Change Management Tactics to Get Legal On Board

Change can be a frightening experience, but it doesn’t have to be. Many entrepreneurial companies and individuals seemingly thrive on change and disruption.

Look no further than some of the world’s biggest and most well-known names like AirBnB, Netflix, and Apple. Such companies blossomed and flourished simply by doing business differently than their competitors.

But as prominent as these examples are, successful change doesn’t always need to result in a groundbreaking, disruptive corporation. Successful change can occur at a team level, and all that needs to occur is a positive increase in productivity and efficiency.

By definition, change management is simply the systematic planning, execution, and controlled implementation of an organizational evolution. It can be a redefined process, an optimized workflow, the introduction of new software, or some combination of everything.

Legal’s Relationship with Change

• Digital transformations
• Technology implementation (or migration)
• Personnel changes
• Management transitions
• Evolving market conditions
• Market expansions
• Rebranding
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Product / service / software launches

Mobilizing and Galvanizing Change

Previously, we discussed how to gear up for change while establishing a sense of urgency for the upcoming transformation.

The next step is to share your vision of what the change will look like while demonstrating confidence in navigating uncertainty and apprehension. In a sense, when galvanizing change, you’re answering the who of the change.

Since people are naturally averse to change, you must be crystal clear with your message. The more honest and open you are, the more likely it is that your team will trust and buy in to your plan.

Here are some steps you can take to pitch your plan of action:
Build a case for change (include principles, proof of concept, value proposition)

• Develop a detailed communication plan
• Take ownership of the change (don’t be too “big picture”)
• Emphasize the pros
• Assemble a squad to manage the change
• Conduct a stakeholder analysis
• Establish a change management council
• Map out your goals for the change
• Create new leaders
• Ensure transparency
• Overcommunicate (don’t undercommunicate)
• Encourage others to voice their opinions
• Bolster spirits and morale if they start to flag

While each of these steps is important for mobilizing the entire organization, the most essential takeaway is the critical importance of communicating again and again and again and again. 

Thanks to the bonds of trust that will be forged by honest communication, many of the bumps in the road that can appear will be more readily smoothed out.

Making Change Happen

You’ve established the importance of the change, and you’ve mobilized your organization to implement your plan of action. Now it’s time for you to take the change and make the change happen.

This requires you to answer the how of the change while taking into account the when. You have to address matters like how to develop your change management framework while staying under budget, how to mitigate risk, and how to generate (and maintain) momentum).

Here are some steps that will help you make your change happen: 

• Start designing a strategy
• Create a timeline
• Add as many specifics as possible
• Make sure the budget exists
• Incorporate culture and values
• Determine how legal technology (such as CLM software) can support your efforts
• Calculate next-generation needs
• Assert control of your contracting processes
• Outline the steps for data migration
• Keep vendors in the loop
• Develop training programs
• Prepare for the unexpected
• Leave room for adjustments
• Keep in mind that assistance is available

It’s impossible to plan for everything that can potentially occur, but by carefully elaborating the answers to who, when, and how of your change, you’ll be better equipped to handle unexpected and unplanned situations.

Wrapping Up

Change is an inevitable stage in the life of every business, department, and team, but well-planned, thought-out change can treat pain points while guiding your organization to the next level.

However, change that throws your organization off-balance or that hinders productivity is undesired. Successful change must rest on a foundation supported by the three pillars of every organization – their people, their processes, and their technology. The end result should see people buying in, processes facilitating work, and technology driving work.

The steps we provided here and in our earlier post are just a glimpse of what is required for successful change management. For a deeper look, get our Change Management Checklist for corporate legal teams.