Strategic Way to Implement Virtual Change

In today's world when everything and everyone is on a virtual platform, it is important to look at the issue of change management as it relates to a virtual environment. Have you wondered why it is difficult to implement change for a client with a wide spread geographically placed team? Has it occurred to you that the challenge is intrinsic to the methodology in use for this process and also in the agent of change? Let us take some steps back and evaluate how we would implement change in a traditional setting;

1) First conduct an initial assessment
2) Analyze results and develop plan
3) Implement change
4) Evaluate implemented change
5) Post-change support and maintenance

With the aforementioned, change seems to be pretty straight forward with the vision of completeness. Now consider the same for a virtual team, it is almost impossible to do an assessment of the team on a clear cut platform to capture all aspects of the team and to draw up a concise report or data upon which to act.

It is non-mistaken that as a change agent, you would need to have some form of contact with team members to understand the kind of group dynamics that exists to ensure that efforts bring about needed results. However, when dealing with a virtual team, time should not be the deciding factor of evaluation of project success. This is because it will take time and initiative to get various team members to fully buy into the change process and also to fully engage all member participation.

In as much as we understand the distance between the parties to effect and affect change, there is a need to apply intuition and innovation in the methodology and strategy for virtual change. The question in your mind at this point is "How do I implement a virtual change process?"

One method that has always worked for me is survey. In this case the use of concise terminologies that are not ambiguous to the end party to ensure you capture their point of view regarding the change process. After which you can ask open-ended questions to which helps to build the empathy needed to fully understand the challenges of the affected parties.

Another method would be to hold a web based session using one of the internet platforms available with the key players and drivers of change in the organization. This will give everyone the opportunity to get to understand their role in the implementation process and build accountability. At this point, consistency and communication is the bridge between success and failure in implementing virtual change.

It may seem unachievable in the beginning, but the more you engage in change implementation processes the better it you master the art of working with people to effect change and attain results.