Transformation

2023.02.06

The Evolution of Change Management with the Rise of Transformation Offices

By Philippe Carpentier, Ariane Choquette, Christine Denny, Stéphanie Fréchette et Maude Laliberté

Following a recent surge in related mandates, at Brio we took some time to reflect on the evolution of the role of change management professionals, particularly in the context of organizations that have set up a Transformation Office. This perspective was further enriched by discussions at an event co-organized by Brio and the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP).

A change management function aims to increase an organization’s ability to change and achieve its business results. A Transformation Office, on the other hand, is a structured mechanism that helps an organization improve its adaptability by mobilizing the resources needed to drive and lead change across the organization. Transformation Offices are therefore an extraordinary lever to increase the impact of the change management function and accelerate the transformation of the organization.

A shared belief emerged from the ACMP event: the arrival of Transformation Offices in organizations is not a threat to change management professionals, but a great opportunity for collaboration to evolve the role of advisor to become a true strategic partner within organizations.

The contribution of change management in a Transformation Office

Some opportunities for collaboration are present as soon as the Transformation Office is set up. It is therefore a question of leveraging change management expertise to help:

• Legitimize the mandate of the Transformation Office in the eyes of management and all employees ;
• Identify the most relevant profiles to build the Transformation Office team and in particular the right leader to lead this team ;
• Create meaning to engage teams within a concrete vision of transformation, by ensuring that employees understand this vision and the active role they play in it, i.e. their accountability and co-responsibility ;
• reak down silos, helping managers take a cross-functional view of all initiatives in the organization and their teams ;
• Understand what needs to change in the organization’s culture and the new behaviors that must be embodied ;

Change management and Transformation Offices: the conditions for better collaboration

Four conditions are proving to be successful for optimal collaboration:

1. Access to a Transformation Office leader, with whom change management can collaborate
2. Involvement of the change management function from the beginning, to ensure that employees understand the purpose of the transformation and the mission of the Transformation Office
3. Throughout the transformation, the change management function shares its analysis of the organization’s ability to change, to help the Transformation Office prioritize initiatives
4. Contribution of the change management team to the development of the skills of leaders and managers in line with the company’s values, to evolve the culture of the organization to better support the mission pursued by the Transformation Office

Promising actions for an effective and sustainable partnership with Transformation Offices

Concrete actions can be put in place to strengthen this collaboration. Here are a few that we consider to be the most promising.

First, transversal change management should be provided across the organization. This means, beyond offering change management support within a project, support is offered typically to N-1 and N-2 executives to give them an overview of the projects that affect their teams, and to advise them regarding organizational solutions to increase the capacity of teams to absorb change.

Within the Transformation Offices, it is also important to set up a point of contact for change management issues, that is, a dedicated resource in the Transformation Office who liaises with the internal change management team.

To ensure that meaning is created, support from the change management function should align the leaders’ discourse with the vision of the transformation. They can also ensure that the transformation is aligned with the organization’s continuous improvement initiatives and performance management approaches.

Additional actions can include the implementation of mechanisms to exchange with key groups within the organization, and the definition of key performance indicators (KPIs) to help prioritize support measures to be deployed.

In conclusion

We have seen a lot of evidence that the arrival of dedicated Transformation Offices has forced change management to evolve, pushing its advisors to review their approach, to take on new roles within organizations, to become true strategic partners. This evolution is an opportunity to provide additional support within transformations. This provides the prospect of changing the profession without changing professions: nothing is lost, much is transformed!

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