When undertaking a significant digital transformation, change management is all about bringing people along the journey to improve adoption, boost staff satisfaction and ensure long term IT success. Previously, we discussed the unifying features of NFPs and their relationship with their IT.
In this second article on digital transformation for NFPs, we look at how leveraging the expertise of an industry focused managed service provider like Techware can help your staff buy into your transformation journey and become champions of your organisation's digital goals.
Change management’s place within digital transformation
For some organisations, their digital transformation might require huge changes to technology, processes, systems and security. For other projects, a slight adjustment is all that’s needed.
No matter how simple or complex the transformation, all new technology needs to do one thing – make work easier for those using it. But change is not always synonymous with ease, which is where doubt or resistance can creep in from users. Therefore, we need to look at how we bring all stakeholders on the journey in a way that streamlines rather than hinders the implementation process. This is where change management comes in.
Relationships and change management
For organisations who have a lot on their plates caring for people in the community, taking the time to understand every bit of their digital transformation is simply not possible.
Working with the right managed service provider solves that problem.
With an industry-focused MSP like Techware, organisations have access to a partner who provides the right information to the right people at the right time, helping all staff to understand when something will be changed and why it’s changing.
This tailored change management approach includes:
• Clear briefings on outcomes of any potential changes made
• All changes must be approved by organisation
• Full accountability for all changes that are made
• Ongoing technical support throughout the entire digital transformation
• On-site support if required
• Customer owns the process to achieve their exact IT goals
Common change management issues
At Techware, we’ve come across many different issues during the change management process. Some are a small bump on the way to later success, while some can completely change the direction of a project.
Here are some of the most common challenges faced by organisations during their digital transformation journey:
• Decision makers who were unaware of the need for change
• Rolling back changes due to poor timing
• Confusing internal communications
• Absent stakeholders
• Changes don’t go according to plan
• No understanding of potential consequences from changes implemented
• Lack of contingency plan
Challenges unique to NFPs
While the above challenges can be found in most business IT systems, many low maturity NFPs with tight budgets face their own specific issues.
This includes:
• Having little to no set standards
• Using multiple versions of hardware, software and licensing
• Staff downloading their own programs
• Having no unified systems across devices
By not maintaining a standard environment, systems become messy for staff to operate in. As this tech becomes more difficult to use, organisations may think they’ve purchased the wrong product, staff may lose faith in the technology, and decision makers might mistakenly perceive a drop off in productivity as staff incompetence.
Fortunately for our clients, it’s possible to avoid these outcomes and get everybody on the same page.
Buying into change
It can be tricky getting everybody on board for a large-scale digital transformation. Most people understand ‘why’, but it’s the ‘how’ that often stumps everyday users.
Getting used to new digital workflows is difficult and necessitates a collaborative approach supported by the appropriate resources and technologies. In-person workshops, ongoing support and dialogue, and strong advocacy from champion users are all essential in successfully helping your people buy into change.
What does this look like?
For our project with Inspiro healthcare, moving away from legacy tech and on-premises storage was no small project. It required detailed talks at the executive level, discussions and workshops with staff, and continued support once the changes were implemented (including a detailed roadmap and future multi-week workshops).
And although it was a lot to take in, these changes have been widely adopted and helped establish improved efficiency organisation-wide. After collaborating through team sessions and with ongoing in-person and remote support, the new systems have been fully embraced by the Inspiro staff.
This tight knit collaboration ensures both existing and new staff understand the long lasting positive impact these changes will have on their IT environment. And ultimately, without this support or understanding, organisations like Inspiro face avoidable outages, inefficient systems and lower staff morale, continuing a cycle of dysfunction and frustration, and resistance to change. Read the full case study here.
Make a change today
After years of working alongside countless NFP organisations, we’ve come to understand the industry better than anyone. Through technical expertise, open and honest collaboration, and tailored support, we’ll help you make the changes you need to better serve your community.
If you’d like to kick start your digital transformation, book in for one of our complimentary 30 min discovery calls and learn how Techware can help your business make a change today.