Introduction

System modernization presents unique challenges for state agencies, staff, and stakeholders. Some of these challenges include siloed projects, competing strategies, and overwhelmed system users, often impacting the ability to deliver needed services to members and providers. These challenges underscore the necessity of a comprehensive Organizational Change Management (OCM) approach to support successful system modernization efforts and facilitate change adoption, especially within the Health and Human Services sector.

This post highlights the importance of a tailored, full-scope OCM solution, emphasizing the integration of stakeholder management, strategic communication, and training to facilitate a successful technology modernization initiative. We’ll present common challenges in system modernization and set the stage for future posts to discuss the critical components of a comprehensive OCM solution to overcome these obstacles.

Ultimately, the better we prepare stakeholders for change, the more effectively we can deliver programs and services to agencies, their staff, the members served by large-scale HHS systems, providers involved in care, and the constituents whose dollars we steward.

Common Issues in System Modernization

The current state of technology transformation, especially in modular systems, is vulnerable to several challenges, including:

• Siloed projects with different vendor teams working independently
• Distinct, sometimes competing strategies for change, training, and communication from multiple vendors
• Multiple information avenues leading to confusion and duplicate scheduling
• Overwhelmed stakeholders
• Limited appreciation for the scope of holistic changes for system users

Addressing and mitigating the negative consequences of these challenges requires a new approach to modernization initiatives. Let’s dive in!

The Need for a New Approach to System Modernization

In today’s multi-vendor modular ecosystem, the current approach to user adoption of technology isn’t delivering the promised process efficiencies and cost savings. To maximize the benefits of modular technology, agencies must improve how they prepare individuals for the extensive changes that come with a major system transformation. We have good reason to consider the value of OCM in large system implementation.

This McKinsey article provides critical insight into how successful technology adoption hinges on strong change management practices that ensure employees are fully supported throughout the transition to new systems. Similarly, the Harvard Business Review emphasizes that projects are key drivers of innovation and change within organizations, calling for robust change management practices to navigate complexities and achieve successful outcomes.

These insights underscore the importance of preparing users and managing change effectively to realize the full potential of large technology transformations. But what exactly is OCM beyond a buzzword?

What is Organizational Change Management?

What exactly is OCM? The Association for Change Management Professionals (ACMP) defines change management as “the practice of applying a structured approach to transition an organization from a current state to a future state to achieve expected benefits.” OCM ensures smooth transitions and maximizes user adoption of new technologies by engaging multiple stakeholders, developing detailed communication plans, and tailoring training curricula to stakeholder needs and individual users’ job roles. Each of these components is a necessary feature of a comprehensive OCM solution.

The Big Ideas behind Organizational Change Management

We’ve been honored to partner with state HHS agencies across the US to support change management as the industry has shifted toward modular solutions. To tailor our OCM solution, we consider organizational readiness, comprehensive stakeholder management, communication planning, integrated training, and change analytics as essential components.

Of course, we can’t cover all the details of these components in a single post! But we think you’ll agree that these areas are often unaddressed when planning for large system implementations. Let’s introduce these topics, which will be explored in future posts.

Organizational Readiness

We begin each new project with a thorough assessment of how prepared an organization is for change in its current state. As a professional services firm, we’re expert problem solvers, and solving any problem begins with identifying the true obstacles to success. Organizational readiness means we’ve spent time understanding the client and the project. We take stock of organizational goals, culture, and key stakeholders across the organization.

OCM includes several industry-standard frameworks and models to navigate change, but these models will fall flat without experienced consultants. We use tried-and-true techniques to assess organizational readiness, but tactics are only as good as a partner with the expertise to execute them effectively. Our experienced team of practitioners seeks to truly understand each client, the project, their goals and culture, and the key stakeholders involved in the change to design a unique solution for the operational success of each modernization effort.

Comprehensive Stakeholder Management

Stakeholder Management is all about identifying the key players—those individuals, groups, or vendors that could influence or be influenced by the project, managing relationships, and facilitating cohesion and effectiveness. An OCM partner seeks to understand their expectations and how these might impact the project’s outcomes. The goal is to develop strategies to engage with these stakeholders effectively, keeping their interests and level of involvement in mind. This proactive approach ensures that stakeholders are on board with project decisions and actions throughout its lifecycle, helping to garner support and anticipate any resistance, conflicts, or competing objectives that might arise.

Communication Planning

A Communication Plan is like a roadmap for keeping everyone informed about changes. It ensures stakeholders get the right information at the right time, helping manage expectations and reduce uncertainty. Clear, timely communication keeps everyone engaged and informed.

We emphasize the importance of active feedback loops, which means we gather and analyze feedback from stakeholders and employees throughout the change process. This continuous feedback helps us keep communication clear, align stakeholder interests, and manage risks effectively. Ultimately, it leads to the successful implementation of changes.

Integrated Training with a Unified Voice

Training is an expected component of OCM, and effective training must build confidence in learners. This is where our holistic approach as a firm with decades of experience in adult learning combines with our OCM practice to serve as a comprehensive OCM partner to agencies.

As we’ve observed by delivering more than three million hours of adult learning solutions to tens of thousands of learners across the country, learning is as emotional as it is technical. Maximizing a modular system requires navigating between modules and adopting new business processes.

Multi-vendor environments often confront stakeholders with multiple avenues of information. Our approach is to cut through the noise and offer a consistent and trusted source for all training content. This approach ensures that training is cohesive, consistent, and aligned with agency and project goals. We gathered this information in our Organizational Readiness assessment!

Measuring Change

Measuring success and adoption is critical for ensuring long-term, sustainable change. Systems and stakeholders change over time, and the only way to know the effectiveness of change adoption over the long run is to establish a change management strategy.

According to Prosci, an industry gold standard in change management certifications, measuring change management effectiveness involves defining success at the project initiation stage, identifying key performance indicators (KPIs), and regularly monitoring progress. Key metrics include the speed of adoption, ultimate utilization, and proficiency in applying the change. OCM emphasizes tracking user adoption, communication effectiveness, training completion, and stakeholder engagement to ensure successful project implementation. Measuring change may begin with qualitative analysis, but a quantitative strategy for tracking change analytics is crucial over time.

By identifying change metrics and approaches early in the project initiation phase in partnership with your OCM vendor, organizations can effectively measure the success and adoption of change initiatives, ensuring that projects deliver value and achieve their intended outcomes.

Wrapping Things Up

At Briljent, we leverage over 26 years of experience in adult learning and change management to help the industry prepare system users for modular system implementation and other system modernization efforts. At our core, we are a professional services organization built on serving others. We measure our success by client success, and we believe that a comprehensive OCM solution is critical to minimize operational disruption when transforming systems. Early implementation of organizational change management significantly improves the likelihood of successful modular system implementation and technology modernization.

If you’re ready for a comprehensive approach to technology implementation, we’d love the chance to discuss your ideas. Drop us a note.