Technology and innovation have become great contributors to organisational success and survival in today’s highly competitive global market. Not only are organisations looking to do things more efficiently and more accurately with information for decision making at their fingertips, but they also seek to set themselves apart from their competitors through innovation and becoming market leaders. Many organisations are at one stage or another implementing a solution from which, and rightfully so, they hope to realise a return on their investment from utilising technology in change.

Much effort is often put into selecting the right technology solution for the organisation. Yet what many organisations still fail to understand, is that there are foundational elements/enablers that have a great impact not only on the realisation of ROI from the implementation, but also on the realisation of sustained ROI and value. What’s the point of having a nice car, with world class functionalities if it never leaves the garage after it is finally delivered? Or even if it perhaps does leaves the garage, but it is only used to go buy bread around the corner?

Organisational and people readiness, which is a key enabler for successful implementation of technology in change is often overlooked when strategies and visions are crafted in boardrooms. This refers to people, the environment and organisational culture in which they work. Evidence of this comes from how on many occasions:

• Change Management is only considered when things are already falling apart and therefore brought in too late on projects.
• Change Management is often allocated a minimum budget, which at times has to be “scrambled” from somewhere else indicating that it was never part of the original plan.
• Change Management is often given lower priority to other project work streams.
• Change Management’s objective is described as “making the people happy and excited about the system”.

People consideration in a technology change is often limited to training end users on how to use the system, and this training is also often a tick in the box rather than being designed for maximum effectiveness for end user empowerment. What most organisations fail to understand is that Change Management is a methodical behavioural science; and no matter how much we try as Change Managers to be a “band aid” for a successful go-live, there are core people related considerations that have to be made regarding the environment in which a technology solution is being implemented, and the impact of those considerations on ROI.

These are elements that often pose a challenge to Change Management, looking to add real and sustainable value to their client. The implementation of innovative technology solutions in environments where the people landscape has been given minimal consideration, if any, with the expectation that the solution will yield sustainable ROI, is often a setup for disappointment for many organisational leaders. A system can go live, but people play a key role in keeping it live and that is what will lead to meaningful ROI.

There are significant misunderstandings regarding the process of change and the value of effectively managing change. Perhaps this is as a result of the fact that this value is rarely translated into figures contributing to the bottom line. Perhaps as change managers we have accepted the devaluing of our craft for too long. Perhaps we are not selling change management as the key contributor to the bottom line that it is. Perhaps we need to stop accepting the selling of our craft as “the pink and fluffy”, as it is often called. Whichever one of the above it may be, the onus is on Change Management professionals to change this “band aid” phenomenon and find ways to enable CFOs, CEOs and project managers to see the facts and figures.