Change management – consulting for your organisation

All information on the topic of change management consulting – compact on one website

Photo: flow consultants talking about Change Management

Contents

1. Introduction: Change Management and consulting
2. The difference between Change ManagementCconsulting and other forms of consulting
3. Issues, topics and challenges for which ChangeManagement Consulting makes sense
4. Methodical approach and timeline in change projects
5. Organising successful participation and dealing with resistance
6. Success and failure factors in Change Management
7. Our Change Management services

Books by flow consulting: All about change and transformation

Frank Wippermann’s book »Change Management in Complex Situations« forms the scientific basis of our consulting services. Available at ESV.

You can find the tools used in our consulting services in our book »Toolbox Leading Change: iterative change management – steering change attentively and openly«. Available at Haufe.

Why are there changes in companies?

Changes often arise from changes in the general conditions: New customer expectations, the development of new IT systems, strategic realignments or internal reorganisations. Other reasons include post-merger integration, management changes, digitalisation or growing pressure to innovate. The bottom line is this: Change is an ongoing task. Companies must strive for continuous further development, otherwise they risk losing relevance.

Photo: flow Managing Director Frank Wippermann at a change seminar

Photo: flow co-founder Werner Morfeld explains the differences

How does change consulting differ from other forms of consulting?

In an interview with Werner Morfeld, the co-founder of flow consulting gmbh explains: “Compared to strategy, process or IT consulting, change management consulting is aimed at implementing and anchoring innovations in the system. In other words, it focuses less on the technical solution to a problem. This ensures that change is understood, supported and lived. Communication, participation, leadership and culture are important building blocks here. This also applies to learning processes.”

What is special about the role of change consultants?

In our experience, change consultants must have extensive leadership and management skills. Above all, however, they must be communication experts. They often act in various roles at the interface between project management, management and the workforce. A key speciality lies in the reflexive and transparent handling of these roles. Organisational consultants use role clarity as an important tool to provide orientation as external consultants. They usually take on little technical responsibility (even if they should be able to do so in principle), but rather moderate, structure and accompany. In doing so, they have the necessary feel for dynamics in social systems and, in the best case scenario, support organisations in their development – under their own steam and at their own pace. Alexander von Bullion notes: “What must not happen under any circumstances is that the change comes to a standstill as soon as the consultants leave. Then they have done a bad job. Above all, organisations must be empowered to carry out change under their own steam.”

Photo: The consultants at flow consulting bring clear roles to change projects

What specific challenges does change management consulting support?

Change processes in companies often fail not because of a lack of technical expertise, but because of social, cultural or psychological factors. Lack of communication, lack of participation and unclear goal-orientation are among the most common stumbling blocks. This is precisely where change management comes in: it creates psychological security, clarifies roles and expectations, supports managers in their management responsibility and designs participation formats that promote acceptance and commitment.

Photo: flow consultant Alexander von Bullion explains the flow turn map®

Table: Current trends in change management.
Click to enlarge

What are the concrete benefits of change management consulting?

Organisations that use change management competently are more likely to achieve their goals successfully. Specialised consulting companies such as flow consulting provide this expertise. As a result, change projects can run more smoothly, change communication is improved, employee resistance can be recognised and integrated earlier and the organisation’s overall ability to change can be strengthened. As flow consultant Alexander von Bullion notes: ‘In our view, change management should not only contribute to short-term project goals, but should also contribute to the long-term development of our clients’ ability to learn and change.’

Methodological approach and timeline for change projects

Illustration: Choosing the right change management approach.
Click to enlarge

Which methods and models are used?

Change management draws on a variety of models. In addition to classic phase models such as Kotter’s, systemic, agile and iterative approaches are increasingly being used today – depending on the context and complexity. The important thing is: In change processes, generalised methods should generally only be used if they are adapted to the specific circumstances of the organisation – its strategy, structure and culture – as well as to the people involved – their personalities, motivations, skills and attitudes. Just because an approach was successful in one case does not necessarily mean that it will lead to organisational success in another. Change management consulting helps you choose the right change management approach and combine methods in a meaningful way. At flow consulting, we have developed an approach that can be used to analyse and manage any type of change – the flow turn map®.

How long does a change management process take?

How long a development takes usually depends heavily on the project, the initial situation and the available resources. Small, definable changes can often be realised within a few months – larger transformations take one to two years or longer.
flow Managing Director Silke Engel emphasises: “Time is a decisive success factor, especially in complex projects – not only for planning and implementation, but above all for communication, participation and learning processes. It is therefore important to plan a realistic schedule that consciously creates space for adaptation, reflection and stabilisation.” Find out more about the duration of change processes in the following video interview with Silke.

Video: flow Managing Director Silke Engel talks about leadership in times of change

How do you deal with resistance and conflicts during the change process?

‘In flow consulting’s change projects, we consider it a success when resistance is no longer interpreted as a disruption, but as an attempt to find a solution,’ explains Senior Consultant Alexander von Bullion. ‘Ever since the Nobel Prize-winning economist Daniel Kahnemann, we have known that people prefer the known present to the unknown future,’ adds flow Managing Director Frank Wippermann. “Uncertainty, scepticism or rejection are therefore the norm – not the exception. So we should be happy when people express their doubts, because they are actively helping to shape their organisation.” Serious resistance usually arises where there is a lack of direction or the impression that basic needs – such as security, belonging or autonomy – are under threat.

Explanatory video: Dealing with adversaries, sceptics, supporters and champions

Professional change management takes these reactions seriously. It creates spaces for dialogue, includes critical voices and promotes reflection. Professional consultants have the necessary sensitivity for this. However, it can also happen that advice is only called in when a conflict has already escalated. flow Managing Director Dieter Kannenberg emphasises how valuable external advice can be in such cases: “When things get really heated, change professionals sometimes have to take on the role of the “bad guys”. In conflicts, it can be smarter to “burn” an external consultant than an internal manager.”

Video: flow Managing Director Silke Engel talks about the role of managers

What role do managers play in change management?

Managers play a key role in change. They provide orientation, convey meaning and create the framework for participation. At the same time, they themselves are part of the transformation – and are often personally affected. Managers should actively support change so that change becomes effective in the organisation.
Change management consulting supports managers as equals in clarifying their role in change, reflecting on their impact and developing suitable forms of communication and management. The following applies: not all managers need to be change experts – but they all need at least a minimum of Change Competence Training.

What are the success factors of Change Management?

How can you make change projects more successful? An internal flow group has researched this question and developed the Change Engagement tool. The realisation: The success of change projects is based on six key factors. Those affected by a change should gain clarity and trust in these factors:

1. Unattractiveness of the present: What are the current problems that make change necessary? Commitment to change requires realisation of the urgent need.
2. Attractiveness of the future: People need a target image that is worth setting out for. This gives the change a direction that those involved can orientate themselves by.
3. Personal benefits: If, in the view of those affected, the negative consequences outweigh the positive ones, little commitment or even resistance is to be expected.
4. Organisational advantages: What should a change lead to? The meaning and purpose from the perspective of the overall organisation must be clear.
5. Experience with change: Negative experiences with past change processes lead to reservations. These must be credibly eliminated.
6. Achievability of the goal: If those affected do not believe from the outset that they can achieve the change goal, they will not commit themselves fully.

How is the success of change management measures measured?

The success of change management can be measured. We have summarised a selection of the most important KPIs for you in the table. In addition to classic KPIs such as implementation time, budget adherence, customer satisfaction or productivity after implementation, qualitative indicators are becoming increasingly important: e.g. employee acceptance, willingness to change in everyday life or perceived clarity of roles and communication. Soft factors such as narrative orientation – i.e. the experience of meaning and direction in change – are meaningful success factors in change management. A combined approach has therefore proven itself in practice: quantitative success indicators, supplemented by qualitative feedback formats such as surveys, pulse checks or dialogue rounds. The decisive factor here is not so much the ‘one’ key figure, but systematic monitoring throughout the entire process.

Table: Key figures for change management.
Click to enlarge

Executive-Coaching

We advise decision-makers on the design of complex change projects. Together, we find the right change management approach and develop viable concepts – from one-off measures such as workshops or participation formats to comprehensive change architectures. We not only provide support in terms of content, but are also available as a sparring partner in terms of role clarification, management and communication.

Expert advice on specific topics

When specialist expertise is required, we offer targeted consulting on topics such as digital transformation, sustainability, strategy development, HR management or cultural development. You benefit from our experience from over 30 years of consulting and research on change management and leadership development. Our consultants combine the latest findings, systemic perspectives and industry-specific expertise for you.

Workshop facilitation & process support

Change needs spaces for dialogue, clarification and joint design. We design and facilitate workshops at all levels – whether it’s a strategy meeting, team workshop, conflict discussion, project meeting or large group format. On request, we can develop a customised workshop design with you, support internal managers or take on the moderation ourselves.

In-house seminars on the topic of Change Management

Your managers play a key role in every change process. In our in-house seminars, we impart practical knowledge on all aspects of change management – from analysing organisational dynamics and managing change processes to communication, moderation and conflict resolution in the context of change. The aim is to strengthen change competence – both individually and throughout the organisation.

And this is how your change management consulting continues