way of communicating with employees. It tells them why change is happening, what it will look like for them, and how it will ultimately benefit them in the end. It also serves as the framework that is used to support and understand the change and its effect to the University and its employees.
Change Management provides the following benefits:
- Effective change management supports a smooth transition from the old to the new, while maintaining morale and productivity
- It provides management and staff the support to raise concerns regarding the change
- It helps to plan efficient communication strategies
- It helps to minimize resistance to change
- It improves employee morale and productivity and fosters cooperation, collaboration, and communication
- It helps to minimize stress, anxiety, and change fatigue
[1]HyperCare is defined as the period post Go Live (target date of January 1, 2021). This period is dedicated to addressing issues that may arise.