The act of change is an intangible phenomenon; thus keeping track of and measuring its progress can be as equally elusive especially when you are considering the people side of change. Without a measuring stick or a framework for analysis, building a successful enterprise with change capability that demonstrates progress and maturity is a project in futility. Prosci have spent approximately two decades researching this challenging area and as a result of their efforts they have designed and refined a Change Management Maturity Model. This model breaks down the ways in which change affects the people of an organisation into 5 areas allowing insights into maturity levels and progress to be demonstrated. Prosci define five levels of change management maturity starting at ‘Absent or Ad Hoc’ for least mature and finishing at ‘Organisational Competency’ for most mature.
The five capabilities areas of Organisational Change Management Maturity:
Area 1: Leadership
This area focuses on specific leadership activities that centre around building organisational change management competencies. This area should take into consideration the level and nature of communication distributed by the key leaders. The messages shared by those in leadership positions should demonstrate a unified sponsorship of the created vision of the change management process. A mature leadership change capability area will reveal adequate funding and resources to support the implementation of the appropriate decision making processes; engagement with the people; creation of business rules and policies and procedures to enable and establish organisation wide change management.
Area 2: Application
This area allows you to determine how far and successfully the spread of change management processes and tools have been within your organisation. An organisation demonstrating mature capabilities within in this area will have a high percentage of projects applying a structured approach with a consistent use of methodology and tools. Procedures and standards will be in place throughout the organisation making the tools for the application of change management readily available for each organisational function, division and/or unit; with suitable budget and funding available for each initiative.
Area 3: Competencies
Enterprise change management is predominantly achieved by the people, this capability area looks at the level of training and development of the key groups of people that must apply the tools and principles in question. An organisation with matured capabilities will have trained change management practitioners in multiple management and supervisory levels who can demonstrate competencies. Not only this but a continual framework of continued training and educational opportunities that demonstrate effectiveness will be in place in an organisation that can exhibit maturity in this capability area.
Area 4: Standardisation
By considering how well your organisation is able to look at the mechanics and the systems that are used to institutionalise change management. Maturity in this area enables effective change management to become a fixed component of how the organisation introduces change through the creation and implementation of a standard methodology and tools; the creation of change management positions and roles within an organisation; the establishment of a competent training process; and the integration of change management into the standard project delivery process.
Area 5: Socialisation
The last capability area considers the way in which change management is viewed within the organisation and its people. An organisation mature within this area will consider change management as a competitive differentiator and a core competency with reinforcements in place to sustain the delivery of the change programme at every level of the organisation. To properly develop a maturity within this capability level the organisation as a whole should be able to understand the value of change management and exhibit an appropriate standard of buy-in for its application. This can be achieved through a shared definition of change management; the celebration of organisational successes in this area; evaluation of the effectiveness of the programme; and reinforcements for sustained change management applications.
Outlined using 16 years of Prosci’s research in change management, the capability areas segment an organisation’s maturity so that you can more easily assess the competency level of your organisation. By breaking down your programme of enterprise change into this framework you are better able to quantify and measure the progress of your change. By determining how well your organisation qualifies within each of the five capability areas of Organisational Change Management Maturity enables you to determine your overall maturity and competency level. Using this information you will be better positioned to drive improvements and therefore results in your organisational change capabilities.
Download your free copy of Prosci's Change Management Maturity Audit Guide below to assess youorganisation against these five key areas. Or why not join one of our free webinars where we discuss key research findings and their consequences for delivering change.
