So, let\u2019s take a look at the impact of change on your organization and how change management can help.<\/p>\n
The threat of change fatigue<\/strong><\/h2>\nLike most businesses, nonprofits have seen extraordinary changes over the past year and a half. Today, organizations continue to face changes due to the global pandemic, including:<\/p>\n
\n- The transition of moving back to an in-person office environment<\/li>\n
- Continued strategy adjustments and resulting process changes<\/li>\n
- Residual financial impacts<\/li>\n
- Changes in staffing levels<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Add to that list any other shifts an organization might be going through, plus personal changes in staff members\u2019 lives, and most nonprofit staffers will say there are simply too many. This change saturation \u2014 when the amount of change exceeds the ability to handle it \u2014 can lead to change fatigue. And, change fatigue poses threats to new projects that you need to roll out. These threats include:<\/p>\n
\n- Resistance to participating in or supporting the project<\/li>\n
- Poor adoption of new processes, technology, etc.<\/li>\n
- Job dissatisfaction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In this environment, projects can go sideways. What might otherwise be a low-to-medium risk project becomes a medium-to-high risk one.<\/p>\n
This threat of change fatigue to your organization\u2019s future is one you can\u2019t ignore.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/es7hq8rr83h.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Nonprofit-Guide-to-Change-Management-Cover-Copy-scaled-e1605901185992.jpg?strip=all\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDive deeper into change management techniques with The Nonprofit’s Guide to Change Management<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe benefits of change management<\/strong><\/h2>\nThis is where change management shines. Change management is a framework and a set of resources that help prepare an organization to launch and adopt a new project \u2014 such as a new technology implementation and rollout \u2014 as smoothly as possible. It helps ease the path toward transition by building buy-in among people impacted by the change, providing information they need to understand and adapt to a new normal, supporting them through the transition, and reinforcing behaviors that are required for them to be successful.<\/p>\n
While a successful project launch and increased user adoption of new processes and technology are the ultimate goals of change management, here are some other benefits you can expect to see in your organization as a result of a strong change management plan:<\/p>\n
\n- Decreased resistance<\/strong> \u2014 By communicating regularly with all stakeholders and providing them with the tools and resources they need to work through change, everyone involved and impacted by the change is more likely to participate actively in the planning of the project, support the project, and adopt any new processes or technology related to the project.<\/li>\n
- Increased enthusiasm <\/strong>\u2014 People often have emotional reactions to the stress associated with the uncertainty of change. As a nonprofit leader proactively managing the organization through the change, you\u2019ll provide a framework that gives staff a sense of clarity and certainty that helps to reduce stress levels and improve enthusiasm for the project. It can even increase overall job satisfaction for staff members.<\/li>\n
- Improved focus<\/strong> \u2014 The process of change management helps to ensure the entire organization stays focused on the \u201cwhy\u201d of the project. Stakeholders are better able to stay focused on the beneficial outcomes of the project versus the temporary challenges that change can produce, which ultimately results in a project that stays on track.<\/li>\n
- Sustainability <\/strong>\u2014 Managing change successfully through one project helps set the stage for proactively managing through other projects. It helps build your organization\u2019s change management \u201cmuscle\u201d and sets an example for how to handle change well in the future. Ultimately, strong and proactive change management is the backbone of business transformation, helping your organization to stay resilient<\/a> no matter what the future might bring.<\/li>\n
- Inclusion<\/strong> \u2014 In the end, a project will be more successful when it captures the perspectives of all those who are impacted. Change management gives your organization a framework with the language and instructions needed to ensure all stakeholders have a chance to voice their viewpoints.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Change management in the real world<\/strong><\/h2>\nHere\u2019s an example of change management for nonprofits in the real world: The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) was in the midst of a massive project to restructure from a de-centralized organization to one national organization. The organization was also merging with two other nonprofit organizations and facing a reduction in staff and revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
As you can imagine, this technology change impacted the entire organization. Preparing staff for the change was critically important to the success of the project.<\/p>\n
To ensure a smooth transition, the Heller Consulting team worked closely with CCS to apply proven change management techniques \u2014 including a vision for the project, a master timeline, and a staff communications plan \u2014 which paved the way for successful technology change<\/a>.<\/p>\nGear up for change management<\/strong><\/h2>\nChange management is about preparing your organization for a new project \u2014 often a process and\/or technology change. It\u2019s a way to identify and manage resistance your staff might have before, during, and after the transition.<\/p>\n
Change fatigue can lead to a lack of user adoption \u2014 one of the most common reasons new process and technology implementations fail. By having a change management plan in place, you can improve team satisfaction with your project and reduce risk involved with the change.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nLearn more key concepts, tips, and real-life examples of nonprofit change successes. Read the paper, <\/strong>The Nonprofit\u2019s Guide to Change Management<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nJoin the list<\/h2>\n
Want more nonprofit tech resources delivered to your inbox? Fill out the quick form below!<\/p>\n
Add to that list any other shifts an organization might be going through, plus personal changes in staff members\u2019 lives, and most nonprofit staffers will say there are simply too many. This change saturation \u2014 when the amount of change exceeds the ability to handle it \u2014 can lead to change fatigue. And, change fatigue poses threats to new projects that you need to roll out. These threats include:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Resistance to participating in or supporting the project<\/li>\n
- Poor adoption of new processes, technology, etc.<\/li>\n
- Job dissatisfaction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In this environment, projects can go sideways. What might otherwise be a low-to-medium risk project becomes a medium-to-high risk one.<\/p>\n
This threat of change fatigue to your organization\u2019s future is one you can\u2019t ignore.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nDive deeper into change management techniques with The Nonprofit’s Guide to Change Management<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The benefits of change management<\/strong><\/h2>\n
This is where change management shines. Change management is a framework and a set of resources that help prepare an organization to launch and adopt a new project \u2014 such as a new technology implementation and rollout \u2014 as smoothly as possible. It helps ease the path toward transition by building buy-in among people impacted by the change, providing information they need to understand and adapt to a new normal, supporting them through the transition, and reinforcing behaviors that are required for them to be successful.<\/p>\n
While a successful project launch and increased user adoption of new processes and technology are the ultimate goals of change management, here are some other benefits you can expect to see in your organization as a result of a strong change management plan:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Decreased resistance<\/strong> \u2014 By communicating regularly with all stakeholders and providing them with the tools and resources they need to work through change, everyone involved and impacted by the change is more likely to participate actively in the planning of the project, support the project, and adopt any new processes or technology related to the project.<\/li>\n
- Increased enthusiasm <\/strong>\u2014 People often have emotional reactions to the stress associated with the uncertainty of change. As a nonprofit leader proactively managing the organization through the change, you\u2019ll provide a framework that gives staff a sense of clarity and certainty that helps to reduce stress levels and improve enthusiasm for the project. It can even increase overall job satisfaction for staff members.<\/li>\n
- Improved focus<\/strong> \u2014 The process of change management helps to ensure the entire organization stays focused on the \u201cwhy\u201d of the project. Stakeholders are better able to stay focused on the beneficial outcomes of the project versus the temporary challenges that change can produce, which ultimately results in a project that stays on track.<\/li>\n
- Sustainability <\/strong>\u2014 Managing change successfully through one project helps set the stage for proactively managing through other projects. It helps build your organization\u2019s change management \u201cmuscle\u201d and sets an example for how to handle change well in the future. Ultimately, strong and proactive change management is the backbone of business transformation, helping your organization to stay resilient<\/a> no matter what the future might bring.<\/li>\n
- Inclusion<\/strong> \u2014 In the end, a project will be more successful when it captures the perspectives of all those who are impacted. Change management gives your organization a framework with the language and instructions needed to ensure all stakeholders have a chance to voice their viewpoints.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Change management in the real world<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Here\u2019s an example of change management for nonprofits in the real world: The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) was in the midst of a massive project to restructure from a de-centralized organization to one national organization. The organization was also merging with two other nonprofit organizations and facing a reduction in staff and revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
As you can imagine, this technology change impacted the entire organization. Preparing staff for the change was critically important to the success of the project.<\/p>\n
To ensure a smooth transition, the Heller Consulting team worked closely with CCS to apply proven change management techniques \u2014 including a vision for the project, a master timeline, and a staff communications plan \u2014 which paved the way for successful technology change<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Gear up for change management<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Change management is about preparing your organization for a new project \u2014 often a process and\/or technology change. It\u2019s a way to identify and manage resistance your staff might have before, during, and after the transition.<\/p>\n
Change fatigue can lead to a lack of user adoption \u2014 one of the most common reasons new process and technology implementations fail. By having a change management plan in place, you can improve team satisfaction with your project and reduce risk involved with the change.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nLearn more key concepts, tips, and real-life examples of nonprofit change successes. Read the paper, <\/strong>The Nonprofit\u2019s Guide to Change Management<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Join the list<\/h2>\n
Want more nonprofit tech resources delivered to your inbox? Fill out the quick form below!<\/p>\n
- Increased enthusiasm <\/strong>\u2014 People often have emotional reactions to the stress associated with the uncertainty of change. As a nonprofit leader proactively managing the organization through the change, you\u2019ll provide a framework that gives staff a sense of clarity and certainty that helps to reduce stress levels and improve enthusiasm for the project. It can even increase overall job satisfaction for staff members.<\/li>\n
- Decreased resistance<\/strong> \u2014 By communicating regularly with all stakeholders and providing them with the tools and resources they need to work through change, everyone involved and impacted by the change is more likely to participate actively in the planning of the project, support the project, and adopt any new processes or technology related to the project.<\/li>\n