Eight Steps KM Forgets When Managing Change

Getting change management right requires a delicate balance of skillful listening, empathizing, analyzing, communicating, and making adjustments on the fly. But using those skills isn’t enough. Sustainable change also requires a sound methodology and process, helping to ensure that all i’s are dotted and all t’s are crossed to reduce the risk of small fissures in your KM program that can turn into canyons over time.

Managing change skillfully can feel like juggling several balls at once. KM leaders must move seamlessly through several stages, from planning the KM change to communicating it, integrating it into workflows and expectations, troubleshooting the results and tweaking as needed, and building ownership for sustained change. At any one of these stages, there are potential pitfalls where a misstep can have negative consequences.

In this paper, we detail eight common oversights that KM leaders make in their change management efforts. Stay on top of all of them, and you’re far more likely to have a KM program that can weather the winds of change to optimally serve your organization.