Acknowledgement of Challenges & Constraints
Implementing a people-centric approach to change management regularly requires overcoming interconnected challenges that can undermine a program's ability to deliver change in this way if not addressed holistically.
Leadership buy-in is often the key to unlocking this. Without it, change programmes are likely to face budget de-prioritisation. Leaders who view engagement and training as secondary to technical milestones may fail to allocate sufficient resources to user adoption strategies. This misalignment can create a domino effect, where limited budgets result in a lack of skilled resources to deliver tailored training, communication, and support for end-users.
To address this, leaders must be presented with compelling evidence of the long-term financial and operational gains of people-centric change management. Data-driven examples, such as faster adoption rates and reduced support costs, can illustrate how investing in people delivers measurable ROI. Connecting with experienced practitioners in this space can provide detail and add weight to this argument.
Theresa Regli
Vox Veritas
"You should spend at least 2x, but better yet closer to 3x, on skilled people and improving your process than you spend on your technology products."
Budget constraints, stemming from wayward leadership priorities, often hinder the ability to execute people-centric initiatives. When most funds are allocated to technology, critical activities like user engagement and ongoing support are overlooked. By demonstrating the tangible benefits of reallocating a portion of the budget towards these activities, organisations can achieve more effective implementation. For example, leveraging internal training platforms or developing role-specific resources can optimise limited budgets while ensuring relevance and impact.
The lack of dedicated, skilled resources compounds these issues. Without sufficient expertise, organisations struggle to foster meaningful engagement or provide effective training. Incremental investments in change champions or cross-functional focus groups can address resource gaps while ensuring that user perspectives shape the implementation process.
These challenges are deeply interlinked, often cascading from a lack of leadership commitment. Addressing them requires a unified strategy that aligns leadership priorities, secures adequate resources, and demonstrates the critical role of user engagement in achieving DAM success. A proactive, integrated approach ensures smoother implementation and maximises organisational benefits.
Making the investment in a people-centric change management approach that carefully considers the human quotient may appear to increase the cost of a program, but the ripple effect of overlooking or underinvesting in adoption can be significant.
