{"id":17425,"date":"2024-06-17T13:11:58","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T13:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/?p=17425"},"modified":"2024-06-17T13:11:58","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T13:11:58","slug":"considering-impact-management-of-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/considering-impact-management-of-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the Impact of Change Management"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The impact of any kind of Organizational Development process can be complex, uncertain, and volatile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inexperienced change managers may be surprised by this. They plan their change initiatives well and implement them the best they can, only to find a series of negative consequences they never thought of. They might find that the positive impacts of the change project don\u2019t weigh up against the downsides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, experienced change management leaders know better. They understand that moving away from a status quo will always unsettle the entire organization. They know that successful organizational change depends on predicting every implication of their project. In short, they understand that they must undertake an impact analysis early in their planning process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we will talk you through the basics of impact in change projects. We\u2019ll give you a good definition of \u201cimpact\u201d and explain why it\u2019s so unpredictable. Finally, we\u2019ll share some top tips on how your project can make the best impact possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re new to change management<\/a>, the impact is a topic you must start thinking about!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Impact in Change Management?  <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a change project, the impact is the effect of the change: on the organization, its people, and its processes. Impact includes all the ways that the project will influence working practices. That could consist of workflow, the level of disruption, and the potential outcomes for the organization and its stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, leaders of organizational change management try to make the impact purely positive. However, the effect of the change is highly unpredictable. Let\u2019s dig a little deeper into the reasons why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Impact is Different from Outcomes <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImpact\u201d overlaps with concepts like outcomes, KPIs, and change management metrics. However, the impact is much bigger than any of these factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaders define KPIs at the start of a project. In general, they should be narrowly focused. They indicate the most important things you want to achieve from a project. By contrast, the impact is not just about the planned outcomes. It covers the whole experience of the change project \u2013 all the ripples that come from the planned change actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of those effects will be positive. But some of them will be negative \u2013 and it may be very hard to see them coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is Impact so Difficult to Predict? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Why<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Business organizations are complex and interdependent systems. They are operated by staff whose personal identities are bound up with their work. These are just facts of life \u2013 but they make it difficult to predict the impact of one change project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Change has a deep effect on people in an organization. Employees often have a strong feeling of personal identity in their work \u2013 at whatever level of their business. Even small changes can create a major hit on employee morale. We can call this \u201cresistance to change.\u201d But the reality is we are dealing with very human emotions. And as we all know, feelings do not always behave rationally or logically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of the organization itself, the system\u2019s complexity makes it harder to predict impact. For example, implementing a new ERP sounds easy \u2013 until you consider that every department tracks its processes using a completely different set of legacy systems. Alternatively, a cultural change is impossible when different staff groups have widely different values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the interdependence of business units makes it difficult to see how impact will work. A change in one small part of the business could have unexpected consequences in another part. If you don\u2019t understand these knock-on effects, they will come as a surprise further down the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why You Need to Understand the Impact of Change Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Why<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you fail to adapt to the impacts of change, the outcomes of your initiatives can spell big losses. That might include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n