With the growing demand of customers and the incessant need to disrupt and keep up with this constant known as change, businesses are continually raising the “bar” to development cost effective solutions that don’t fall short of the customer’s requirements. They need to be proactive about understanding both the internal and external drivers that affect change. Knowing how to set the context for managing change and understanding the key factors will help defy the 60 to 70 percent failure rate for organizational change projects — a statistic that has stayed constant from the 1970’s to the present — according a study conducted by Harvard Business Review.

Before deciding whether it’s right for your company to undergo change and stir up emotions, you’ll want to do your homework by identifying the internal and external forces that affect the current state of your business. So what are the key drivers of incremental change in the workplace?

Internal forces refer to events, people and systems within a company that help or prevent it from achieving short- and long-term goals. The company’s mission statement, cultural DNA, organizational structure, and leadership style are some of the primary factors that influence how people, systems and processes function within an organization. All of these forces are within the company’s domain and can have a significant impact on people’s attitude and behavior when it comes to modifying the underlying structure of an organization. As such, you’ll want to cautiously examine these areas so you can gain a clear vision and roadmap to manage change.

External forces refer to outside influences such as the economy, consumer demand and competition that help or prevent the company from achieving short- and long-term goals. State, government, social and economic conditions, consumer behavior, marketplace trends and technological changes are all triggers that occur outside of an organization and oftentimes are beyond the company’s control. If there is a new regulation or mandate that affects your organization, companies are expected to comply with these policies and doing so can have a considerable impact on how businesses operate. At the same time, organizations must keep a close watch on the competition, stay attuned with consumer behavior and adapt to the changes in technology — all of which are constantly evolving and will disrupt existing systems and work streams.

Whether it’s an internal or external force driving the need for change in your organization, change is a disruption to everyday workflow, processes and the way people interact. It challenges the structure, cohesiveness and synergy your team has built overtime. It can negatively impact the attitude, behavior, commitment and morale of individuals within an organization if it is not managed properly. When undergoing change, it’s critical that companies have a clear vision, strategy and communications plan in place. In order to turn a vision for change into reality, change management consultant and Ph.D., Mary Winby recommends companies to consider these critical success factors.

1. Providing a compelling business case. There must be a driving force for change. Are there market and societal influences causing you to rethink your current business strategy? Has the advent of digital technology and social media modified consumer behavior and spending? Did your recent customer survey provide insights about your company and shift the vision for upper management? Understanding both the internal and external forces can lead you to question the current situation and develop a compelling business case for change if necessary.

2. Aligning strategy and vision. Once you determine the need for change, you’ll want to identify the outcome and the steps your organization takes to get there. What is the overall scope of change in your organization? Who does this affect and what is the expected outcome? How do you plan to get from the current state to the future state? A common understanding of the needed change and what your organization hopes to achieve along with a clear roadmap is essential to inspire change and get you there.

3. Securing sponsorship. When initiating a change, identifying your sponsor and making sure he sees the need for change is one step you don’t want to overlook. A sponsor is an individual or group who has the authority to sanction and legitimize the change initiative. Your sponsor can be your manager, business partner, executive leadership or CEO. Sponsors own the change initiative and help your organization align to the strategy, gain commitment from your colleagues, allocate resources and remove roadblocks. They are key in guiding you to reach a positive and effective outcome, so make sure you get your sponsor on board.

4. Getting your stakeholders on board. Your stakeholders may be directly or indirectly impacted by your change initiative, but nonetheless, they play a critical role in providing guidance and input to steer your change initiative. Key factors that affect their support include their understanding of the business case, their overall involvement and their level of commitment. Do they believe in that change is the best course of action? Is there a sense of urgency and a desire to drive the current perception? How can you get from one state to another? Setting expectations and providing transparency around your strategy and vision will increase the chance of their support and commitment.

5. Putting together a communications plan. Focusing on change-specific communications that takes into consideration your organization’s mission statement, core values and culture is key to reinforce desired behaviors and outcomes. While maintaining a unified and cohesive message, it’s equally important to make sure you’re tailoring your communications, targeting your audience, spanning across multiple channels (Intranet, email, all-hands meetings, training, etc.) and pacing the delivery of your communications. The goal is to strive for a committed audience who understands the importance of your change initiative, supports your cause and responds positively in attitude and behavior.

6. Measuring and tracking success. With a strategy and communications plan in place, and a company that’s ready to undergo change in their organization, determining what makes a change initiative successful should to be clearly defined from the start. Your metrics should be SMART (specific, measurable, accurate, reliable, timely) and simple so you can gain the necessary buy in from both senior management and employees. According to iSixSigma, “Defining a metric is similar to telling a joke – if you have to spend too much time explaining it then it will not work. Employees need to understand the metric, how they can influence it and what is expected of them.”

The ability to effectively manage change in an organization is an essential skill for leaders and managers to have in today’s work environment. It involves actively planning, preparing and keeping the entire organization informed. Responding with the right information at the right time only goes so far while diagnosing the continued failure rate of change; however, understanding the driving forces that impact change, building these six critical success factors into your plan and gaining buy in with your stakeholders and employees will help guide successful organizational change efforts.