5-step guide: How to succeed in change management

Navigating organizational change can be challenging due to the many factors involved. While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, proven frameworks can guide you towards successful transformation. We’ve put together a five-step model designed to help you manage change effectively, offering flexibility to tailor it to your organization’s unique needs.

Managing change in an organization is a complex and context-dependent process. Factors such as organizational structure, leadership, tasks, demographics, and industry all play a role in how changes can be implemented effectively.

At first glance, it may seem challenging to offer advice on organizational change, given all these variables, right?

Yes and no. While there is no universal solution that fits all organizations, established frameworks and approaches can make it easier to achieve successful change. 

Below is a five-step model based on proven methods and frameworks. It covers the entire process, from identifying the need for change to working with continuous improvement. It’s essential to remember that this model should be adapted to the unique conditions of your organization, but it provides a solid foundation for your change efforts. Of course, not all steps and methods need to be applied if they aren’t necessary; adapt and select the parts that are needed!

 

Step 1: Set clear goals 

To successfully drive change, you need to start by identifying what needs improvement. Setting clear and actionable goals is a critical first step. 

The SMART goals is a well-known method for turning broad ambitions into specific, measurable objectives. By following this structure, it becomes easier to track and adjust efforts as needed:

• Specific: What do you want to achieve? The goal should be clear and well-defined.  

• Measurable: How will you measure success? Define measurable criteria.

• Achievable: Is it realistic? The goal should be challenging but not impossible.

• Relevant: Why are you setting the goal? The goal should align within your team or organization.

• Time-bound: When should the goal be achieved? Set a clear timeframe. 

Step 2: Evaluate and define actions 

Once the goals are established, the next step is to identify the actions needed to achieve them. This often requires teamwork and collaboration. Workshop and meetings can be effective ways to foster both engagement and creativity within the team.  

The GROW model is a useful tool for breaking down goals into concrete actions and creating an action plan: 

• Goals: What do you want to achieve? (Use your SMART goals from step 1) 

• Reality: Where are you today? What factors affect your progress?  

• Obstacles and options: What challenges do you face, and how can you overcome them?

• Will and Way Forward: What is the next step? What actions should be taken?

“To get the best out of people, we have to believe the best is in there – but how do we know it is, how much is there, and how do we get out?”

Sir John Whitmore, Performance Consultants co-founder

Step 3: Prioritize 

Resources, both in terms of time and personnel, are limited. Therefore, it’s essential to prioritize which efforts should be implemented first. It’s also crucial for leaders to know how to delegate effectively and determine which tasks can be assigned to others. 

The Eisenhower matrix is a valuable tool for categorizing activities based on their importance and urgency:  

• Urgent and important: Do it immediately. 

• Important but not urgent: Schedule when to do it. 

• Urgent but not important: Delegate it. 

• Not urgent and not important: Archive or discord it. 

Step 4: Assign roles and responsibility

To ensure that the change efforts are embraced across the organization, it’s important to clearly assign roles and responsibilities for each task. Change management should not rest solely on the shoulders of leadership – it requires involvement from the entire team. 

The RACI model can be used to distribute responsibilities in a structured way. It defines four key roles: 

• Responsible: The person who performs a specific task. 

• Accountable: The person with overall responsibility for ensuring the task is completed. 

• Consulted: Those who need to be consulted or involved in decision making. 

• Informed: Those who should be kept informed about the process. 

Step 5: Work on continuous improvement  

Change management is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process that should become a natural part of the organization’s daily operations. Small, regular steps are often easier to implement and more sustainable in the long run. It’s far more important that it happens than how it happens.  

The PDCA model (Plan-Do-Check-Act) is an effective way to work with continuous improvement:  

• Plan: Use step 1 and 2 to identify what needs to be done, and step 3 and 4 to determine how and by whom. 

• Do: Execute the plan according to the established goals and actions.  

• Check: Evaluate the results – did you achieve the desired outcomes? What worked well, and what can be improved?

• Act: Adjust step 1-4 based on the lessons learned and restart the cycle with new insights. 

By applying the PDCA cycle, you can continuously improve over time. Each cycle typically takes between two and six months, depending on your situation. Regular check-ins with the team are essential to keeping the process alive and effective. Use the time between check-ins for the step Do. This creates a naturally iterative process.