Peer to Peer Magazine

47 WWW.ILTANET.ORG The Challenge of Change FEATURES gets more complicated. Address this up front and you won't get accused of covering up a problem later on. Celebrate success early and oen. ou don't have to wait until the end of a project to reward people. As people go through training, reward them with certificates and "goody bags" of candy, office supplies and the like, branded with the name of the new system. It's corny, but it works. Tell success stories. Stories and anecdotes are powerful communicators; find out how people have benefited from a new system, and have them tell their stories. This is particularly useful aer the newness of the first big bang of the rollout wears off; just know when to draw the line between success stories and propaganda. Building OCM into the IT Department Routine and ongoing organizational change management should be a part of your IT group's mission, not just something you do every few years when you introduce a new version of Office. Since most firms live in a perpetual state of "slush" rather than "freezing," your users will be in a near-constant state of change. How positively they view IT and how productively they use technology can be strongly influenced by good OCM. You should have three different time horizons for your OCM efforts: one for the Big-Bang-type of implementation, the major "all hands on deck" transitions; a second for introducing routine upgrades and new ancillary programs; and a third for day-to-day changes. Even if you're not changing, the environment in your firm almost certainly is changing in ways that will affect your operations. Big Bang OCM. This type requires a multipronged approach, beginning well in advance of the actual implementation. It involves communication using as many methods possible: your intranet, emails, firm social media and, most important, face-to-face meetings. Before a major rollout, you should consider at least two sets of meetings, or "roadshows." These roadshows should involve every group in the firm, including aorneys. While aendance at roadshows pitched at aorneys is not likely to be overwhelming (try food and drink as a motivator), even geing a few people is worth the effort and will help spread the word. A Model of OCM A pioneer in organizational psychology, Kurt Lewin, envisioned change as a three-step process characterized by periods of unfreezing, change and freezing. The "unfreezing" period is when it becomes apparent that change is needed. This may be brought on by system failures, license expirations, mergers, competitive pressures or the simple realization that "there's got to be a beer way." The second phase, change, is when the actual change occurs –– typically a period of confusion, resentment and denial. Even changes everyone agrees are beneficial will cause discomfort. With technology implementations, IT has had a much longer lead time to adjust to the new technology and needs to be patient while others are going through change, remembering their own reactions and anxieties when first confronted with a new technology. Finally, in the "freezing" phase people begin to get comfortable with the new system and sele into more stable and productive behavior. In today's IT environment, geing to the "freeze" phase is a challenge, because there's always a new change coming along: we're always in a state of "slush" rather than "freeze." Easing the OCM Process Pull up the ladder. Don't leave old soware on the system if you've moved to a new system. Old versions are oen justified for reasons of "client compatibility." The effect, however, is to keep a chunk of the user community from having to make the transition, thus making their eventual transition more difficult than it needs to be. Find your champions. Certain people in every group within your firm are the natural leaders and may be more open to change. Get them on board early so they can influence their peers in a positive way. One secretary trumpeting the benefits of a change is worth more than all the IT people together telling secretaries how great it's going to be. Tackle known problems head-on. If there are known issues –– and there will be –– don't skirt around them. With new systems, it's never a 100 percent improvement; some features disappear or something MAL MEAD Mal Mead has been in law firm technology management for more than 30 years. A retired CIO, he partners with Innovative Computing Systems to provide advice on management and strategic planning. This article is excerpted from the book "Getting IT Right: A Guide To Getting the Most Out of Information Technology at Your Law Firm," co-authored with Brian Ruthruff. Mal can be contacted at mmead@innovativecomp.com.

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