1.3 - Change Management

Change Management

For many frontline teams, access to technology in the workplace is a new concept. That is why implementing Beekeeper is more than just implementing software and it really is a change management project. It requires a digital and cultural transformation for your company so that all employees really adopt the use of the platform and continue to drive value from it. 

There are several methodologies available that support change management. At Beekeeper, we appreciate the ADKAR model for its simplicity and effectiveness in guiding your implementation and rollout. ADKAR stands for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement, offering a clear framework for managing change. To support your success, we've created resources and templates tailored to the ADKAR methodology. You can access these valuable tools here.

Furthermore, we have also developed a 10 steps change management model (inspired by John Kotter) to help you address the change management required to see success in this project:

1. Understanding the urgency for change

First, it is important to understand the challenges of the company, departments, teams and individuals and that the business can no longer wait to implement solutions for these challenges. It must become clear to the employees that change is needed and that it will bring benefits for them.

2. Determine core project team and identify other stakeholders at all levels

Change management is not a "one person show". In order to successfully drive change forward, various key stakeholders from different areas of the business are needed to support the project and help identify solutions. In addition to the Beekeeper project lead, a broad-based core project team is needed. Members of this project team should include managers who give the project strategic weight in their area and will use the app for their daily management communication. In addition, we recommend representatives from operations who can provide input to the project team on the types of efficiency solutions that can be brought into Beekeeper. Other champions may be those “hand-raisers” that will exemplify active use of the platform, making content that is relevant, interesting, and motivating to your frontline teams. It is critical to identify these people early on and to learn about their concerns and identify solutions to address them.

3. Develop vision, strategy, positioning, goals, content- and use cases plan

The input from representatives from different areas will help you to sharpen the vision, strategy and concept for the content and operational usage within the platform. It is important that you are clear about how the app should look and be used in your company. We call this identifying “the Why” for Beekeeper. The Why should be defined at not only the company level, but also at the location, department, team and individual level.

4. Build the hive (set up platform)

Only when you know what you want to do with the app, can you define what structurally needs to be in place in the background to support your plan. This will include communication channels, target groups, permissions, etc. so that you can communicate and develop the processes that you want. Accordingly, your platform structure should be based on the content and operational use cases concept. Once this is in place, you define your platform structure and start building it in the background (e.g. streams, groups, permissions, etc.).

5. Communicating the vision of change (app announcement)

Announcing the app is an important step in project communication. Employees need to understand what is coming and why it is coming. What added value will Beekeeper bring to the company? And how will each individual employee benefit? When and how will Beekeeper be rolled out, and what are the next steps? Build the buzz early so teams are already motivated by the change before it even reaches them. 

6. Involve and educate leadership

Leaders play an important role in cultural and digital transformation. If the direct supervisor uses Beekeeper and exemplifies consistent use of the app for operational team communication, their employees will also use Beekeeper.  WIth that in mind, it is important to provide those managers with the support they need to see the possibilities in leading with Beekeeper. They should receive training and instruction to ensure they are motivated to become Beekeeper Ambassadors in front of their employees.

7. Leadership communicating to their teams (positioning)

Often, managers are also involved in the rollout of Beekeeper to frontline teams. If they will be the ones who brief and support their employees during their first login, it is important that they are well prepared and have all the materials and support available to ensure a smooth rollout. Furthermore, managers should think about how they want to use Beekeeper in their team beforehand and communicate this during the rollout.

8. Leadership brings its bees into the hive (rollout)

A rollout can take place either for the entire company at once, or in phases, e.g. per site or department. The project team should consider an approach that works best for them and their teams. 

9. Achieve quick successes (first value)

When employees are logged in, it is important that they see the added value of Beekeeper right from the start, so that they do not just go to the platform once, but again and again. To achieve this, Beekeeper should already be filled with enough relevant, exciting, and motivating content which will drive engagement from the start. This content should be refreshed frequently to ensure that engagement continues and employees return to the app for more. In addition, there should also be enough operational content so employees can instantly see the added value from the start. This should consist of forms, shortcuts, workflows, etc. that will help make their daily tasks easier.

10. Consolidate successes and anchor new approaches in the culture

In the beginning, employees will probably need a bit of direction, but the goal is for Beekeeper to become self-sustaining as quickly as possible. The more open and interactive the culture is on the platform, the more Beekeeper will be supported by the whole company (from the whole company for the whole company). The goals you set at the beginning of the project should be evaluated, and then you can think about how to set even higher goals in the next phase to make Beekeeper even more valuable to employees.

Previous Page                                                                                                                                   Next Page