Change Management: Simple How-To Guide

Change is an inevitable part of business. It helps organizations navigate transitions smoothly, minimizing disruption while maximizing engagement and success. But it can be challenging to manage effectively.

In this guide, we'll discuss the fundamentals of change management, including essential frameworks and principles for success. Stick around for all the details. So that you can better integrate change management practices into your business strategies.

First, let’s start with a quick overview of change management. The term change management refers to a structured approach that allows business leaders to evolve their organization to a new desired state. It’s meant to help individual employees, teams, and the organization as a whole transition smoothly together.

Change management can be applied to many areas of a business, such as:

• Implementing new technology in the workplace
• Leadership or management turnover
• New adaptations to work culture
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Updates to operational processes
• Changes in staff and structure
• Changes needed to respond to a crisis (natural disasters, data leaks, system malfunctions, etc.)

Using AI-driven insights, Quantive StrategyAI helps streamline this process by continuously monitoring organizational changes and aligning them with strategic objectives. This ensures that businesses stay agile and responsive to the evolving landscape, where things like new technology, regulations, and consumer needs can all shake things up.  

Now, you’re probably wondering where to start in the change management process. The 5 R’s framework offers a practical guide to managing and approaching change, helping businesses navigate the most common challenges during a transition. Here’s how it works:

1. Review: Before implementing changes, review your organization's current state. Assess the need for change and analyze how the proposed changes will affect the company. Quantive’s AI-powered platform provides in-depth insights into your most essential KPIs (key performance indicators), allowing businesses to thoroughly assess their starting point before implementing any changes.
2. Research: Conduct in-depth research on the changes you're planning. This includes understanding industry trends, gathering data on how similar changes have been handled, and identifying potential risks.
3. Remarket: When significant change happens, it’s essential to remarket your business to both employees and customers. Internally, this means helping employees understand how the change aligns with organizational goals, while externally, it means communicating changes to clients, customers, or stakeholders.
4. Redesign: Redesign processes, roles, or systems where necessary. Change often requires altering how things are done to be more effective or aligned with new strategies. This stage involves updating systems, structures, or workflows to accommodate the new changes.
5. Relaunch: Once everything is in place, relaunch your organization’s revised processes or systems. Make sure to clearly communicate the relaunch to both internal and external audiences and set measurable goals to track progress moving forward. Quantive’s strategy execution tools help businesses track progress and ensure changes are fully integrated​.

As you complete these steps, it’s important to stay connected with employees and teams across the organization.

In our Global State of Strategy Report, we found that nearly half of organizations (49%) report that a lack of coordination across business units weakens their strategy development, with 37% indicating that decision-making concentrated only at top levels hinders effective execution​. So, ensure everyone feels involved and up-to-date on what’s going on. 

The 5 C’s framework is another helpful tool for managing organizational change. It focuses on key areas that drive successful transitions.

1. Communication: Communication is critical in change management. It's important to convey clear, consistent messages about why the change is happening, how it will affect employees, and what they can expect moving forward. You always want to ensure you’re addressing concerns and building trust along the way. 
2. Commitment: For change to succeed, leadership and management must be fully committed. When senior leaders demonstrate their commitment, employees are more likely to follow suit. Quantive StrategyAI assists leaders by providing data-driven insights that ensure they are making well-informed decisions. Plus, it helps provide good reasoning to show team members why changes are being implemented. 
3. Collaboration: Collaboration across departments and teams is essential to implement the change smoothly. Engaging employees at all levels and encouraging teamwork during the change process fosters a sense of ownership and reduces resistance.
4. Compensation: Rewarding and recognizing employees for embracing change helps reinforce positive behaviors. Compensation doesn't always have to be monetary—it can include recognition, career development opportunities, or other forms of appreciation​. 
5. Culture: A company’s culture significantly influences how change is received and implemented. Fostering a culture of adaptability and continuous improvement can make change less daunting and more accepted throughout the organization.

Our Global State of Strategy Report found that, on average, organizations achieve only 60% of their strategic objectives, indicating a significant gap in strategy execution. This potential loss can be mitigated through ongoing strategy review and adjustment. As you review and adjust, ensuring you adhere to the five C’s above will ensure everyone stays on the same page and continues buying into the process. 
 

Systemized step-by-step processes can also assist with change management. Here are five steps that can help:

1. Preparation: Preparing the organization for change involves creating awareness among employees about the need for change and what the goals are. This stage is crucial for building buy-in and reducing resistance. With Quantive StrategyAI, organizations can prepare by using AI-powered insights to anticipate potential risks and engage teams effectively​. 
2. Planning: Develop a detailed plan that outlines the strategy for implementing the change. This includes setting clear objectives, identifying key stakeholders, and creating a timeline. The plan should also include metrics for measuring success.
3. Implementation: During implementation, the planned changes are put into action. This stage requires close coordination between teams and constant communication to ensure everyone understands their role in the process. 
4. Monitoring: Regularly monitor the progress of the change to ensure it stays on track. Quantive’s real-time tracking tools allow businesses to continuously monitor key performance indicators, ensuring the change is progressing as expected. 
5. Sustainability: The final step involves ensuring that the change is sustained over time. Provide ongoing support, training, and resources to employees, and regularly evaluate the success of the change through performance metrics.

Ongoing review and monitoring are crucial because priorities will change as the business landscape evolves. In our Global State of Strategy Report, we found that high-performing organizations are 60% more likely to frequently review their strategic priorities than underperforming companies. 
 

Lastly, as you’re guiding change, there are five key principles you can put in place to ensure success.

1. Vision: Establishing a clear vision for the change helps employees understand why it's necessary and how it aligns with the organization's goals. A shared vision creates a sense of purpose and direction.
2. Engagement: Engage employees throughout the change process. Involve them in decision-making where possible and listen to their feedback. Engaged employees are more likely to embrace change rather than resist it.
3. Training: Equip employees with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the new environment. Providing relevant training helps ease the transition and ensures employees feel confident in their new roles.
4. Resources: Ensure that the necessary resources, including time, tools, and personnel, are available to support the change. Without adequate resources, even the best-laid plans are likely to fail​.
5. Feedback: Regularly collect and incorporate feedback from employees throughout the change process. Quantive’s AI-driven insights help businesses assess feedback in real time, allowing them to make necessary adjustments on the fly.

Adopting an always-on strategy can play a key role here. Organizations that excel operationally are nearly twice as likely to develop adaptable strategies (95% vs. 53%) and are more effective at learning from strategy execution for future planning (69% vs. 35%). 
 

RetailWorks, a mid-sized retail company, faces declining customer satisfaction due to slow order processing.

To address this, they started using Quantive StrategyAI to review data and metrics from their current strategic progress and identify inefficiencies that are negatively impacting the customer experience - a key performance indicator they’re trying to drive up.

Running a strategic analysis through the platform, they uncover the need for streamlined order management. After internal deliberations, they come to the conclusion that they need to implement So, they decide to implement a new customer relationship management (CRM) software.

After researching CRM options, they select a solution and use Quantive StrategyAI’s tools to anticipate change risks and align teams.

To ensure internal buy-in, they remarket the initiative, explaining how the CRM will improve customer interactions and employee workflow. The leadership redesigns workflows to integrate the CRM system, with AI-powered projections from Quantive helping them adjust as needed.

During the relaunch, RetailWorks emphasizes communication. Using Quantive’s digital collaboration features, teams across departments work together to establish and execute a plan test and refine the system - with a focus on outcomes they are trying to drive (customer experience), rather than a long list of outputs or initiatives. Plus, as employees adopt the new system, individuals and team members who help reach goals are recognized to create a culture of appreciation and involvement.

Even after the new CRM is implemented, RetailWorks continues to manage the change with targeted ongoing training and sets clear guidelines across business operations. They also continue tracking KPIs and identifying new changes in the market to continue evolving operations and ensure long-term success. 

In summary, change management is a vital aspect of organizational success. By following the 5 R’s, 5 C’s, and essential steps of change management, businesses can minimize resistance and ensure a smoother transition. The keys to successful change are clear communication, commitment from leadership, collaboration across teams, and ongoing support for employees.

To successfully apply these concepts in real-life scenarios, focus on engaging employees early, providing continuous training, and regularly evaluating the progress as the next steps of the change unfold. Ultimately, a well-structured approach to change management will help organizations not only survive but thrive in an ever-evolving business landscape.

Quantive StrategyAI is designed to make change management seamless by bringing strategy, teams, and data together. With AI-powered insights, continuous monitoring, and real-time tracking, Quantive helps organizations drive strategic decisions and execute changes faster and more efficiently.

Contact us today to learn how Quantive can help your organization stay agile and thrive through change.