Change Management: The Enabling Work for Building Sustainable Data Capacity

Building data capacity and culture implies change for an organization. From implementing a digital intake form, to adopting a new app, to developing a data-guided strategy, folks within and even beyond the organization will experience the impact of change. And, the question of whether that change is positive or negative is often determined by how it is planned, presented, and rolled out. In partnering with organizations across sectors on these types of changes, we have seen in our work that implementing a technical solution tends to be the most straightforward part of the change process. The real work often lies in understanding the goals of the organization, learning how staff work, developing a data strategy aligned with mission and goals, and defining processes – this is the deep work it takes, beforehand, to develop the conditions needed to accept the change.

Change management – or having a structured approach to implementing a new initiative – isn’t limited to data initiatives, but we have experienced time and again that having a change management strategy is a critical component to building sustained data capacities. Change management addresses the various pain points that surface as a result of a change, in an organized and thoughtful way, that sets teams up for success. To support this critical aspect of data capacity building, we work with a change management consultant, Lauren Catenacci, who is a trained organizational psychologist and leadership coach with 12 years of experience supporting organizations of all sizes across the globe to evolve, adapt, and thrive.

Assessing Readiness

Much of the work Catenacci supports HDC and its partners with is assessing readiness for change. An organization may be interested in developing data capacity for a variety of reasons, but the right conditions are needed for moving forward to make sense. How does an organization determine whether to pursue a data initiative? As a data-focused organization, it is no surprise that we at HDC recommend gathering data to guide these decisions! Catenacci shares what she considers when assessing whether an organization is ready for a particular change:

• Stakeholders – Who is involved and what do they care about?

• Risks – What will the change cost and what is unknown?

• Goals – What problem or opportunity are you really trying to address?

• Timing – What are the internal and external factors that could affect the change?

• Prerequisites – Are there things that need to happen first, or already exist, for the change to be successful?

Making data-guided decisions from the onset helps avoid situations where change goes awry, with the great potential of eroding staff confidence and trust.

Start Early and Make a Plan

Having a third-party assess your organization’s needs and readiness for change can provide the framework and confidence to identify and move forward with change. “A change management consultant can offer an objective perspective about what the problem is that you’re really trying to solve,” says Catenacci. She recommends bringing in a specialist and making a plan at the assessment phase to make sure it’s the right time and the right change - this also helps with more efficient processes and increases the likelihood of a smooth transition. “When a change doesn’t go smoothly, the tools are still the same, but it becomes a cyclical process with the risks of the end goal shifting and things unraveling. It can leave the impression that things are just going to go back to the way they were,” says Catenacci.

Knowing how much effort and time a change will take before putting things into motion allows for better planning and clearer communication. Is it a transactional change that addresses a day-to-day pain point? Or, is it a transformative change to operations or services provided? For larger changes, a multi-phase approach may be necessary, which requires forethought and anticipating future scenarios. For change of any scale, having a framework for how to drive the change forward is key. Catenacci recommends doing a force field analysis to inform the change framework. She explains, “There are key drivers or reasons to change, and key resistors or blockers to change. List out key drivers and then list key resistors. Then create a tangible list of what needs to be done to address the resistors, and pull together the resources needed. You can’t just keep adding drivers without reducing or removing resistors and expect a change to go well.”

People as the Core of Change

With change and with data, people are at the core. It can be easy to get fixated on tools or even processes, but without buy-in from staff, implementing change will be very difficult, if not impossible. “There are a lot of moving pieces from a technical standpoint, but also from a people standpoint. Good change management minimizes resistance by identifying key concerns of affected people early on by addressing their issues and framing change in a way that highlights why they should care, and how they could benefit,” says Catenacci.

In many organizations, there might be an inherent resistance to change. Change comes with risk – resource allocation, adoption, and unknown unknowns may all jeopardize the success of change implementation, or even the success of the organization as a whole. In addition, some team members, both at the staff and executive level, may personally be averse to, or anxious about, change based on past experiences with a poorly managed process or failed attempts at change. Finally, there is the inertia of existing culture and processes.

To address these issues, Catenacci recommends:

• Prioritize relationships before deadlines – Meeting staff where they are and making sure they are included in the process makes change more likely to succeed, rather than imposing a deadline that will likely be met with resistance and confusion.

• Communicate effectively – Being clear upfront can alleviate anxiety, reduce misunderstanding (and the additional anxiety that can stem from it), and create alignment and perhaps even excitement for the change.

• Start small – Start with a smaller, easier, and/or lower stakes change to test drive the change process. Based on that experience, you can then replicate and/or improve the process with a bigger initiative.

In general, when it comes to building data capacity and considering the change it will come with, Catenacci encourages, “Don’t be afraid of change. It doesnʻt have to be as arduous as people think it is. You can start small and grow.”