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Version 1 11/3/2014

Managing Change – 7C’s of Change

1. Choosing a team

It is very important to ensure that those involved in leading, managing and implementing the change

have the required knowledge and skills to give the best chance of success. This may involve different

people at different times and/or the use of external consultants to provide particular expertise or

facilitation skills.

2. Crafting the vision and path

In any change, a clear vision of what you are trying to achieve is needed along with an understanding

of the things you have to do to get there – the ‘what’ and the ‘how’. A popular tool to use for doing

this is a ‘roadmap’ for change – which generally includes three stages: initial vision, ongoing project

management and detailed implementation. Such a roadmap helps you to consider the actions you

must take and what outcomes you are aiming for at each of the different stages.

3. Connecting organisation – wide change

It will improve the chances of success if the different aspects of the change are considered together.

This will allow you to identify the connections between these different aspects – such as changes in

ways of working, changes in any systems and processes, and changes needed in equipment and

facilities.

4. Consulting stakeholders

In any change there are likely to be a range of different stakeholders – for example those with a

stake in the outcome of the change and those affected by the change. The different stakeholders are

likely to have different views and responses to change. It is important to try to anticipate these

different views and respond appropriately.

5. Communication

The different stakeholders will also have different needs when it comes to communication, so

thinking about using existing and new channels of communication can help. At a minimum,

communication needs to be honest, consistent and up to date.

6. Coping with change

Both organisations and individuals need to cope with the change. For an organisation the challenge

is managing the change while keeping the day-to-day business running effectively. For individuals

change can be very difficult and stressful and most will go through a cycle of emotions. This cycle of

emotions has been looked at by many people and is often described as a change curve (or

rollercoaster).

7. Capturing learning

With the pace and frequency of change seen in most organisations today, it can increase the chances

of success if organisations built their capability to manage change successfully. In part this will

depend on capturing and sharing learning from previous change processes, an area in which HR

practitioners can have a big impact through the development of processes to capture and share.