The art of change management
Change management needs to be central to your team’s culture to successfully embrace today’s new and tomorrow’s unknown, says Kaden Smith, director at NetDocuments.
Today’s rate of change is near constant, and change can be difficult regardless of your firm size. And, whether you have an on-premise system where updates come every several years, and IT teams spend months testing and planning for them – or a cloud-based technology with updates released frequently – it’s critical for your business to understand the foundational principles of change management and how to navigate the “people” side of change.
The challenges of change
Some law firms might not have been diligent about keeping up with technology advancements, while others have team members who are change-averse (which agrees with lawyers’ tendency to be risk-averse). Whether changes are big or small, they come with a range of potential challenges, including:
- Underutilised features and functionality
- Frustration as people navigate the new
- Lack of adoption and loss of ROI
Adaptability, leveraging technology to improve processes, and resilience are key strengths needed to thrive in today’s business world. To keep up with the pace of change and stay competitive, law firms should develop processes that help people embrace their firm’s latest technology changes, and thrive as a result.
Four steps to a successful culture of change
For those interested in diving into the world of change management, there are numerous certification courses available, including those by Prosci and the Association of Change Management Professionals. But for most of us, these four steps can help ensure your people are set up for success.
- Get buy-in. People need to understand ‘why’ a change is necessary. When it comes to new software, getting buy-in from top leadership is a key priority, followed by helping others understand the benefits they’ll experience because of the change.
- Choose a platform that makes it easy. It takes effort to identify a tool that will fit your team’s way of working and solve problems without creating new, potentially worse, ones. Start with a clear understanding of your team’s current workflows and where it needs improvement. Make sure to ask the right questions as you begin evaluating potential solutions, and don’t forget to keep one eye on the future.
- Don’t go it alone. No one wants to feel like change is being foisted on them. Identify power users and nurture champions who can help encourage and guide others. If you really want to drive adoption, make sure you have advocates across the organisation.
- Communicate early and often. Studies have shown that people need to see something at least seven times before it sinks in. Keep that in mind as you’re sharing news, tips, training, or other helpful information. I’m not saying email something seven times – use email, printouts, newsletters, intranet, or whatever mediums you have at your disposal.
Eliminate fear of change
As your firm and teams adopt the principles of change management into daily practice, people will become more aware of the technologies that can make them more productive and efficient. And your firm will benefit from realising higher ROI and more engaged, positive work environment as people feel enabled to utilise the technologies selected to help them do their best work.
