Experience-led change management: CX Mini Masterclass – E44

This CX Mini Masterclass explains the role of change management in customer-centric business transformation, and why CX practitioners need to hone their skills in this competency. Special guest and CX thought leader Diane Magers provides an overview of change management and some of the most popular frameworks. Julia shares her plans for future topics and more guest experts.

 

 

 

Insights from a special guest

Diane has been part of the CX movement since the get-go. She was one of the founding members of the CXPA, and served for 3 years as the association’s interim CEO. After guiding the association through a critical time in its evolution, she announced that the would be moving on to focus on her CX advisory practice, Experience Catalysts. Leveraging expertise gained through holding senior CX roles at blue chip organizations such at AT&T and Sysco Foods, she helps organizations realize customer-centric transformation. To learn more about Diane’s work as an expert business advisor, speaker and facilitator, connect with her via LinkedIn.

 

 

CX is change management

Organizations are ill equipped and unprepared to make the changes needed for customer-centric transformation to be successful. For established businesses, the scale of change is massive. Diane speaks about this as a “level 3” change, which is more akin to transformation than a simple process change (aka “level 1”). CX professionals need to be thinking about the intention and planning of CX initiatives, as well as the bigger picture of sustaining change to core structures within the operating model.

Within this context, CX professional must become adept at change management, but this is a new discipline for many. The good news is that change management is an established field of work and there are many models that CX professionals can call on.

Diane shared a few of these change management models with listeners:

• Kurt Lewin’s model – This approach suggests change through specific phases involving, “unfreezing”, changing and then “re-freezing”
• John Kotter’s model – This popular approach involves 8 steps to change, starting with creating a sense of urgency and ending with instituting change
• Prosci’s ADKAR model – This approach includes 5 steps for facilitating change: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement
• Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ model – Best known for her work on death and dying, Kuber-Ross’ approach can also be applied to how we understand the emotional response to change

Diane stresses that regardless of which model you chose to use, just be sure to have a plan. Focus on the “why” and accept that change needs to be intentionally managed or it won’t stick. Change plans should be living. As organizations evolve, the change plans should also adapt.

 

Want to keep learning about CX?

If you’d like to checkout more of these CX Mini Masterclasses or listen to my longer format CX expert interviews, check out the full listing of episodes for this CX podcast.

And if you are looking to super-charge your CX skills and continue learning, be sure to check out CX University. They have a great array of CXPA accredited training resources available on a flexible monthly subscription plan. Use the code PODCAST10 to get 10% off your first month’s subscription and support this podcast.

Decoding the Customer is a series of customer experience podcasts created and produced by Julia Ahlfeldt, CCXP. Julia is a customer experience strategist, speaker and business advisor. She is a Certified Customer Experience Professional and one of the top experts in customer experience management. To find out more about how Julia can help your business achieve its CX goals, check out her customer experience advisory consulting services (including customer insights, CX measurement, leadership alignment and CX change implementation) or get in touch via email.