So, in this blog I thought I’d give you a comprehensive overview of how to execute effective change management in schools. I’m going to explain what it actually is, why getting it right matters, and the key principles to bear in mind while you plan your change management process.
What is change management?
Change management is a systematic approach to transformation or transition from an establishment’s status quo. Its aim is to control the change so it doesn’t result in disruption – in your case for staff and students – and ensure it has the most positive impact on a school as possible.
Change management can refer to any kind of change in an organisation whether it’s a school implementing new technology or a business changing their business model. And while a school might function quite differently from a business, the former can and should pick up on tips and tricks used by the latter.
The importance of effective change management
The better change management is done, the smoother the implementation will go, and the more beneficial the technology will be. You can learn more about the benefits of switching to a cloud MIS like Bromcom in this blog.
Poor change management can result in a number of serious consequences for a school including:
- Confusion among staff who may be unsure of how their roles have changed which could result in low morale
- Reduced productivity due to scuppered or slowed processes which can eat into time that could be spent supporting students
- Higher costs if additional solutions are required to make an MIS work should your team not be able to use it sufficiently
- Employees may have an increased resistance to new changes in the future if they have a poor experience
- Stressed, anxious, and burned-out staff who are having to spend lots of time using a system they haven’t properly gotten to grips with
4 key principles of good change management
1. Create a vision for your change management
Before you implement new technology, it’s important to consider why you want to change your MIS and what you want to achieve with it in the future. Consider your team’s ways of working now as well as their pain points with your current system, and how you’d like things to be different in the future.
Then, you can set out the steps you need to take to get to your end goal. This will also make it easy to track your progress during and after implementation (more on that later).
Make sure your vision aligns with your school’s mission and its long-term goals, too. This should help inspire and motivate your team during implementation as they’ll be working to a common goal.
Don’t forget to clearly communicate with your team why you’re changing to a new MIS to help motivate them about the switch and encourage them to embrace the new system. Make sure they’re fully aware of the problems associated with the current system and the benefits of switching.
2. Build a ‘change management network’
It is recommended that you create a ‘change management network’ for your MIS implementation – that is, assign staff members roles and responsibilities for the implementation process to encourage positive adoption of the new MIS. It will also help ensure a smooth rollout of the new system as key stakeholders will own each stage of the project.
It should ensure everyone across the company is kept well informed regarding the switching process, too, as stakeholders can share new developments with their team and answer questions about the implementation process.
3. Build a communication strategy
Throughout the implementation process, communication with your staff is critical to share updates about the new system, get your team’s feedback on how the rollout is going, see if there are any issues, and make sure the switch is going as planned. Effective communication can help you tackle uncertainty among your staff, too, which is the biggest cause of resistance to change.
There’s lots of ways to make sure everyone stays on the same page during such a significant change, whether it’s by having regular stand-up meetings with key stakeholders, sending out clear updates to all staff, or requesting their feedback and suggestions about the process and the new MIS.
4. Prepare for employee resistance
It’s understandable for school staff to assume any change will result in additional work, particularly if it’s as significant a change as replacing an MIS. To ensure everyone’s on-board with the new MIS, we recommend creating a strategy to manage any concerns about new processes, keep staff happy, and encourage a smooth adoption of the system.
It could include things like making sure people that will be impacted by the change are brought into key discussions early on to see how the new system works and what a change will mean for them. At Bromcom, for instance, we offer ‘expert sessions’ which deep dive specific parts of the MIS so different staff members can understand how they will use the system in the future.
How Bromcom supports schools, trusts, and LAs throughout the switching process
We pride ourselves on providing close support and guidance to our customers throughout onboarding and after their new system goes live. For example, once you go live, you’ll be assigned a customer success manager who will help you configure your system exactly for your needs. Customers also get access to our Support Desk which is manned by experienced educationalists who can be accessed online or by phone. You can even ask questions on our online forum, BromCommunity, which now has over 8000 Bromcom users.
Bromcom offers a range of solutions including MIS for primary schools, secondary schools, special schools, MATs, and LAs. To find out more about how Bromcom could benefit your education establishment, book a discovery call with our team.
