Organizational alignment is a key factor in the success of any business. A study conducted by LSA Global revealed that highly aligned companies increase their revenues 58% faster, are 72% more profitable and surpass non-aligned companies in terms of employee engagement, customer satisfaction and retention, and leadership. When objectives and responsibilities are clear, employees are 2.8 times more likely to be highly engaged. However, only 40% of employees in organizations know what their company's objectives are.
How can you align and execute your objectives if more than half of your organization doesn't know why they're working?Achieving organizational alignment requires a comprehensive change management plan. This plan is an essential first step in ensuring that your strategy clearly aligns with your unique objectives and needs. It facilitates a smooth transition and ensures that your employees are guided through the change process. The importance of alignment is that it makes it possible to present much stronger arguments in favor of change from the start.
Business and IT alignment leads to more effective performance and use of technology, while misalignment tends to lead to inefficient use of funds, time and non-achievement of objectives. Change management is the systematic approach and application of knowledge, tools and resources to deal with change. It involves defining and adopting corporate strategies, structures, procedures and technologies to manage changes in external conditions and the business environment. Effective change management goes beyond project management and the technical tasks undertaken to implement organizational changes and involves leading important changes within an organization from the perspective of people. The main objective of change management is to successfully implement new processes, products and business strategies while minimizing negative outcomes. Creating a unified understanding among executives is crucial to successful change management.
Executive alignment brings departmental leaders together to develop mutual understanding and allows them to pursue objectives together as a single organization. The core team can be comprised of department heads or high-level management figures who can identify potential catalysts for change. The change manager will receive significant support from the sponsor and the prime minister, but it is critical that a potential customer for the change be identified. John Kotter, professor at Harvard Business School, developed a well-known and widely adopted approach to managing organizational change. In addition to managing the human side of organizational change initiatives, human resources professionals must keep leaders informed about applicable labor laws and the possible legal implications of various types of change. But what types of skills or traits should institutions consider when trying to identify who can play the role of change manager? Change leaders must be active and visible in sponsoring change, not only at the beginning but also throughout the process.
They must be able to think analytically and carry out evaluations to determine the potential impact of the change in question. Basing your change process on real data and employee feedback ensures that workers feel safe and motivated to adopt the changes. The harsh reality is that approximately 70 percent of change initiatives fail due to negative employee attitudes and unproductive management behavior. Using the services of a professional change management consultant could ensure that you are among the 30 percent winning. But don't overlook the power of describing the many ways in which implementation can go wrong if a change management program is dispensed with. Organizational alignment is essential for success in any business venture.
Change management is an important tool for achieving this goal by facilitating a smooth transition while minimizing negative outcomes. To ensure successful implementation, organizations should identify potential catalysts for change, consider applicable labor laws, identify suitable candidates for the role of change manager, provide real data for evaluation purposes, and use professional consultants when necessary.
