As the drivers of digital business priorities and technological transformation, CIOs are familiar with the need for organizational change management to communicate value, alter behavior and improve adoption. According to Gartner research, “Disruption, large and small, is a constant in today’s organizations and requires that leaders master change as a core competency that is just as crucial as strategy and risk.”
With the constant pace of change and with AI adoption a top priority, CIOs have to focus on change management to deliver on their key priorities. We wanted to know how CIOs across Evanta communities were progressing with change management at their organizations. Here is what we learned from a survey of 300 CIOs.
Are they currently working on change management initiatives?
A whopping 82% of CIOs report that they are currently working on an initiative that requires change management, and another 10% say they will be working on one in the future.
We asked CIOs in our survey what kinds of initiatives required change management, and executives responded with answers ranging from organizational structure or operating model changes to digital transformation, and from AI integration to improving processes and efficiencies.
What is their role in change management?
CIOs in our survey appear to be very involved in change management, with 81% reporting that they provide strategic direction, and 74% saying that they communicate and engage with stakeholders. Two-thirds of CIOs also say that they lead and champion the initiatives (67%), and high percentages of IT leaders report that they manage resources (62%) and monitor the progress (61%) of change management initiatives.
What makes change management successful?
According to 40% of IT leaders, executive leadership or sponsorship has the biggest impact on change management initiatives. The next three biggest factors were communications and providing context for change (19%), employee engagement (18%) and committing resources or investments (17%) – each selected by a similar number of CIOs.
How much are their organizations investing?
Forty-six percent of CIOs say their organization has made a “moderate” investment in change management, and 30% report that the investment level is “low.” Very few executives say their organization is not investing in change management at all (4%).
How confident are they in their organization’s capabilities?
Overall, CIOs believe their organizations can achieve their change management objectives, with 68% saying they are “somewhat confident” and 18% indicating they are “very confident.” Only 14% report that they are not confident in their company’s change management capabilities.
Barriers to Change Management Success
We asked CIOs what they see as the primary challenges to change management success. Their answers ranged from communications and competing priorities to a low tolerance for risk and a lack of understanding of change management.
Here is a sample of their responses:
Adoption and comfortable with the current business processes. Not willing to accept any level of risk and trying to solve all issues before any sign off.”
Cohesiveness in communication about why the change is necessary, buy-in by middle management, and significant adoption.”
Changes are so complicated and layered together – and there is so much happening at once.”
Employee alignment; sustaining the change initiative in the face of competing priorities.”
Communication is always a struggle. Executive sponsorship that drives accountability across the organization.”
A lack of frank conversations around the need for change, where the change is needed and accountability for those changes.”
Overcoming Change Fatigue
With change occurring in an ongoing way – and no longer as a one-time event – we also asked CIOs how they approach change fatigue. Some frankly reported that they are still figuring this out. Here are some of their responses:
Very small doses and extended over a period of time.”
Taking one step at the time and celebrating successes and achievements.”
We are making change normal. There will always be change, and we need to get our organization comfortable with it.”
We listen, we pause, we phase, we attempt to educate and help people understand the WHY and the benefits.”
Share the vision and its long-term impact and how each of us can contribute towards achieving the vision.”
Pacing our communication, focusing on specific topics for the short term, while reminding people about the big vision.”
Are you a CIO navigating change management at your organization? Explore an opportunity to discuss it with your peers by joining your local Evanta community. If you are already a member, sign in to MyEvanta to find your community’s next gathering.
Based on 300 responses to Evanta’s Community Pulse Survey, November 2024.
by CIOs, for CIOs
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