The reasons behind change management failures is an intensely debated subject. Research studies indicate a failure rate of up to 70 percent transformations fails. A Google search on “why change management projects fail” will list thousands of articles describing the reasons for failed change projects. A common theme behind many of the failure reasons is stakeholder motivation to participate in the change project. The content critiques end-users and upper management’s motivation to work through knowledge generation issues to develop process changes and knowledge adoption issues for implementing process changes. However, attempting to improve participation by motivating stakeholders to take risks with changes could be as futile as herding cats. Concerns about taking risks is not a motivation problem; it is a confidence problem. Project teams can stimulate better participation by building stakeholder confidence with knowledge support about the process changes.
This knowledge support approach modifies the project focus from trying to prepare the stakeholders for knowledge changes to the viewpoint of preparing knowledge changes for the stakeholders. This simple adjustment of providing knowledge support on process changes will enable stakeholders to take a more active role confidently.
Stakeholder Confidence
Change management can be challenging and intimidating for stakeholders. They have to adapt to moving from established, well-known processes to new uncertain, and unfamiliar activities. Coping with all the change details can get overwhelming and negatively impact confidence.
End-users exhibit confidence issues as change resistance and low engagement. Confidence is affected by feelings about not being included in the change process or not being informed of the change reasons, and there are trust issues caused by a history of failed change projects. Upper management confidence issues include lacking leadership, limited involvement or interest, and insufficient communication of the change vision.
These issues are symptoms that the stakeholders need support to build their confidence in participating in the change project. A knowledge support resource will provide the necessary assistance to enhance their confidence.
Building Confidence
To build confidence, stakeholders will need a support resource to access the company’s organizational knowledge during the change project phases. Organizational knowledge is the knowledge necessary to operate processes. The projects will use the knowledge as a platform to identify and update the process areas affected by the change.
Pre-project Phase
Before the change project kicks off, stakeholders will have a support resource for reviewing the current knowledge content. This access will build confidence by enabling the stakeholders to check and confirm that the existing knowledge is up-to-date. The support resource also ensures comfort that project team members are all using the same process knowledge basis.
Change Development Phase
Having support access to review development changes is critical for stakeholders’ confidence about the project’s progress. Stakeholders can check the knowledge details as the team is making adjustments to meet the business change objectives.
During the progress of this phase, stakeholders can keep tabs and review:
- The job procedures affected.
- The employees impacted.
- The details of the change.
Change Adoption Phase
By completing and approving the modifications, the team generated a new updated version of the company’s organizational knowledge. It contains the process changes to kick-off training. The impacted stakeholders will get notified and informed about their changes details. The stakeholders will use the knowledge as a support resource for on-the-job learning to sustain their confidence in adopting the changes.
Future Change Projects
Using organizational knowledge during change projects reinforces stakeholders’ participation with the projects. Access to a support resource solidifies their confidence that future projects will continue to maintain process knowledge integrity.