What is IMCM®?
IMCM® stands for International Multidisciplinary Change Management. It is a comprehensive framework for successful and holistic change management based on in-depth theoretical works as well as best practices from real cases.
Overview
What is IMCM® suitable for?
International Multidisciplinary Change Management offers for every project introducing a transformation – for every change – a variety of solutions and concrete strategies. It also provides assistance and orientation points for the successful and sustainable implementation of the corresponding change(s). This frame of reference is for change management what PMI® or PRINCE2® are for project management, with the difference that IMCM® is the only international change management framework to date. It has been developed in cooperation with universities and professional consultants (among them amontis’ experts) that have been working for many years in the field of change management. This framework thus combines excellent theoretical background with concrete practical references and best practices stemming directly from real cases.
How is this possible?
IMCM® places great value on both the meaningfulness of a change (questioning for instance the actual necessity of the upcoming change) and the precise investigation of all its possible effects on the identified stakeholders. The International Multidisciplinary Change Management framework offers a wide range of tools for transparent and precise preliminary work, so that context-specific and demand-oriented actions can be taken to smooth out the whole transformation process.
Core elements of IMCM®
Relationship between Change Management and Project Management
Various project management guidelines have been in use for decades (cf. Project Management Institute (PMI®), PRINCE2®, etc.), but these frameworks failed to provide useful insights to implement changes successfully in a fast evolving environment leading to numerous failures notably in IT deployments or product portfolio reorganisation. A comprehensive handbook for multidisciplinary change management was then still missing. IMCM® has been created to fill this gap.
IMCM® encompasses the whole transformation process and not only the implementation of the change. The framework split the change lifecycle in different individual phases. It recommends then different tools and describes precisely the goals as well as the results that have to be reached for each individual phases. In this context, project management methods are useful tools that can be used along with other techniques in change management when needed.
Multidisciplinary Change Management
International Multidisciplinary Change Management focuses above all on the global effects of changes on organisation, because changes often affect and influence more than one area – or more than one dimension – of the organisation. For this reason, a multidisciplinary approach and a multidimensional analysis of change is required. Dimensions represent a certain perspective that can be impacted by a change. IMCM® describes the following 6 dimensions:
- Personal dimension
- Interpersonal dimension
- Collective dimension
- Organisational dimension
- Institutional dimension
- Cultural dimension
A comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach can be elaborated through the combination of different disciplines such as psychology, anthropology, management and economics to implement changes successfully in the different dimensions.
To have a better understanding of the different dimensions please refer to our article: “What is multidimensional change management?“
Holistic change management and the lifecycle of a change
International Multidisciplinary Change Management is characterized by the holistic nature of change management. While Project management usually consists of few different phases (conception, implementation and consolidation), IMCM® describes in total 9 phases (see below) covering the whole change lifecycle in order to successfully, effectively and sustainably implement a transformation.
Underestimated or overlooked, the very beginning of a transformation (questioning if the core purpose of the change is appropriate, needed and useful) is often skipped. Likewise, harvesting the fruits of the value created after a change project is regarded as unnecessary. However, these phases are crucial to make sure that the change serves the global strategy of the organisation and ends with a sustainable implementation.
The 9 phases of a change
Holistic change management neither begins directly with a concept nor ends just after the implementation of a change. A comprehensive change management should always follow the complete change lifecycle. Consisting of 9 phases, the change lifecycle begins with making an informed decision about whether the change to be implemented is relevant or not for the organisation.
Here is an overview of the 9 phases of a change as described by the IMCM® framework :
Modular and strategic consulting according to the IMCM® framework
Our mission is to help you find the right path leading to a successful implementation of your forthcoming changes. After an individual consultation with us, we use the IMCM® framework to analyse your situation and conceptualise a custom solution fitting exactly your needs. We work with you hand in hand and speak to you at eye level. We believe that transparency and partnership are the key factors for fruitful cooperation.
Thanks to our modular approach, we can help you at any point in time, regardless of where you stand in your change lifecycle. Our help can also take many forms, from one-to-one coaching to a more classical consulting assignment, from a complete overtake of key responsibilities in your company for a fixed amount of time to specific trainings on relevant topics. Our blended consulting approach offers answers, solutions and expertise to all of your challenges and changes.
Whether through consulting, interim management, coaching or training, we develop individual and interdisciplinary solutions for you. Sustainable and consistent.
Getting in touch with us pays off, our first conversation is free of charge.
How to certify your change management skills
Do you want to sustainably structure a solution-oriented approach and use concrete strategies to make diversity and complexity more manageable? Do you want your change management skills to be acknowledged? Do you want to lead change with strong methodological tools but without neglecting human aspects?
Then our IMCM® certification is just right for you!
Follow our certification course
Contents and methods of International Multidisciplinary Change Management are taught in a 3-day seminar, which concludes with a certification exam. The seminar is offered in German (at amontis), French (at ACMC®), English and Italian.
Content of the course:
- Introduction to Change Management and Terminology
- IMCM® Framework
- Phase 1: Exploration
- Phase 2: Diagnosis
- Phase 3: In-depth investigations
- Phase 4: Conception
- Phase 5: Kick-off
- Phase 6: Pilot
- Phase 7: Implementation
- Phase 8: Consolidation
- Phase 9: Capitalisation
- certification exam
In our seminar you will get to know the life cycle of a change, divided into 9 phases. We teach you methods to reduce the complexity of change. These help you to make conscious decisions and manage difficult situations.
More about Change Management: "The Change Gap"
Our initiative*magazine #11 : The change gap
„The change gap“ focuses on changes and how to deal with it efficiently and professionally. It gathers key insights from different fields to give a broad overview of effective change management strategies. It also presents the IMCM® (International Multidisciplinary Change Management) framework and gives concrete pieces of advice for its applications.
Who developed the International Multidisciplinary Change Management framework?
The reference framework was developed by a collective of international elite universities (the Université Laval à Québec, the Université du Québec à Montréal, the Université Paris Descartes / Paris Sorbonne Cité) in collaboration with ACMC®, which among other competences carries out the IMCM® certifications. The resulting compendium comprises over 900 pages and is available exclusively in French. In 2018, amontis translated the compendium into German as a partner of ACMC® and transferred the contents into a seminar with which the philosophy of the IMCM® framework can be conveyed didactically and practically.
IMCM® is a trademark of ACMC® and amontis is certified by ACMC®.
