One of the biggest lessons I have learned while implementing change programs time and time again is to measure the behaviours and the trends related to the change. Why? So you can play back to the stakeholders the adoption trends and capture the lessons for when you try to introduce a similar change again. Those measures can also unearth otherwise hidden leadership challenges or culture issues. You get to tell an evidence based story through measurement and learn in a data driven way.

I had first heard the term 'evidence based decision making' only 8 years ago. It was used in a Policy context but seemed to make so much sense when I was thinking about how I always measured my change programs. After all perhaps as a nod to my marketing days, I knew that by providing the Program sponsor with stats and facts when the change was implemented they could talk (or in some cases brag) about how well the change had gone. That would also help build up a good case for change management support in ...

The tone when people comment about the disciplines of Change and Communications 'warm and fuzzy' is certainly one where they are being judged as a necessary evil rather than a value add skillset.  Sure, at times this can be how good change makes you feel, but it is not the appropriate catch phrase to describe the function itself.

Another classic term used is that Change is part of the 'soft' skill set. If achieving outcomes is about the 'soft skills' in business then Finance and Sales should also be categorised as 'soft' as well. The only reason Change Management exists is to achieve business outcomes in a shorter timeframe through engaging the people who are impacted in owning that change. In fact depending on the type of change there may be nothing warm about it at all. 

The benefits of introducing change management and change leadership capability in an organisation are extremely tangible.

The reason you invest in change management is because it decreases the time from the inve...