Change is imperative for companies to remain efficient, competitive and scalable – especially considering the influx of new and improved risk management and driver safety solutions. But these changes can also be challenging to implement and adapt to.
When it comes to driver safety, many companies still rely on traditional, outdated processes such as Excel spreadsheets or manually pull MVRs to assess, mitigate and even price risk. Thankfully, more companies are prioritizing fleet driver safety and transitioning to modern solutions that automate processes, increase efficiencies, cut costs and of course, improve driver behavior.
These companies can face immense challenges as they work through the process of introducing and implementing changes – between learning a new system, getting genuine buy-in from employees and wondering if the change will work seamlessly with their current workflow.
Below, we discuss five fundamental steps of successful change management that companies can use to avoid these challenges as they work to implement new driver risk management solutions and technologies.
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Revolutionize Your Approach to Mitigating Driver Risk
What is Change Management?
Change management is the process of guiding organizational change to fruition – from conception to resolution.
Organizational change is the action a business takes to change or adjust a significant component of its organization. It may be related to company culture, internal processes, technology or infrastructure, corporate hierarchy and more.
5 Steps of Effective Change Management
There are 5 key steps to successful change management when implementing new solutions and technologies.
1. Prepare the Organization for Change
This step is critical when it comes to initial employee buy-in. Managers should first uncover problems the company is facing to help employees recognize the need for change. This helps establish a foundation of strong understanding and buy-in – reducing the likelihood of friction and resistance later on once the change is implemented. And by opening up a channel of communication and opportunity for two-way feedback, managers can clear up any confusion and resolve feelings of hesitation before the change is even implemented.
2. Craft a Vision and Plan for Change
There needs to be a realistic, well-thought-out plan in place so that the change is successfully implemented. This includes developing strategic goals, KPIs, project stakeholders and teams, project scope and identifying any potential roadblocks or challenges that the company may face once the plan is underway.
3. Implement the Change
In this stage, the plan is put in place, with a strong focus on avoiding and solving any foreseen roadblocks. It’s important for managers to maintain constant communication with employees in this step to offer ongoing support, training and solutions for problems that arise. Training programs for new systems are critical during and after a change has been implemented, as 69% of the most effective change programs offer training before and after the change is live. Constant communication can also help employees see past the immediate challenges to understand why this change is benefitting their own role and the business as a whole.
4. Embed Changes with Company Culture and Practices
46% of CIOs report that culture is the biggest barrier to successful change management. This step works to ensure that the change sticks and does not revert back to the status quo. By weaving this change in with company culture and practices, it’s less likely for any backsliding to occur.
5. Review Progress and Analyze Results
This final step helps managers understand if the change was successful. It can also give companies an idea of what worked or didn’t work when it comes to implementing any future company-wide changes.
Implementing Modern Solutions to Reduce Driver Risk
When mitigating driver risk, traditional practices leave a huge visibility gap of vulnerabilities across a driver population. They also slow down processes and are known to be much more costly. As new technologies are introduced to the industry, change is necessary to improve these pain points – it just requires the right approach (and solution, of course).
If you’re looking to implement change to improve your driver safety program and processes but are unsure where to start, download our free guide, “Revolutionize Your Approach to Mitigating Driver Risk.”
