“Change Management, Key to Successful Implementation”
Change Management
CHANGE. This six letter word can either create panic or elicit excitement. And both responses depend on how the change is presented, communicated and validated. Change in the church can be a difficult thing to sell. Members get comfortable, employees settle into routine and leadership often settles for the status quo. However, change is necessary for a church that is growing, thriving and making a difference in its community. The successful implementation of DiscipleSoft will demand change from many people in your church.
It is regrettably natural for humans to resist change, but when supported through times of change, people can be wonderfully adaptive and flexible. Change management is the discipline that guides how we prepare, equip and support individuals to successfully adopt change in order to drive the church’s success and outcomes. There are certain actions that you need to take to influence people as they transition towards the use of DiscipleSoft. When the change process is handled with wisdom and prudence the success of DiscipleSoft will be guaranteed. Below are suggestions of how to manage the change process.
Establish the irrefutable reasons why your church needs DiscipleSoft
It is critical that leaders in your church have a strong conviction that the decision to adopt DiscipleSoft will unquestionably benefit the church. This is the first step in establish a foundation for successful implementation. When there is total agreement among the key people as to the benefits of DiscipleSoft it will be easier to stay committed to the rigorous implementation plan we have put in place. Use the template below to help build an outline of the benefits of DiscipleSoft for the church.
Bring Key Stakeholders Onboard
There are different stakeholders involved in the successful implementation of DiscipleSoft. These stakeholders have to also appreciate the value that DiscipleSoft is bring to the church. When all the stakeholders are on the same page it’s easy for them to advocate and support successful implementation. DiscipleSoft should not be seen as a personal project of a single and few leaders. That is a recipe for disaster. One or a few leaders might have started the initiative but all key people should quickly be pulled in to support the implementation process. You can use the benefits templates created in the previous section to articulate the benefits of DiscipleSoft to the other key stakeholders. Later on, we will discuss the role of the Steering Committee, which is a collection of the key leaders tasked with the overall success of DiscipleSoft implementation.
Communicate the Necessity for Change
As you engage with the key stakeholders you also want to highlight the necessary change that is an essential part of the process. Every organisation has an administration and operational culture, a set way of doing things. The introduction of DiscipleSoft will however demand a fundamental change in the way of doing things. This change is the price your church has to pay for the benefits within DiscipleSoft implementation. By communicating upfront the necessity for change people will anticipate and prepare for it.
Monitor And Manage Resistance
Resistance is a very normal part of change management, if not dealt with amicably it can threaten the success of a project. Most resistance occurs due to a fear of the unknown. It is crucial to prepare for resistance and answer questions. Anticipating and preparing for resistance by arming leadership with tools to manage it will aid in a smooth change lifecycle. All this requires change leadership. Change leadership is all about how you lead the different people through the change. Remember leadership is all about influence and the best way of influencing people is to make sure your proximity to them is close enough. Leaders in the church don’t have to sit and relax and watch the people implement the change, rather they have to be involved in the work and be ready motivate people during the process because it is not an overnight thing.
Anticipate these 2 Potential Problems
From our experience there are 2 major problems that are common during the implementation process. Leaders should be prepared to confront these issues because the can threaten the successful implementation of DiscipleSoft.
Problem 1: The Impatient People
You should anticipate pressure from people who are impatient and want everything done hastily. These people think that it’s not necessary to follow through the recommended implementation plan. They under estimate the work involved in successful implementation. The will want to take short cuts at every opportunity.
Every effort should be made to resist the temptation to take short cuts in the implementation process. Leaders should be tactical and firm in dealing with impatient people otherwise they will derail the success of the initiative.
Problem 2: Special Treatment
This is somewhat related to the first problem. You will encounter some departments who feel like they should get preference during implementation. Our recommended implementation plan has a total of 3 sequential phases. The sequences are intentionally designed and should be implemented as recommended.
Leaders should resist pressure to veer off the recommended sequence in the implementation. There are reasons why the recommended plan is designed that way and no pressure from an individual or department should persuade changing that.
The next section will outline the 3 phases that implementation is divided into and each phase isfocused towards a crucial component of your administration. It is vital that each phase isexecuted properly and we will provide you with material that is needed toensure that the campaigns are executed effectively.