The Four Cs to Consider When Selecting an Organizational Change Management Partner

Here at The Judge Group, we know that organizational change management (OCM), while a catalyst for growth and opportunity, can be disruptive and complex to manage for every person, process, and piece of technology involved. We have worked extensively with clients managing these issues and have published plenty of thought leadership on the topic, including:  

• The Keys to Successful Organizational Change: Understanding the Cost of OCM 
• Strategies to Help Unlock Organizational Change Management Budget Constraints 
• 3 Common Challenges Change Management Professionals Face With Executive Sponsors (and How to Overcome Them) 
• Organizational Change Management in 2023 and Beyond: Types of Change and How to Manage Them 

At Judge, we embrace a “methodology flexible” approach, meaning that no matter what you believe about OCM, such as how many types there are, we will adapt to fit the needs of our clients.  

As Vice President of the OCM Center of Excellence at Judge, I’ve come to realize that change comes in many shapes and sizes, but all OCM initiatives revolve around the same key areas: people, processes, and technology. Once you understand how these puzzle pieces fit together in the context of large-scale change, you can begin to get to the bottom of what I call the “Four Cs.” 

The Four Cs: Why Organizations Seek Out External OCM Experts 

Anyone who’s spent 10 minutes Googling OCM will surely come across countless “Cs,” from collaboration and community to cooperation and contribution. But when I talk about the “Four Cs of change management,” I’m talking about the why, not the how — specifically why an organization should work with an adept and experienced change management partner to ensure their efforts succeed. 

One way to wrap your mind around the concept is to pose the Four Cs as questions to assess your organizational needs, and ultimately, arrive at the right solution: 

• Do you have the capability in-house?  
• Do you have the capacity to cover all your change management initiatives with a solid team of experienced change management professionals?  
• What is the cost of the full picture of your change management?   
• How complex is your change management plan?  

The Judge Approach  

The Judge Group has developed and implemented change management programs for companies across many industries using field-tested strategies and custom solutions. From top-tier talent to advanced technology solutions and transformative training programs, we equip organizations to achieve their goals — whatever they may be. Here are how the Four Cs have come to life for Judge.  

Capability 

A systems development company came to Judge saying they were thinking of developing an OCM function to service their needs, but they did not have the capability to accomplish this work in-house. The Judge team helped structure how OCM is addressed in the organization and set up the centralized function, governance structures, and tool kits necessary to tackle OCM effectively. 

We had someone who could not only do that change management work for them but was seasoned enough to bring them tried-and-true templates that helped them get the capability they needed immediately. By providing tools they could reuse, we set them up for future success. 

Capacity 

Imagine a sprawling energy enterprise, where numerous operating companies act as distinct entities, each with their own unique structure and approach. To bring the company under one, cohesive umbrella, they needed an enterprise-wide strategy to revamp their operations. While they possessed capable team members who were familiar with OCM, their hands were tied due to their limited capacity to handle such a sprawling project.  

Over the course of their partnership, Judge shepherded these in-house OCM practitioners during the change management journey, empowering them to direct and orchestrate the enterprise-wide effort, streamline operations, and overhaul the company’s approach to transformation.  

Cost  

Taking cost into account is essential to establish the financial viability and sustainability of any given change initiative. Even organizations with a dedicated OCM team need to analyze cost closely — sure, you’ve got the expertise, but is employing an entire leadership and managerial team the most cost-effective way to tackle OCM?  

If a change effort is only slated to last six months, you simply do not need a full-time equivalent employee. That’s where an OCM partner becomes critical: They can provide resources on short notice and for short-term projects, allowing you to access the right talent at the right price point. 

Complexity  

For companies that have six or seven transformation efforts, it takes a village to accomplish that work. No one person can handle all the different variables within change initiatives across multiple projects. For some of Judge’s larger clients, where there are a dozen or more Judge experts working on a variety of OCM initiatives, we can scale our resources to tackle several initiatives at once. This gives organizations the flexibility they need to keep their change efforts on track. 

No matter your issue, whether capability, capacity, cost or complexity, The Judge Group can help navigate your organizational change needs. Learn more about our organizational change management capabilities, and reach out to our team to discuss possible solutions.