Building Change Capability

for IT Distribution Enterprise

Summary (TL;DR)

Establishing standardized change management capability in a Fortune 500 technology organization.

• Situation: A leading technology firm had numerous transformation initiatives underway but lacked an approach to managing change on any level.
• Task: Develop and implement an enterprise-wide change management framework that would create sustainable change capability baseline beyond individual projects.
• Action: Designed comprehensive change frameworks, facilitated cross-functional alignment, developed training programs, created standardized tools, and established measurement systems.
• Result: Achieved 25% higher adoption rates, 30% fewer project delays, 95% on-time project completion, and shifted change management from a project function to a core PM & Design competency.

The Challenge

When I joined a leading information technology firm as their Customer and User Experience leader, I quickly identified a critical gap in the organization’s transformation approach. Despite having numerous enterprise-wide initiatives underway, from digital transformation to product portfolio realignment, there was no standardized change management methodology or dedicated capability within the organization.

Projects were being implemented with inconsistent approaches to managing the people side of change, resulting in:

• Varying adoption rates across departments
• Siloed knowledge about change practices and initiative goals
• Reactive rather than proactive implementation efforts for many initatives
• Limited visibility into change impacts and value across the organization
• Difficulty measuring and demonstrating change success

The Opportunity

Beyond addressing immediate project needs, I recognized an opportunity to build sustainable change capability that would outlast any single initiative. This required a strategic approach to embed change management expertise throughout the organization.

The Approach

Foundation Building

I developed a comprehensive change management framework tailored to the organization’s culture and needs:

• Conducted a change maturity assessment to establish baseline capabilities
• Identified key stakeholders and change champions across global teams
• Mapped existing transformation initiatives to identify overlaps and dependencies
• Designed service frameworks for knowledge sharing and change implementation

Cross-Functional Alignment

To break down silos and create consistent change practices:

• Facilitated integration workshops between project teams, product management, and leadership
• Established common methodologies and terminology for discussing change
• Created governance structures to coordinate change activities across initiatives
• Aligned change efforts with existing program/project management processes

Capability Development

I focused on building sustainable change capability within the organization:

• Developed tiered training programs for leaders, managers, and change champions
• Created mentorship opportunities for high-potential employees interested in change management
• Facilitated knowledge-sharing sessions where teams could learn from each other’s experiences
• Established communities of practice around change management disciplines

Tool Creation and Standardization

To enable teams to implement change independently:

• Developed a comprehensive toolkit of change management templates and resources
• Created a centralized SharePoint repository for change resources
• Established reusable assessment tools for measuring change readiness and impact
• Designed communication frameworks that teams could customize for their initiatives

Measurement and Reinforcement

To demonstrate value and sustain momentum:

• Established key performance indicators for change success
• Implemented regular pulse surveys to measure adoption and engagement
• Created dashboards for leadership visibility into change progress
• Recognized and celebrated teams that successfully implemented change practices

The Results

This systematic approach to building change capability transformed how the organization approached transformation initiatives:

Quantitative Outcomes

• 25% increase in technology adoption rates across implementation projects
• 30% reduction in project delays related to change resistance
• 95% on-time completion rate for global implementations
• 40% improvement in change readiness scores among affected departments

Qualitative Outcomes

• Teams began independently applying change methodologies to smaller initiatives without requiring dedicated change resources
• Leaders proactively incorporated change considerations into their planning processes
• The organization developed a shared language and approach to managing change
• What began as project-specific support evolved into an enterprise-wide capability
• Change management became recognized as a strategic competency rather than a project add-on

Key Learnings

Through this experience, I gained valuable insights into building sustainable change capability:

1. Start where you are: Begin with immediate project needs while building toward long-term capability
2. Focus on transferable skills: Emphasize capabilities that can be applied across multiple contexts
3. Measure what matters: Establish clear metrics that demonstrate the value of change management
4. Embed, don’t impose: Integrate change practices into existing workflows rather than creating parallel processes
5. Build a community: Create opportunities for practitioners to share experiences and learn from each other