There is nothing permanent in life but change, a phrase that has proven to be particularly on-the-nose for the business world over the past two years.
Change is a certainty, but it can be difficult for many organisations to adapt to new processes, systems and culture, unless they absolutely must. How many companies had their hand forced by the global pandemic to implement a digital transformation strategy, that included their communication platform
Many businesses can also be wary of adopting change management practices in a world of intense competition, increasing complexity, and raised expectations from employees
“People deal with change in different ways, whether that’s organisational change or new things in life,” said Marko Stevanovic, Adoption & Change Management Practice Lead at CPS.
“Change management makes sure that everyone in the business is on the same page and that the organisation is actually undergoing change. If you don’t have everyone on board with what needs to be done, then the organisation won’t realise the benefits of the change.”
Not only has the practice of work changed fundamentally for most organisations, as many employees opt to work in a hybrid manner, says Stevanovic, but managers also must contend with a workforce that spans five generations, and the specific manner in which those demographics prefer to work.
Last September, Microsoft said its Teams collaboration platform had 250m monthly active users, with Teams Phone hitting 80m. Microsoft Teams provides a cohesive manner in which each generation can engage with change management practices, Stevanovic says.
“For example, Gen Z are very familiar with mobile devices and smartphones, and it doesn't matter what type of device they use to work on, whereas older generations often prefer to have everything on computers,” he explained.
Change management is important because it ensures organisations see a quicker return on investment in their IT strategies, said Stevanovic.
