Some of our more popular articles are those that have been seemingly helping clarify thinking about industry terminology, misconceptions and differences in approach. I believe the change management community values this because as leaders or managers of change, we're often called to navigate complexity on other people's terms. While dealing with organisational dynamics, team growth, human behaviour and diverse stakeholder perspectives, we're learning the interpretation of change in each new organisation or project. Staying flexible in approach and meeting the change where it's coming from calls for understanding that there can be vast differences in terms, understanding and usage.
In this week's Saturday Catch-up we bring you another five from the archive that aim to set the record straight.
This week we published 8 Common Misconceptions About Change Management in which we offered a slightly tongue-in-cheek discussion about those regular tropes we encounter in the market. Change management is a crucial process for organisations navigating transitions, but it’s often misunderstood. For those change leaders and practitioners who have been in the industry for some time, feel free to play along at home and shout "bingo" when you've collected the whole set of 8!
Published April 26, 2024 was What's the difference between transformation and change management? Are the initiatives we work on are changes or transformations? And what's the difference, anyway, between change management and business transformation? Get ready to nail your next interview question on this topic, as we have a look at the distinctions between change management and business transformation. While the terms are clearly related, they carry different implications for organisations. Understanding these nuances is crucial for successful organisational evolution; and for the project, program, change, transformation industry as a whole.
In response to recent industry discussions about managing communications with burgeoning technology options, we offered The technology dilemma in change communications on 21 April 2024. Given the proliferation of digital channels, and the reduced potential for in-person engagement, how do people follow your change communications? Which channels do you choose, how do you know you've achieved your reach, how do you decipher the online world to determine whether you actually communicated to your key audience? What time of the day should you post to your channels to reach the majority of people? What do you say to people who tell you 'this hasn't been communicated'?
We dealt with another common dilemma in Getting along and getting ahead in change: the Neutrality vs. Advocacy Dilemma on 15 April 2024. In organisational change management, two contrasting approaches often emerge: the common consulting strategy of maintaining neutrality and the proactive stance of advocating for desired behaviours. While both methods aim to facilitate transitions within a company, they differ significantly in their execution and outcomes. Let's have a look at the pros and cons of each approach to better understand their implications for managing people's reactions to change.
Finally, a post from 3 March 2024 in which we look at exactly what we mean by managed change. In Understanding Organisational Change Management: Planned Change we discuss how planned change is a proactive approach to changes that are intentionally initiated, designed, and implemented to achieve specific goals or objectives. Unlike reactive change, which is often driven by external forces or crises, planned change is strategic and deliberate, allowing organisations to anticipate and prepare for potential challenges and opportunities.
That clears it up for this Saturday Catch-Up: Setting the record Straight
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Please enjoy your Saturday catch-up.