Key Takeaways:
- Incorporating change management into a project from the start ensures smoother implementation and higher adoption levels.
- Though unanimous agreement is rare, gaining consensus from stakeholders is critical to generating successful change.
- Understanding an organization's motivators can help you tailor your approach to change management, whether through incentives or compliance.
As the technology landscape rapidly evolves, the role of the chief information officer (CIO) is also undergoing significant change. Competitors are increasingly leveraging AI and automation to gain a competitive edge, while engineering teams are facing mounting pressure to achieve more with fewer resources. Cybersecurity threats are becoming more sophisticated, placing organizational data at greater risk, all while technology regulations grow in complexity. In response, CIOs are challenged with not only keeping their IT departments agile and secure, but to stay ahead of these shifts while ensuring the impacted user groups are top of mind.
Gone are the days when a CIO was solely responsible for an organization’s IT operations and services. Today, CIOs are pivotal C-suite figures. As CIOs become more involved in business strategy, implementing a successful IT change management program will play a bigger role in an organization’s ability to innovate and successfully achieve their digital transformation goals. Here’s what CIOs need to know about the benefits of incorporating change management into their overall approach.
Benefits of IT Change Management
IT change management is a systematic approach to adopting technologies or tech-related processes while minimizing service disruptions. According to the 2024 State of the CIO report, an annual survey that provides insights into the role of the CIO in business, 88% of IT leaders said they are actively leading digital transformation efforts for their organizations. Nearly 80% of respondents said CIOs are gaining greater influence with CEOs and boards as their role increasingly centers on driving digital innovation.
Taking a collaborative approach that encompasses stakeholder engagement, reporting, communication, training and even gamification ensures everyone within the organization feels supported and aligned with the business strategy behind the decision. Change management can often be overlooked or undervalued during digital transformation projects, leading to failure. This underscores the need to incorporate IT change management strategies during the planning stage of a new or revised process that can generate the following results:
Increased Adoption and Awareness
Ensuring that all stakeholders are informed and aligned during the planning phase creates a greater understanding of the changes being implemented from the top down, allowing CIOs and other leaders to proactively address concerns. This establishes a smooth path to digital transformation.
Enhanced Efficiency and Productivity
Implementing IT change management strategies minimizes redundancies and improves resource allocation across the organization, establishing more efficient workflows. This not only boosts productivity but also reduces the likelihood of operational disruptions, ensuring smoother day-to-day operations.
Improved Decision-Making
Structured change management leads to better decision-making by providing a clear framework to evaluate the impact of IT changes. This approach helps organizations anticipate potential challenges, align changes with strategic goals and make decisions that drive long-term success
How Collaboration Impacts IT Change Management
Change management programs do, of course, face obstacles. A common challenge is when too many stakeholders are involved in decision-making without clearly defined roles or responsibilities. This can lead to prolonged discussions and delays to the start of necessary changes.
If not addressed early in the process, these obstacles can result in internal resistance, especially when employees fear the unknown, lack understanding or are concerned about job security. The CIO plays a pivotal role in setting these boundaries, ensuring clarity and collaboration from the outset throughout the organization in the following areas:
Align Business and Technology Functions
To avoid internal conflict and create collaboration among departments, it’s crucial to align business and technology functions. The CIO can lead this effort by clearly defining the end goals to all stakeholders and anyone else impacted by the changes. This approach results in a unified vision and commitment to the change process from the outset.
Inclusive Stakeholder Involvement
While it’s important not to involve too many stakeholders, ensuring that at least one or two representatives from each user group are involved from ideation through execution helps avoid leaving out a potentially affected group and strengthens overall buy-in.
Establish Communication and Feedback Channels
Once the objective is agreed upon, CIOs should remain involved in the preparation of proper training, communication strategies, awareness campaigns and clearly defined key performance indicators to solidify the process. Another critical element: Establishing a robust feedback mechanism for gathering user insights, identifying issues and making necessary adjustments throughout the change process.
Without a feedback loop, addressing emerging problems and getting the most out of change initiatives will be challenging. The CIO must emphasize the value of these initiatives from the start, since no amount of leadership instruction or influence will generate results if the users do not see the value in them.
At BUILT, our team of experts are dedicated to helping organizations navigate the complexities of IT change management. If you’re looking to enhance your digital transformation efforts or have questions about our innovative solutions, contact us today: www.builtglobal.com/contact.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What is IT change management?
A: IT change management is a systemic approach to adopting new technologies or processes. This often involves a structured approach that includes stakeholder engagement, communication, training and feedback, ensuring minimal disruptions and smooth transitions during digital transformation efforts.
Q: What is the role of the CIO in IT change management?
A: The CIO ensures alignment between business and technology functions, leads stakeholder involvement, and oversees communication and feedback channels. They also play a critical role in setting boundaries, driving collaboration and ensuring the successful execution of IT change initiatives.
Q: What are the benefits of IT change management?
A: IT change management improves adoption and awareness, enhances efficiency and productivity and leads to better decision-making by aligning important organizational changes with strategic goals while minimizing operational disruptions.
About the Author, Kim Strumwasser, Partner at BUILT and Head of Client Strategy & Advisory: Kim joined Vaco after spending 15+ years of professional services experience in Big 4 where she spent her time transforming large organizations focusing on areas such as people, process, technology, and data. Most recently, as a Managing Director at PwC, Kim drove the digital transformation PwC’s workforce through automation and process redesign and then led the transformation of clients across the retail, technology, manufacturing, PE, transportation, oil & gas, and energy industries.
