IST-UHR Implementation Success Model
Change is constant, and HR professionals play a key role in navigating it. This Toolkit provides a flexible framework and resources to support effective change management, promoting clarity, accountability, and sustainable transitions.
What is a change initiative?
A change initiative is anything that changes the status quo. It is a deliberate effort to transform a process, a system, policies, or culture to align with organizational goals. Examples include but aren’t limited to things such as implementing a new/updated process, revamping performance management, implementing a policy change from OSHR and/or UNC System Office, or launching leadership development programs. Change management is essential to guide people through the transition effectively.
Every HR Change Initiative should include:
1 – Formal Change Manager Role Assignment
- Project Sponsors will appoint a dedicated Change Manager as part of the project charter. This role will not be a secondary responsibility but a formal position within the project structure, focusing entirely on leading and executing change management activities.
- Change Managers act as facilitators, delegating tasks to team members based on skills and availability and ensuring completion. This collaboration ensures tasks like communication and training are efficiently distributed, preventing burnout and fostering ownership of the change process. These tasks include (but not limited to) creating communication plans, coordinating training efforts, assessing resistance, and ensuring that change management is embedded throughout the project.
2 – Formal Change Leader Role Assignment
- In addition to a Change Manager, a Change Leader will be assigned for every project. This individual, typically a senior executive or project sponsor, is responsible for strategic oversight and ensuring the change initiative aligns with the organization’s broader goals and vision.
- Key Responsibilities of the Change Leader:
- Champion the change at an executive level, fostering buy-in from leadership and key stakeholders.
- Set the strategic direction for the project and ensure that resources are allocated appropriately.
- Ensure the change aligns with the organization’s long-term objectives and communicates its importance to the entire organization.
- Act as the face of the change, building trust and credibility with the workforce by actively participating in key communications and decision-making processes.
3 – Incorporating Change Management in Project Plans
- Based on the size and complexity of the change, the project plan will outline the change management activities from the beginning, ensuring that the necessary time and resources are allocated. This approach ensures that change management is a fundamental part of the project, rather than an afterthought.
- Key change management activities will include a mix of the following based on the scale of the initiative:
- Stakeholder analysis and engagement plans.
- Communication plans targeting affected employees.
- Training and development for those impacted by the change.
- Ongoing monitoring and adaptation of change strategies throughout the project lifecycle.
- Regular reporting on change management progress and success metrics.
- Recognize successes to reinforce positive outcomes
- Measuring employee engagement, training completion rates, and resistance levels.
4 – Change Management Training
- To provide Change Managers with additional resources, best practices, and insights to improve their ability to manage change in a structured, effective way, they will be required to complete training on change management principles. This training will be available through LinkedIn Learning Paths or equivalent platforms and will equip them with essential skills and techniques. Access to these courses will not only expand their knowledge but also enable them to better guide their teams and project sponsors through the complexities of organizational change.
- It is strongly recommended that the Change Leader and the entire project team also complete the training to foster a common understanding and language for managing change effectively.
Who are the key players that make change initiatives successful?
Tools to help manage implementation
References:
Prosci ADKAR Model, Rogers Adoption Curve of Innovation, Bridges’ Managing Transitions, This toolkit was influenced from generative AI tools.