Managing change successfully (1): The importance of change management

Author: Debra Cadman

Overview

In our series of guides on managing change successfully, we describe a process that HR teams can follow to effect a change. Here, we look at why it is important to plan and manage change and what kinds of change need to be planned. This is the first in our series of guides on managing change successfully:

• In Managing change successfully (2): The business case we look how to approach the first step in a change management programme; exploring the business case behind the proposed change.
• In Managing change successfully (3): Planning the change we explore the various factors to consider when planning a change.
• In Managing change successfully (4): Embedding the change we explain how to embed a change within your organisation, by communicating with and involving stakeholders.
• In Managing change successfully (5): Evaluation we discuss how to evaluate the impact of a change.

Summary

• The most common reasons why organisations struggle to embed change relate to a lack of planning and preparation. (See Why is it important to plan and manage change?)
• There are many different types of change that HR teams need to plan and manage for the change to be a success. (See What type of change needs to be planned?)