Change Management Methodologies

Change Management Methodologies

Change management methodologies are useful tools that help organizations to adjust to the continually changing business environments. An organization would only maintain its competitive position in the market if it successfully adopts the latest strategies that are crucial to its growth. Effective change management suffices as the only sure way of implementing these strategies. There are several change management methodologies that organizations use to adopt new business strategies in their sectors. Of primary interest to this paper are three methods: Kotter’s Eight-Step process of change, the PROSCI or ADKAR Model, and the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM) Model of change. Though all these models are applied in change management, they are suited for specific scenarios and projects, as seen in this paper.

Kotter’s Eight-Step Model, for instance, is well suited for significant transformational changes, that primarily depend on the input of the leadership team, rather than the considerable support of other stakeholders. Depicting change management as a linear process, as stated in the methodology, could become challenging when applied in a real-life business case. Therefore, there is a need for some adaptations to the linear process to suit the specific needs of the organization. Even after the leadership team initiates the change as recommended by Kotter, the team’s momentum is never enough to implement successful change initiatives in contemporary organizations. The change team should engage other stakeholder groups separately when applying this methodology. Engaging all stakeholders is essential when creating a sense of urgency, forming the group that will lead the change, and defining the meaning of the transition to them to avoid possible change resistance (Teczke, Bespayeva & Bugubayeva, 2017). Therefore, while the change management process is linear, as stated by Kotter, the actual implementation of the methodology in change management requires the use of multiple instances of the model that tend to overlap and move at different speeds.

The PROSCI or ADKAR Model of change is well suited for managing change in heavily structured IT projects. ADKAR is an acronym that denotes Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement (Teczke et al., 2017). The methodology best suits such projects since the change leader has to equip the entire team with the required knowledge and ascertain that they have the skills required to complete the project tasks. Even after the implementation of the change, the change team should not relent. Instead, they should now focus on needs reinforcement to ensure that all employees have understood how to use the new technology. Rather than looking at the model as the practical nuts and bolts that would achieve the required change, the steps should only be used as contributors or guides to the individual actions that create the change. Therefore, keen adherence to the phases would result in a successful change management strategy.

Finally, the Accumulated Incremental Approach (AIM) approach is business-disciplined but flexible change management methodology that suits cyclical and dynamic, rather than linear and progressive projects. This method is scalable, flexible, and based on business principles (IMA Worldwide, 2018). The systemic, systematic, and data-driven nature of the methodology appeals to Human Resource (HR), business, It, and scientific projects. Therefore, the AIM approach would suit projects involving mergers and acquisitions, as well as cultural changes since they keep changing based on the business environment and the need to globalize business operations. One of the most notable attributes of the AIM approach is its ability to guide the change team on what to do in various circumstances. This helps in the seamless implementation of the project amidst the many challenges that impede change management processes.

References

IMA Worldwide. (2018). AIM Change Management Methodology. Retrieved March 21, 2020, from https://www.imaworldwide.com/aim-change-management-methodology

Teczke, M., Bespayeva, S.R., & Bugubayeva, O.R. (2017). Approaches and models for change management. Jagiellonian Journal of Management, 3(3), 195-203.