How can you effectively communicate and implement changes in your business policies and procedures?

The key thing is communication, there have been too many instances of policies and procedures being developed in echo chambers calling them best practices at the cost of practicality. Even more important is communicating these and communicating them regularly and in all possible channels so as to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the changes. Put togheter a feedback mechanism in place so that concern if any is addressed promptly. Finally monitor whether these policy/procedure changes bring in the necessary impact and if not assess why so.

If the change involves a lot of expansion, promotion, or role changes, the first thing to remember is to always do a pulse check. Assess and evaluate any BCPs in place, particularly succession planning, re-evaluate people's capabilities, and ensure we can not only implement change but also maximize the benefits that may come with it, for example; 1. Identifying internal talents, cross-functional rotations 2. Tools optimization - system wise, including your subject matter experts and train-the-trainer programs 3. Re-assess for governance and internal controls, such as available documented and approved SOPs or user guides, approved RACIs, as part of your readiness checklist. and that's just a handful - identifying risks is more.

Engaging with key stakeholders early on in the process is key to ensuring that the changes are developed with the right people and they are fully on board with the vision of the change.

The keyword here is consistency. When we mention all available communication channels, we mean townhall announcements, all-hands meetings, round table talks, infographic materials, and a single platform where anyone may submit questions, grudges, concerns, and inhibitions regarding the change. An FAQ must also be distributed, as well as an open door policy for people who are hesitant to publicly express their concerns. Assess the understanding of change by polling the audience or conducting a post-test if the communication is done through e-learning modules, and always include a survey with set questions and an open text field for recommendations or complaints.

Training and support will always be critical in the implementation of change. It should contain not only readouts or e-learning, but also a teach back method to measure their degree of comprehension and knowledge retention. Additionally, providing sandboxes, decision trees, simulations, gamification, and prototypes are choices to explore to guarantee there are practicals in testing environment to minimize/ prevent potential errors when implementing a new system or process. Toll gates must be strictly enforced, and the passing threshold must be communicated to the change management team as well as team leaders or managers for coaching. Floorwalkers should also be ready for any red flags relating to the process or technology as needed.

Test Sample a change if possible within a small group. Effective communication since the Inception becomes the key for implementation of change. Also indicate the stakeholders about the change that the responsibility of outcome of change still lies with the management who took the call for the change.