Organisations that seek to implement change in business operations must emphasise adopting solutions and tools that are designed with OCM in mind.
FREMONT, CA: Organisational change management (OCM) has grown in popularity with the rise of remote work and disruptions in global economic and supply chains due to the pandemic. However, in today’s business environment, OCM is observed to be designed to separate the organisational change implementation from the day-to-day business operations of an organisation. These processes frequently shape both the enterprise’s current and desired future state.
For most operations, starting an OCM initiative is a trigger event that drives the need for change, bringing the need to determine how to manage that change. This trigger would be some kind of strategic corporate action like an M&A activity, external macroeconomic trends like the pandemic or global supply chain breakdowns, or a failure to affect performance targets for numerous reasons.
A company’s software systems will likely play a vital role in the OCM process. They might provide the fundamental indicators that reveal the need to initiate an OCM process. For instance, newly combined companies need to improve how they connect their information flows. An enterprise’s operational metrics might highlight elements of business that are underperforming or new opportunities that are not fully utilised. All these day-to-day operating systems, like accounting solutions, CRMs, or field service automation systems, can become key factors in the OCM process.
How to Implement OCM Theory in Practice
Change is not easy, but it is essential, particularly in the background of an organisation’s functions. Successful change implementation in a business requires solutions that make it easier to embrace workflows to update requirements and new inputs in real-time and leverage technological advancements to drive cultural changes that encourage innovation, participation, and democratisation.
However, this method of approach is rarely observed in OCM planning as most enterprise equipment lacks these goals and makes it difficult to adapt to new workflows or shows disinterest in utilising technology to increase the impact of those adaptations.
Consequently, software tools cannot be effective instruments of change as they are incapable of adapting quickly and drag in long-time delays or expensive change orders.
Developing a solution to foster change and driving it to a successful implementation is a broad challenge in organisations. But as companies adopt tools created with OCM in mind can yield a result that is stronger and materialises rapidly. This translates into achieving OCM goals more efficiently and improving time to value.
Essential Best Practices for OCM Initiatives
There are several challenges in pursuing OCM initiatives. However, they can be addressed by establishing a team led by a transformation officer to ensure successful implementation. This team, consisting of various experts, must ideate, iterate, deploy, and learn while also understanding the scope and budget. Companies must also ensure that the leadership and organisation are aligned on KPIs to execute projects and embrace suitable post-go-live metrics successfully. Additionally, they can bring influencers who can effectively influence co-workers early in the project. Finally, businesses must ensure that enterprise software solutions support an iterative approach since they need to use feedback to shape and improve their OCM strategy.
