Can change management and project management exist in the same universe?

Is there an intersection of change and project management that can propel projects to completion more efficiently, less costly, and with adoption outcomes that less the hit on productivity?

I’ve given a good deal of thought to the cross-over of these two change tools and have noticed that the lack of connection between these two disciplines detracts from completing projects on time, on budget, and with those impacted buying into the change.

I see and define change management to mean the implementation of a set of strategies to prepare those impacted by a change effort to quickly and effectively incorporate the change into their work/life/world.

Project management, with a focus on laying out the necessary steps to accomplish a task and managing those steps to completion, needs change management tools to bring projects to full implementation (In the healthcare IT world we call this implementation vs. installation). And yet the two fields often act like neighbors living close geographically but with separate, unconnected lives.

Imagine the power of working change management techniques into project plans, defining success in terms of those impacted by the change able to continue working at productivity levels equal or greater than prior to the change.

My perspective is from participating in leading implementation of software systems to replace paper processes. Change management techniques utilized in a project management environment is a superb match, focusing on both system configuration and implementation, as well as getting quick adoption and learning of new systems by the end users.

But frequently in my organization, change management is a “nice to have” rather than a “need to have”. Project managers strive to get change related strategies built into their project plans, with no coordinating resource to fully do the job (for what to do about this familiar scenario, see my next article “How to do change management without really trying”).

To more fully understand what change management can do to make a project manager’s world more successful, consider the need for the following:

• Clear leadership messaging from a variety of corners of an organization preparing those impacted by the change. This typically involves leadership showing “skin in the game” as well as outlining a vision for the future as a result of the change.
• Developing rewards and consequences for early adopters of the change.
• Strategies for change consider the organization’s culture and its history with change.

So in my mind change management strategies embedded into project management plans can bring a level of success that is more likely to deliver a project’s completion on time, on budget, and with those impacted by the change able to quickly exceed prior productivity levels.

This discussion is to share thoughts and ideas about how to bring these often disparate tools together to meet the goals of change implementation.

How do we get leadership to see the benefits of a change/project management marriage and create this new model of implementation? How do we get leaders to see it’s a “both/and” scenario rather than “either/or”?

What is your experience in bringing these two fields together?

Promoting change from the bully pulpit

Change is a hot topic these days largely due to last year’s presidential election, and the promise of bringing change to several of the nation’s problems.

We continue to see our president pushing a change agenda. Today,  Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress to set forth his plan for reforming health care. I’d like to encourage readers to look at this through the filter of change management and how his strategy may play out.

First, Obama is an organizer at heart, and uses the power of his speech, thoughts, and method of delivery to inspire and convince. That is clearly his strength and he uses that skill in what is becoming a classic style. We expect him, almost want him, to hit a home run every time he’s up to bat in front of the American people, and then we become fans again.

Is this his strategy and if so what are his calculations about overplaying his strength?

How long can he ride this wave of awe?

Fortunately,  speaking clearly and in an inspiring way is not his only skill or tactic. An organizer knows s/he has to reach people in multiple ways in order to mobilize support and reach change goals, whether they are the president of the country or a local sponsor of a change initiative.

Mobilizing people is what Obama the candidate did so well, and now we are witnessing what the power of organization can or cannot do in the political arena which decisions of huge impact are made.

Remembering the principles of change management strategy, Obama is playing the role of the sponsor, setting the boundaries for the change and seeking his reinforcing sponsors at all levels. Looking at this change effort through the corporate model of implementing change, one can see transferability of techniques.  By mobilizing tens of thousands of champions, some of whom have communities of influence they lead and can be seen as “reinforcing sponsors”, while clearly laying out the end goal of the change effort (health care for all, paid for by savings and other sources), one could argue that Obama is using the change model that has caught on in the corporate world.

While I believe that this effort is being orchestrated effectively, the political world is much more powerful than the politics present in the culture of corporate America.

When we look at some of the drivers of change, clearly having an articulate and popular spokesperson is critical. Look at the success that corporate America has had with using celebrities to pitch their products as an example. Selling is a key component of change, and although not the only one, clearly a highly important part of any effort.

What’s the applicable piece here for all change agents, both in corporate offices and on the streets?

Your message has to be compelling. It has to be clear. It has to tell readers what the future will look like, and it has to calm fears through that description. It needs to be said forcefully, and the emotions have to be balanced with reason.

In my next post I’ll explore more about how change effectively begins with clear direction for the impact of the activity leading to change.

Lessons learned vs. lessons “heard”

Although there are those of us thrilled by change, the majority of people respond to change with resistance and fear.

Yet, change is clearly a necessary part of our lives, as we collectively tumble into the future with new challenges faced regularly as individuals and as a society. The opportunity to make change, to learn from our past and apply those learnings to the future,  is largely what keeps our way of life moving. Resistance to change reduces the possibility of progress in new technological, social, and economic areas.

So this site is dedicated to learning from the past, pushing forward to a future state that offers benefits to others, and managing change so that potential can be realized.

Techniques used under the rubric of “change management”, the methodology by which resistance is alleviated and projects are brought to completion on time and on budget, are essential to successful implementation in the corporate world. Why wouldn’t these “best practices” that bring change to the ways employees do their jobs not be transferable to social change efforts?

While good ideas regularly are discarded,  managing the consequent change for those that advance to implementation is the challenge that readers of this blog share.

Learning from the past

A key ingredient to the goal of managing change is reviewing what did not work in the latest attempt. So many times I have come to see the mistakes from the last system or application implementation show up over and over, even though smart people attempted to avoid such pitfalls.  The patterns of not changing, and failing to acknowledge the pain points of the past in order to invent a better way, are the stumbling blocks that becomes the breeding ground of a failed change effort.

There is a joke that slyly is repeated in stops in the office kitchen, a joke told much of the story of failure to learn from the past. “Lessons learned” conversation that arose during a formal post-mortem after a project had completed really were “lessons heard” instead. What we failed to exploit in these debriefing sessions was the luxury of history that produce valuable lessons, and therefore the opportunity to incorporate learning into project plans.

Pushing forward to a state that improves and benefits others

The refrain you hear from these writings is that change tools are available to all and need to be adopted if an individual or group wants to successfully lead a change effort. You’ll also hear me say that change efforts are interrupted and often derailed by an unwillingness to think and behave differently.

The familiar is most likely the preferred. You want a group of people to change their patterns and their routines for an alternative that is unknown and promises only the pain of change, and you’re likely to see failure.

So learning from the past is part of the prescription, and by learning I mean adopting new ways and not allowing the pain of change impact your efforts to move others. Isn’t ironic that there is often unwillingness to look back and change practices and policies that failed? If as leaders of change efforts we’re not willing to learn and grow, and then put into practice that learning, our efforts are likely to fail.

Using change technology for public good

Finally, the intent to benefit and improve a process, one’s  work life,  or the community has to be the focus.  If, in fact, unwillingness to change comes from the safety felt by the familiar and the uncertainty that comes with the unknown, it is absolutely vital that a compelling case be made.

If the motive is increased profit, be clear and upfront and share the wealth.

If we use health care reform as the intended change goal, paint the picture for the target audience of how their lives and communities will benefit by the sacrifice it will take to get there. Health care is an emotional issue, and the case for change needs to be framed by the emotions as well as the rational argument that presents best practices as a model.

Managing change to reach potential

Understanding that resistance to change is normal and natural, strategies are developed that anticipate the resistance  and meet it prior to momentum gains that typically happen quickly. Being in the “frame of reference” of those targeted for change allows for a different perspective that can bring forward questions and challenges.

Once it is known what the targets of change need to move forward in support and/or behavior change, strategies that capture their awareness have to be developed.

Look to your closest leaders to be sponsors and willing/able to articulate the case for change in an impassioned manner. Build that network first so that you have wider investment in carrying the message.

Viola: change?

Is it possible that things stay the same because of the inertia around doing something different? I firmly believe that the main challenge in change efforts is overcoming the fear of the unknown and the unwillingness of individuals to do something different. That unwillingness certainly relates to the fear associated with the unknown, but largely lives in the resistance to having to think. After all, most of us go through much of our life without having to think all that much. We’re literally on “automatic pilot” when we drive, and mostly on that same mode as we go through much of our lives.

Teach others to be flexible

In my years of doing yoga and stretching my body I noticed how much more flexible my psyche became, and the openness I felt in my body translated openness to change and growth.

Knowing about resistance to change, and the closing down one does while resisting, demands that we teach others to accept change as inevitable and resistance not always being the appropriate response.

Change is inevitable, and each of us can benefit from increasing our adaptability. Yes, easy to say and difficult to do. Here are a few techniques that one might try:

• Seek first to understand the change in a greater context. Just as leaders have a responsibility to effectively communicate, good followers must also be willing to consider the possibilities. Resistance usually results from a lack of understanding of why something is changing,  so redirect energy away from anger and resistance to deeper understanding the thinking behind what’s coming.
• See the advantages of early adoption. Given that the majority around you will, without consciousness,  resist change gives you the opportunity to be a leader. Not all change is for the best, but resistance switches the focus from problem solving to confusion and struggle. Ask yourself, “is this behavior improving the situation?”
• Seeing life as a series of changes that come with experience and age allows for the realization that one survives because of adaptability. If our immune system was not working 24/7 to fight off germs and bacteria that enter our body, we would not survive. The body’s ability to self-regulate and adopt to cell changes, bacteria, viruses, cuts, verbal pain etc. tells us that we, too, are able to adopt to change successfully from a mental perspective.

Why read this blog?

Are you fascinated, mystified, desirous of or simply shrinking from change?

Wherever you fall, Louschange is a place to

• Learn about change
• Explore the viability of change methods in new arenas
• Begin to apply principles and methods to change efforts in your company, organization or community

Louschange is written by Lou Stagnitto to add to the critical thinking that will help guide progressive change in our organizations and communities.

Principles are meant to be conceptual frameworks from which to provide the “banks of the river” into which a strategy is formed and executed.

This site is about big ideas and big strategies to execute those ideas.

Be aware of these obstacles and build strategy to overcome them.

Fear of change

It’s clear that most of us understand the power of fear. It has always been the courageous among us who overcame fear to bring about change built this country in a direction that is enjoyed today. But fear of the unknown, or change, stymies us in our personal, professional lives as well as that of a citizen of a nation thaty yearns for change without having to go through any pain.

Resistance: The step beyond fear is the survival strategy of resistance. Ever feel that way? Of course you know the power of resistance from your own experience. Resistance is inevitable and if not met with strategy will eat a change effort for lunch.

Poor planning

Anticipating what might be the most logical downstream effects of the change you implement is critical. Try a wholistic activity that allows you to answer the following:

• What’s the worst that could happen?
• What could be outcomes if the best scenario were to occur?
• What can we anticipate to be the most likely scenario as a result?

To determine the most likely scenario of the implementation, begin with determining how your target audience has reacted to change in the past, what the “culture of change” is for your group or target audience.

I’ll provide some exciting tools in future articles