Improving Change Management

Throughout every organization is an opportunity to introduce new change. Change can have a positive or negative impact on the surrounding environment, both internally and externally. Implementing a change requires adjustments to the status quo, sometimes leading to employees that are directly affected by the change to feel threatened. Change can also produce positive reactions, such as boosting morale, increasing profits, or decreasing costs. A new change in an environment must be carefully planned out, to ensure that the expected results are achieved while maintaining all other processes at an acceptable level.

There are several factors that contribute to improving change management within a data center of any firm. According to Dennis Powell, these factors are, (1) change scheduling, (2) process automation, (3) best practice/process automation, (4) dedicated testing environment, and (5) dedication to the completeness of tests (Powell, 2009). Powell goes on to explain that when these factors are implemented, it produces a positive impact on service downtime and operations. Reinforcing that a mature change management process is vital, Powell cites that “change implementation has become the number one cause of downtime, with 10% of all changes on average rolled back from production due to problems that can’t be resolved.” With a proper change management infrastructure in place, firms can avoid some of the common pitfalls of introducing change to an organization.

In terms of supporting change within the legal industry, Gerry Riskin outlines seven rules for creating change in the firm. Riskin makes a bold statement that by following the rules of change, it will “catapult your firm forward” (Riskin, 2006, p. 28). One of ...

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...nization is much more effective than from bottom up. Careful planning and execution, along with considering the majority of expectations, will lead to a successful implementation of change.

Works Cited

A Real-World Look At Data Center Relocation. (2009). Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.

Luftman, J., & Bullen, C., & Liao, D., & Nash, E., & Neumann, C. (2004). Managing the Information Technology Recource: Leadership in the Information Age. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.

Powell, D. (2009). Top 5 Factors that Affect Change Management in the Data Center. Data Center Journal.

Riskin, G. (2006). The Seven Immutable Laws of Change Management: A Catalyst for Managing Partners Who Aspire to Move Their Firms Forward. EDGE International Review. Summer 2006.

Senge, P. (2006). The Fifth Discipline. New York, New York: Doubleday/Currency.