Business

Change management is one of the most important disciplines of Information Technology Infrastructure management. The Wikipedia defines change management as “The objective of Change Management in this context is to ensure that standardized methods and procedures are used for efficient and prompt handling of all changes to controlled IT infrastructure, in order to minimise the number and impact of any related incidents upon service.”

The gap between data being managed by IT and content being managed by the business is rapidly disappearing. As the value (and potential risk) of information is being consistently recognized by organizations as critical to success they are investing in information management systems.

A train requires two well-maintained rails to reach its destination. Like the train, organizations going through change require two well-maintained rails to succeed: a change management plan and a transition management strategy.

Our Egyptian culture by nature is anti-change, not to mention man’s general fear of change. You can get the image on how important change management is. Do not get me wrong, change when necessary is a must; but a necessity should not distract your management from the correct course of action to implement and manage the change in your business.

There was a time when business operations were stable and change occurred infrequently. Like the Model T Ford, however, those days are history. For managers and leaders in business, this means they must be able to both adapt quickly to change and manage it effectively. Effective change management can occur when organizational leadership understands four critical truths about organizational change.

Managing change is a reality for all business owners. Some businesses handle change very well and are able to capitalize on synergies, cost advantages, and new markets. However many businesses struggle through change and lose staff and money in the process. Develop an effective change management plan and involve all stakeholders.

How you define and exercise leadership in the present climate will be a significant determinant in your organisation’s fortunes – and especially in the context of change management. But so often in change management situations the emphasis is on the process and the management of the situation and not the leadership…

A clear understanding of the key roles in a programme of change management is a vital and often overlooked aspect of successful strategies for managing change. It matters because a successful change initiative really does result from a clear understanding of the key roles that are needed to make it possible.

Failure reasons in change management are many and varied. But one thing is painfully clear. Any organisational initiative that creates change – or has a significant change element to it – has a 70% chance of not achieving what was originally envisaged. There are 3 main reasons for this catastrophic failure rate…

Are you a leader or a manager – is there a difference? Do you know what it is? Does it matter? Whilst there is much emphasis on the management aspect of change, much of the cause of the 70% failure rate in change initiatives is directly attributable to a lack of leadership….