Looking for an Enterprise Change Management Maturity model?

You can set up a Change Management Office (or Practice as they are also called), but do you have an Enterprise Change Management Maturity roadmap worked out? You may be on the 'accidental' path that we have mentioned here. But you will certainly need one, especially if the appetite for change management is increasing in your organisation due to the results you are getting. This will now mean that you will need an Enterprise Change Management Maturity model to be able to measure your organisation against.

One of the first steps in building change maturity is to measure existing change maturity by applying a Change Management Maturity model assessment, so you have a baseline and your roadmap will then help move your organisation through the levels. Easy? Well the challenge is always in the doing. So let's explore the Enterprise Change Management Maturity model so you know what the levels are and what the indicators are.

How do you know which level you are at?

There are some characteristics of organisations and how they have applied or integrated change management which are indicators of Change Maturity. At myvirtualchangemanager we have an Enterprise Change Management Maturity model. In this model there are four levels of change maturity, noting the key characteristics of an organisation which is developing change management maturity not just in its program environment but with all relevant roles in an organisation - both leaders and project related staff.

Following are the levels and descriptors.

Whilst this is depicted as discrete levels, the path is never linear. So the way to approach the development of the roadmap is to consider the six areas of focus. Think of it as a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) of these focus areas. The stronger each of the areas, the further along the maturity pathway your organisation will be. The picture below outlines what these six areas look like when you have achieved change maturity.

So what does a change mature organisation look like?

Why put time and effort into building change maturity? 

The capabilities related to change management and change leadership are needed now more than ever. Harnessing the strategic change thinking will result in a more agile (little 'a') organisation which can respond to the unknowns faster and efficiently. The pandemic has taught us that organisations who can keep their focus and respond fast- win! Those who are unable to respond, will lose talent, profit and struggle to survive.

How long does it take to achieve Level 4 status?

For every situation the length of time that it will take will depend on the size of your organisation, where you are currently sitting, the support you have to develop change management maturity and the resourcing support or investment your leaders are looking to put into growing their own capability. One thing is for sure it is not a quick fix. Commitment (like in most things) needs to be for an extended period of time, and priority to be provided to working on developing the capability, not just outsourcing the expertise.

One thing which will be vital to the success is to have plan to develop maturity. Without it, you will achieve very little.