Hilary Lee, Centric Consulting’s national people and change lead, recently contributed her change management expertise for an InformationWeek article.
InformationWeek, a trusted news and information source for CIOS and other IT leaders seeking comprehensive coverage of technology and its impact on business, recently interviewed National People and Change Lead Hilary Lee.
The article “Getting a Handle on IT Change Management” explores a managed approach to IT change and how it can make transitions less painful. Lee stresses that IT change management can drive technology adoption forward. “By reinforcing the actual adoption of a new technology, businesses can quickly show a return on their investment,” she said. That’s the ultimate goal for any change practitioner in the tech space.”
While technology is an important part of realizing ROI, Lee suggests just that – it’s only part of what drives success. More critical is helping people understand and use technology and supporting them through technology transformation. Communication, training and coaching all play a part in successful change management.
She also highlights how a change readiness and impact assessment will be the first steps in seeing potential issues that could derail a project. Planning and engagement are critical and will vary based on organizational culture.
“One of the reasons change practitioners love their job is that it’s never the same challenge from project to project,” she said in the article. “While there are certainly best practices, you will not be successful if you apply a cookie-cutter approach to technology adoption.”
Lee said that although humans handle change differently, change management is a way to support people through that change. One of the many benefits, she said, is seeing people build new skills and flourish.
“Seeing that spark when someone builds a new skill and feels a sense of accomplishment is what keeps us doing what we do as change practitioners,” she concluded.