Change management is an approach to business in which one creates a structured framework to facilitate changes to internal organizational processes. In the business world, where continual evolution and reinvention are necessities, change management has long been a key ingredient to success. It has been repeatedly linked to improved morale, increased ROI, and elevated success rates for change initiatives in general. However, the effects of change management don’t end there.
Aside from these primary benefits, adequately implemented change management can also have a significant impact on employee development. This is especially true when a company’s change management system is powered by tech, and more and more companies are beginning to wake up to this fact. So, let’s explore how tech-driven change management boosts employee development.
Creating avenues for development
Recent research indicates that, on average, modern sales professionals spend a little more than a third of their time selling when they are at work. The rest of their working time is dedicated to various administrative tasks. This naturally raises an important question: could that time be better spent? The answer, of course, is a resounding yes. Rather than spending their time dealing with red-tape, sales reps ought to be honing the skills that make them such valuable assets.
A significant factor behind this time’s inefficiency is the traditional quote-creation process. This process requires sales reps to painstakingly collate product information in order to configure and price items for customers. However, with CPQ technology, for instance, it’s possible to remove a large part of this administrative burden from employees’ shoulders through automation. Not only does this benefit the organization in the immediate sense by shortening sales cycles and increasing revenue, but it also gives sales teams the ability to focus on relationship building and the development of key skills.
Employee development is something that must be fostered. It requires time and space to occur and cannot happen when skilled employees are continually required to complete time-consuming admin tasks. By allowing employees the freedom to engage in the most meaningful aspects of their job, CPQ software helps them to become more engaged and opens up considerable avenues for professional development.
Stimulating a desire for learning
These days, employers want their staff members to be proficient in the use of all kinds of different kinds of software. However, the software employees are required to use can change regularly, and there exists a tipping point at which this kind of disruption can be detrimental to employees’ development. Asking staff to refocus their efforts in this way continually can undermine any sense of continuity they may have in their role, which can negatively impact them. If employees constantly struggle to get to grips with new software, they may feel that their progression has lost momentum, which can be demotivating. This is where digital adoption platforms come in.
Digital adoption platforms expedite the learning process, enabling employees to quickly get to grips with new technologies so that they can employ them in the most effectively possible. By providing a user-friendly platform and critical resources for employees to learn from, digital adoption platforms help to make these kinds of changes faster and more impactful. This benefits the organization by improving productivity, but importantly it also benefits individuals. By empowering employees to quickly get up to speed with new software, digital adoption platforms both stimulate their desire for further professional development and allow them more time to pursue it.
Establishing a framework for the future
Efficient communication is arguably the single most important aspect of effective change management. After all, for a change initiative to be successful, there must be clear, open channels through which an organization’s members can interact and raise concerns. Technology can provide these channels through a variety of communications, collaboration, and management platforms, enabling businesses to achieve organizational alignment when they need it most. However, establishing a communications framework for change management can also boost employee development.
With clear channels of communication established, employees have a way of expressing their concerns, often anonymously, enabling them to quickly get the help they need to overcome any obstacles that may hinder their development. In addition, many management platforms designed to power change management include onboarding tools and resources for further development. This means that by establishing a unified system for change management, a business can create a framework that brings value to individuals long after a change initiative has been successfully undertaken at the organizational level.
Final thoughts
With as much as 70 percent of transformations failing, it’s clear that a well-thought-out change management approach is critical to the growth of any modern business. However, it can also be pivotal to the progression of individual staff members when powered by technology. By establishing a tech-driven change management framework, it is eminently possible to create an environment that facilitates and encourages continuous employee development.
