IST-Assess Change Impact

Adoption Curve:  The early majority is more cautious but pragmatic. They wait to see the effectiveness of the change before committing fully.  The early majority starts to evaluate whether the change is practical and beneficial. At this stage, pilot programs or initial rollouts are beneficial in demonstrating success, thus convincing this group that the change is worthwhile and achievable.

Managing Transitions: This phase marks a transition between the old and the new. Stakeholders may be in the Neutral Zone, feeling uncertain or confused about the change and their roles. This is the time for reflection, as stakeholders assess how equipped they are for the new reality.  At this stage, stakeholders may feel concerned about their ability to handle the change. They might experience anxiety if they perceive that they lack the necessary skills or resources.

Potential Resistance:

• Fear of Incompetence: Resistance can arise if individuals feel unprepared or ill-equipped to handle new systems or processes.
• Denial of Need for Change: Some stakeholders may deny the necessity of the change if they feel their current processes are sufficient.

Strategies for Overcoming Resistance: 

• Support stakeholders by providing clear impact assessments that address both practical and emotional concerns. Tailored impact surveys or focus groups can highlight skill gaps or uncertainties. The change manager’s role is to reassure stakeholders that support is available to guide them through this ambiguous phase.
• Assess impact through surveys and interviews to identify fears and skill gaps.
• Provide tailored support and resources to address impact concerns, such as offering training or mentoring.
• Communicate that the impact of the changes is not just an individual issue but something leadership is committed to supporting.

Key Actions

• Employee Surveys: Design and distribute surveys that capture employees’ perceptions of how the change will impact their roles, processes, and the organization overall. These surveys should include both quantitative measures (ratings, scales) and qualitative feedback (open-ended responses) to gain a comprehensive view of employee sentiment regarding the anticipated changes.
• Focus Groups/Interviews: Conduct targeted focus groups or one-on-one interviews with employees, department leaders, and key stakeholders to uncover more nuanced perspectives on how the change will influence different areas. These discussions should allow for open dialogue, providing insights into concerns, perceived opportunities, and unaddressed challenges.
• Skills Gap Analysis: Assess the current skill sets of employees and compare them with the new skills required post-change. This analysis will highlight gaps that need to be addressed through training or other interventions during the address learning gaps phase, ensuring employees are prepared to meet new expectations.
• Change Impact Metrics: Develop and track specific metrics to assess the impact of the change. These could include factors such as employee confidence in adopting new processes, leadership engagement levels, and the adequacy of resources to support the change. Continuous monitoring will enable timely adjustments to implementation strategies.
• Engage Stakeholder Feedback Loops: Establish ongoing feedback channels where employees and leaders can regularly report how they are experiencing the change, including any new challenges or evolving concerns. This will provide real-time insights that can guide further interventions and support mechanisms.

Communication Opportunity

• Thank: Express gratitude for their hard work, dedication, patience.
• Acknowledge: Recognize if the work completed has been a heavy lift, noting that there may be more effort that lies ahead, reinforcing the future benefits.
• Recognize: Emphasize their direct contribution to [specific change and desired future state] Consider opportunities for more public recognition of their efforts.
• Inspire: Connect how they and their work fit into the big picture. Reinforce how they are contributing to something greater than themselves, such as NC State’s commitment to continuous improvements or excellence.
  • Pro tip: Think of the communication around the change like a marketing campaign. Build awareness and understanding and engagement. Shape the vision for the change.

Outcomes

• Insight into Potential Barriers: A comprehensive understanding of the roadblocks—whether they be skill gaps, cultural resistance, or structural challenges—that could hinder the success of the change initiative.
• Tailored Interventions for Low-Readiness Groups:  The ability to design targeted interventions for teams or departments likely to experience the greatest disruption, ensuring these areas receive the most support. This proactive approach helps prevent resistance from becoming widespread.
• Clear Understanding of Change Impact: A well-rounded view of how the change will impact operations, allowing leadership to allocate resources, implement training programs, and create communication strategies that are specifically tailored to affected areas.
• Reduced Risk of Failure: By assessing the impacts upfront and throughout the change process, risks are mitigated early, ensuring a smoother transition and a higher likelihood of successful implementation.
• Increased Stakeholder Confidence: When stakeholders see that their concerns and how they will be impacted have been thoughtfully assessed and addressed, it builds confidence in the change initiative and its leadership, helping to drive higher levels of engagement and support.

Roles and Scalability

Project Size	Key Communications	Outcomes	Change Manager Role	Change Leader Role
Small	Conduct informal assessments of change impact by using surveys or direct feedback.	Quick identification of minor impact issues.	Administer simple surveys and gather direct feedback from impacted employees to quickly assess impacts.	Support impact assessments by endorsing the process and validating its importance to sponsors and stakeholders.
Medium	Use formal surveys and interviews to evaluate impacts, including skill gaps and attitudes toward the change.	Clear insights into impacts and gaps, leading to targeted interventions.	Facilitate formal assessments, analyze results, and work with leadership to address identified impacts.	Ensure that leadership is actively involved in reviewing impacts and developing strategies to address gaps.
Large	Perform comprehensive organizational assessments, utilizing a mix of qualitative and quantitative tools to assess impacts.	Detailed organizational impact data, guiding large-scale change strategies.	Oversee large-scale impact assessments, working with HR and department leads to evaluate organizational capacity and identify major barriers to change.	Guide the organization in understanding impacts at a high level, ensuring that executive action plans are developed to address key barriers and align with strategic goals.

Training

LinkedIn Learning Path: 

• Assessing an organization’s readiness for change – the skill, the will, the hill 
• The pushback: Dealing with resistance
• Listening skills: Working through resistance 
• Introducing the support continuum 
• Stages of reactions

Tools/Resources

The Skill, Will, Hill assessment

Sample communication to assess change impacts.

Sample Change Impact survey

Sample readiness report

Checklist

• Know what needs to change
• Develop plan for how to do it
  • Know the training needs/gaps
  • Know how distinct jobs will change
  • Know the magnitude of change
  • Create a plan for addressing skills gaps