The Managed Change model

Every organization can benefit from a consistent approach to change management. This universal need has produced a variety of styles and approaches to change management, which have informed the strategies and tactics integrated in Managed Change.

Not only have we reviewed the best practices of change management, but we have also kept a keen eye on approaches or attitudes that are less effective.

Here are the common misconceptions of change management, and how Managed Change is a unique approach to drive successful change efforts.

Change management is – indeed – all about the people. But some managers see this as useless or even a burden to furthering “business goals.” Since change management is all about the people, it has been viewed as a waste of resources.

We have witnessed many managers dismiss change management because they are unable to see the connections between organizational goals and the capability of their people. They fail to see how their own leadership capability is integral to change efforts and achieving the benefits of a change.

Managed Change is a systemic approach to organization change. Within this approach, people and the processes to achieve desired results are both key aspects. Managed Change solidifies the work of leaders within change efforts and aligns employees, managers and executives with the goals of an organization.

Some deem change management as unnecessary because employees will simply do what they are told. This is both belittling to employees and fails to recognize the complexity of change that organizations experience. Worst of all, this ignores the financial burden of unsuccessful change efforts.

Managed Change clarifies the role and impact leaders have on the success of a change. This responsibility is supported with tools and processes to determine the why, what and how of a change. The execution of the change management plan rests at the feet of managers and leaders – so employees don't have to figure out everything on their own.

Change management is often viewed as the responsibility of someone other than leaders or managers, such as change management consultants. Even though change management experts can facilitate and support change efforts, the role of every leader cannot be understated. Change management requires managers and leaders to lead.

Managed Change provides the training, tools and resources for leaders to influence, inspire and motivate their employees. Our change management experts will help develop the capability of your own leaders, but it is essential for leaders to participate in and lead change efforts.

It is true that employees are more likely to support a change if they understand what is happening, why it is happening and how it impacts them. But even if employees completely understand, it is not guaranteed that they buy into the change. Change management tends to completely focus on making employees understand changes but forgets about the responsibilities of leaders and employees required for successful changes.

Managed Change includes all the aspects of traditional change management to make sure employees understand the what, why and how of a change. And it relies on the fundamental aspects of leading and managing people to reach the intended outcomes.

When an organization decides to invest time and money into making a change, their goal is to do something different than what is happening today. They may want to improve performance, quality or efficiency. Or they may want to reduce problems or risks – from number of defects to safety incidents.

Time after time, these investments can be made without realizing some – or even all – of the intended outcomes. In order to determine if the solution selected was a good decision, the organization needs to successfully implement the solution and associated changes.

Successful implementation requires the acceptance of a new way of working, behaving or thinking. Then adopting the new way as business as usual. When successful adoption occurs, results can be measured and analyzed to determine if the solution met its intended outcomes.

Frequently when organizations attempt change and fail to achieve the desired outcomes, they eventually go in search of a new solution when, in reality, leaders were simply unable to implement the previous solution. The quality of the solution can never really be evaluated because employees fail to accept or adopt it.

No matter the solution, it cannot be evaluated if people fail to accept or adopt the solution.

Managed Change focuses on the results or intended outcomes of a change. It provides a clear understanding of why a change fails (or could fail) and what is needed in order for a change to be successful.

Managed Change is adopted by leaders to help manage the overall risks associated with running their business.

Leaders improve their opportunity to gain acceptance and adoption of their investments when they utilize a common approach for leading and managing change. This allows leaders to truly understand the work they need to do instead of leaving it up to chance.

Let's break down our definition of Managed Change to see how it contributes to success.

An organized approach and methods…
Managed Change has tools and resources to carry out a change process and implement solutions.

Change management is often compared to project management. Both have standard approaches and extensive toolkits to support the required and recommended tasks. Project management focuses on planning and implementing projects and change management focuses on the work leaders need to do ensure acceptance and adoption.

As with many of the techniques associated with project management, change management techniques can be applied to any change effort to help ensure it reaches successful implementation.

The Managed Change approach is flexible and adaptable, meaning it provides a standard method suitable to a variety of changes, sectors and organizational types.

The approach and methods included in Managed Change are:

• The methodology (how Managed Change works)
• Training and education (enabling individuals to apply Managed Change)
• Tools and resources (streamlining the steps to prepare for and implement a change)
• Ongoing support (ensuring Managed Change continues to be the most trusted change management standard)

…to identify and reduce risk to adoption and acceptance of the change…
At the core of Managed Change are steps to identify and predict sources of risk. And then by accelerating the change, these potential risks are reduced or mitigated.

Every change has a degree of difficulty, so resistance to change is normal. The Managed Change process gives those who are impacted the information and choice to benefit from change.

Managed Change creates opportunities from risk.

…by the people affected.
We are not in the business of giving you a prescription and leaving. Managed Change is an approach that can be applied by anybody seeking a methodical and organized way to create opportunities from change. The strength of Managed Change is that it empowers leaders and employees.

Success is dependent on people. Change-capable individuals are the backbone of a change-capable organization, so we focus Managed Change completely on the people.

Managed Change includes a methodology, training, tools, resources and ongoing support for individuals, leaders and entire organizations.

Managed Change methodology
Managed Change includes the processes, methods, tools and analytical analysis that leaders use to understand what needs to be done to implement successful organizational change. It contributes to identifying the results they need to improve the success of their organization.

This is our five-step framework to identify and manage the risks associated with change. It is an internationally recognized standard for change management that has been used in the workplace since the 1980s.

Over the years, the change management experts and practitioners at LaMarsh Global have reviewed the most successful applications of Managed Change. Through our research, we have expanded the scope of Managed Change while making it easier to apply. We routinely review and revise Managed Change to maintain its place as the leading standard.

Training and education
LaMarsh Global has the expertise to improve leadership capability and develop expertise for change management professionals. Our training and education include a library of resources and experts available for one-on-one sessions to group workshops.

We build the capability of leaders so organizations are able to manage change. Strong and effective leadership creates change-capable individuals. Change capable individuals work to understand, accept and adopt the changes organizations require to be successful.

Our training and education options include:

• Managed Change Academy with public or on-site workshops
• Training at your organization
• One-on-one training and coaching

You can use Managed Change training to become a certified change management professional.

Tools and resources
We have a comprehensive and scalable toolkit to streamline the steps required to prepare for and implement a change. The tools help leaders identify the actions to take based on data that represents the current risks to overall success. They support and provide insights as the organization applies change management across the organization.

Managed Change uncovers the leadership behavior needed in successful change efforts along with development of the techniques, plans and materials leaders need to influence others to acceptance and adoption of change.

To apply Managed Change, we have created tools and resources for every stage of our five-step process. These include questionnaires, assessments, templates, schedules and plans to help you effectively manage a transition and mitigate risk.

The toolkit is scalable so you can select the tools that work best for your project.

Ongoing support
LaMarsh Global augments the methodology, toolkit and resources with experts who can provide leaders with the information, analysis and solutions they need to create acceptance and adoption of organizational changes. We also provide coaching and development for employees to become competent in the Managed Change methodology.

LaMarsh Global supports the broader change management community with applied research and coaching opportunities, and support anybody who is using Managed Change in their organization.

The LaMarsh Global team of experts come from a wide variety of business backgrounds but have all been involved in sponsoring or leading organizational change. We are just like you: we have learned and applied Managed Change in real-life scenarios.

You're not alone with Managed Change.

For 45 years, LaMarsh Global has been pioneering its approach to change management so more individuals and more organizations can apply the benefits of change management.

Our model is used to identify, analyze and manage the risks to acceptance and adoption of change.

Here is why Managed Change is the leading approach to change management.

Your competitive advantage
It is a competitive advantage when your leaders understand the significance of selecting the right solution at the right time. Managed Change provides leadership with the tools and approach to ensure the solutions deliver the intended outcomes.

Narrow in focus; broad in application
Every organization is different, so Managed Change is versatile and scalable. You can use Managed Change for complex changes that impact an entire organization or for small-scale projects – regardless of organizational culture, geography or industry.

Use your data
Real data is the foundation of effective change management. Managed Change outlines the types of metrics that can be reviewed and the processes for collection and evaluation. The data will enable you to better listen to your stakeholders and identify risks.

Open architecture
Managed Change integrate with your tools and approaches. Use Managed Change alongside your project management or process disciplines.

Internationally recognized
Managed Change is a standard for change management that is internationally recognized by the Association of Change Management Professionals. You can use Managed Change training and workshops to become a certified change management professional.

Managed Change is a cyclical and iterative process that is initiated and led by leaders with the goal of deliberate and sustained outcomes. The change process involves the ongoing assessment, prioritization and mitigation of risks to the acceptance and adoption of the change until all (or enough) risks have been managed.

Initiate the Change
Leaders set the direction, confirm the desired outcomes and resource the work. With the support of change practitioners, leaders review and validate the current state and align the desired state with business objectives. Leaders remain engaged and supportive throughout the iterative change process until the desired outcomes are achieved.

Identify Risk
Change practitioners work with leaders and business teams to identify and assess risks to the acceptance and adoption of the change by the people affected. Through the entire change process, risk identification and evaluation continues to ensure acceptance and adoption is achieved.

Implement the Change Plan 
Change practitioners develop an action plan with strategies and tactics designed to minimize or eliminate risks to acceptance and adoption. Change practitioners lead the implementation of the action plan with the support of leaders.

Achieve results 
As the solution is implemented, metrics are monitored to ensure the business results are achieved. Risks to the acceptance and adoption of the change continue to be identified throughout the implementation and the strategies and tactics are adjusted as necessary.

Sustain outcomes
When goals are achieved, the outcomes are sustained until leaders identify another opportunity for change. Leaders adjust the direction, resource the work and initiate the change process.

The reality is that leaders are responsible for the decisions, resources, management and behaviors needed to achieve organizational goals. Managed Change aligns leaders with a common approach for managing change and provides the tools for change practitioners to effectively support leaders.

Change the conversation
Leaders need to align employees with the desired outcomes throughout the entire change process. Not only do leaders need to understand the needs of employees, but they also need to dispel misinformation. Changing the conversation means saying the right thing at the right time and in the right way.

Influence others
The role of a leader is to influence others. That means that meaningful influence is essential for organizations to meet their objectives. An effective leader has the tools and strategies to align the behavior of employees, peers and those further up the chain of command.

Prioritize work
Every change can cause a temporary adverse impact on performance. Prioritizing work focuses employees on what is important to complete their daily tasks in addition to undertaking change efforts. Managed Change provides people managers with the data to prioritize work and eliminates the need for employees to decide for themselves what they should or shouldn't do. This will minimize the impact on performance.

Develop employees
Change is an opportunity to do something different. For employees, this often means learning new ways of working. With Managed Change, managers are aware of what development their employees require, how long it will take employees to gain their new capabilities and how to analyze training programs.

Manage people
The heart of successful organizational change is people management. A change effort without the full engagement of the people managers of those impacted by the change has a very low probability for success. Not only are people managers in the best position to know what their people need to make successful change, they also know the systemic impact of change and what is needed to achieve the desired state.

Measure outcomes
Organizational change should not happen without specific and measurable outcomes. Managed Change defines the role of every element of an organization and identifies their specific outcomes. Then it provides the framework to measure outcomes throughout the process in order to evaluate (and potentially adjust) the change effort.

Plan improvement strategies
Leaders need to create strategies for improvement to meet the objectives of their business. They need to consistently review and update the strategies being implemented according to real-time data and the status of the change efforts. Their own experiences, changing the conversation, influencing others and prioritizing work will inform current and future plans. Managed Change doesn't end when a solution is implemented – the work of leaders continues until desired results are consistently achieved.

Managed Change manages risk through an iterative process. To achieve and sustain change, risks to its acceptance and adoption are continuously identified, prioritized and mitigated. The methodology and tools make it easy to stay on top of this cycle.

Our team of change management experts and consultants have tested the model around the world in sectors including:

• Accounting
• Automotive
• Banking
• Construction
• Consumer goods
• Energy
• Finance
• Government
• Healthcare
• Information and technology
• Insurance
• Manufacturing
• Non-governmental organizations
• Pharmaceutical
• Professional services

Change management consultants at LaMarsh Global regularly review and expand Managed Change to ensure it supports the needs of contemporary organizations. We incorporate the insights and experiences from thousands of change practitioners and leaders, and we reinforce what has been successful and review what can be improved.

For leaders and change practitioners, this means access to a proven change management model and confidence that you're on the forefront of change innovation.

The model and methodology support everything from enterprise-wide transformations to more modest initiatives. Organizations of any size can use Managed Change to confidently navigate the steps required for a successful change.

Managed Change is narrow in focus: it is the global standard for driving the acceptance and adoption of the change. But considering that change is prevalent in everything from small projects to strategic ambitions, it is broad in application.

Managed Change is a complement to how you are already working. As an open architecture model, Managed Change will work within the tools and project styles you are used to – Agile, Lean, 6 Sigma and more.

The methodology is suitable for a single project, or it can be leveraged as the foundation for organizational change capability. This embeds change management into every business decision and reduces the risks associated with multiple simultaneous changes.