University of Phoenix Change and Opportunities Discussion

a
the
speed
of
ch nge
by Lorna Pappas
*
photo by Nina Ruecker
Change has a bad reputation.
It?s up to a project manager to convince team members that it?s not the force of evil
they think it is?indeed, it even can be a force for good. As businesses work to transform themselves into market leaders, project managers must work especially hard to
plan, facilitate and advocate those changes.
Change often is regarded as negative and disruptive, but it?s ?not necessarily
harmful, it just ?is,?? says Dave Wirick, PMP, interim COO and principal consultant
at Babbage Simmel, a project management and training firm in Columbus, Ohio,
USA. ?Change is a natural phenomenon that can?t be avoided. Many project managers mistakenly believe that their role is to create order and prevent changes.
Rather, project managers are responsible for outcomes, and because change is a necessary element of reaching those outcomes, change management is becoming vital to
project management success.?
42 PM NETWORK | APRIL 2006 | WWW.PMI.ORG
Changes in a
project are
inevitable
in today?s
fast-paced
business
environment.
You must
know how
to quickly
respond?
and motivate
your team to
do the same.
Holger Nauheimer, Director,
Change Facilitation, Bratislava, Slovakia
APRIL 2006 | PM NETWORK 43
The Speed of Change
Build Excitement
In a 2005 Prosci study of 411 companies, 55 percent
?The focal point really shouldn?t be on managing resist-
of the participants said they used a structured change
ance but on getting people excited about the benefits of
management methodology, up from just 34 percent in
the change,? says Jeff Hiatt, president and CEO of
2003. ?Additionally, the use of change management
Prosci, a change management research firm in Loveland,
processes and tools was cited as the number two contrib-
Colo., USA.
utor to project success,? says Tim Creasey, director of
Project managers typically are drawn to the tangible,
strategic planning at Prosci.
analytical and concrete elements that keep tasks moving
The study also reported that the top reason for resist-
forward. They often view people management as some-
ance from employees was that they weren?t aware of the
one else?s job. ?The downfall is that the ineffective man-
organization?s need for change. ?The first step toward
agement of the people side of change is the number one
addressing resistance is helping employees understand
obstacle to the very essence of what project managers
the change?s root cause, generally addressed via
are trying to achieve,? he says.
employee communications, engaging sponsors, and train-
?The workforce needs to be moving in the same direc-
ing managers and supervisors to share developing core
tion as the change, not against it,? he says. ?A competency
issues with workers throughout the transition state,? Mr.
at managing those people affected by the change is essen-
Creasey says.
tial to realizing the very project goals being pursued.
Employee resistance is ?a natural reaction to the fear
Therefore, change management must be viewed not as a
and uncertainty related to an unknown future state,? he
subcomponent but rather a developed competency and
says. ?While you can?t totally circumvent resistance, you
partnership discipline to project management.?
can proactively identify what it might look like?where it
Overcoming Resistance
Not all team members will readily
interests, because people under
accept change. Dave Wirick of Bab-
stress typically focus on their
bage Simmel offers five tips to win
pain and their positions.
*
*
dence for the change. People are
more likely to be positively disposed toward change when they
team members? buy-in:
*
Find external validation and evi-
*
Develop strategies for change
can see it reflected outside their
that address those interests. If a
organizations into their industry,
resisting the change. They may be
person is focused on maintaining
profession or society as a whole.
on to something. There may be
job security, try to identify the
elements of the solution or project
aspects of the project that might
that should be reconsidered.
enhance it. If the CFO wants to
Pay close attention to stakeholders
*
Dedicate yourself to the tough,
unpleasant conversations. It?s easy
ensure that financial information
to develop a ?bunker mentality? that
Understand the interests of
is available in a timely manner,
marginalizes those you?ve defined
those who resist. Project man-
be sure the project addresses
as resistant. Instead of surrounding
agers may have to do some
that need and make those fea-
yourself with your allies, take the
investigating to identify these
tures known to the CFO.
time to talk with your adversaries.
44 PM NETWORK | APRIL 2006 | WWW.PMI.ORG
will come from, what steps you can take to mitigate it?
changes to the entire organization. ?We?re dealing with a lot
then develop plans for identifying and responding to it
of changes?some are little, some are big,? he says.
To ease that transition, the company established a
quickly when it does occur.?
process improvement office (PIO) nearly two years ago.
What Executives Want to Know
?Through the PIO we are helping to build CPS Energy?s
To attain senior-level engagement, Mr. Hiatt says a project
competency for being flexible toward change,? Mr. Macias
manager must address upfront the three issues that inter-
says. ?Where previously a different group handled change
est the executives most:
management, today the project team is the change man-
g
g
g
agement team.?
What is change management?
Time and effort goes into selecting team members
Why should I care?
with both technical knowledge and interpersonal skills,
What is my role??
?The first two issues generally can be addressed using
he says. These team members are key to securing project
standard project management documents and research
buy-in from members of the organization. A few strategic
data,? he says. The third is less straightforward, but crucial.
teams are currently involved in developing extensive
Executives have three primary roles as project spon-
communication plans that identify when, what and how
sors, according to Mr. Hiatt:
g
Actively and visibly participate throughout
the entire project
g
Build a coalition of support from other
senior and mid-level managers
g
Communicate directly to employees about
the business reasons for the change and
how it aligns with the company?s organiza-
The focal point really shouldn?t
be on managing resistance but on
getting people excited about the
benefits of the change.
?JEFF HIATT
tional direction.
Securing executive sponsorship results in ?faster
adoption of the change, higher participation and greater
to convey project information to stakeholders during the
project life cycle.
proficiency in the process being changed,? Mr. Hiatt says.
?The final outcome is faster realization of the business
Lessons Learned
objectives for the project and increased return on invest-
Change Facilitation, Bratislava, Slovakia, specializes in
ment for the business.?
the transformation of organizations and employees. The
company?s survey of 562 participants from a range of
The Power to Change
industries around the world revealed several lessons
Looking to improve its speed in realizing project benefits,
learned about the use of change management:
CPS Energy, San Antonio, Texas, USA, is incorporating
g
change management into its project and process teams, says
Larry Macias, a process improvement analyst at the com-
Change management is not a fad, and demand for skills
in the area will increase
g
The longer people experience change management
pany. As it moves to a more process-centered point of view,
approaches, the more confident they become about
the company needs a way to communicate the project
their future
APRIL 2006 | PM NETWORK 45
The Speed of Change
*
The survey also disclosed some common
Managing Expectations
and Assumptions
causes of change management failure:
g
g
g
Change management is all about setting expectations?and in an ideal
world, the outcome of the project should meet those expectations,
A narrow rather than broad stakeholder focus
Lack of active leadership
Change activities not linked to final
objectives
g
says Neville Turbit, director of Project Perfect Pty Ltd., a project man-
Specialists failing to involve the people who
will implement the changes
agement software and consulting firm in Sydney, Australia.
g
?Project expectations typically are based on assumptions,? he
says. ?These assumptions should be based on fact, but many are
A culture of distrust that leads to change
resistance.
based on what ?could? be. Because change involves a set of preconceived assumptions, if you are to change expectations, you first must
change the assumptions.?
Quantitatively benchmark the assumptions so that progress made
Holger Nauheimer, director of Change Facilitation, and author of Taking Stock: A Survey on
the Practice and Future of Change Management
toward setting realistic expectations can be measured. In one of Mr.
[H. Nauheimer, 2005] is an evangelist for change
Turbit?s projects, respondents were asked to rate the following state-
management. ?The huge individual benefit peo-
ments from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree):
ple gain from studying and applying change
_____ The implementation will be difficult
management principles normally has remarkable
_____ My job will be easier after the implementation
consequences,? he says. ?First, people become
_____ The project change will make my job more secure
more motivated to work as agents of change. Sec-
_____ I expect a few problems in the first few weeks
ond, the more people understand the principles
_____ Customers will see the change?s benefit almost immediately
of change management, the greater the likeli-
_____ We will not have to work as much overtime
hood of organizational transformation.?
_____ We will be more confident that stock is available when we take
an order
It may take time to actually see the effects of
good change management, Mr. Nauheimer says.
_____ The changes have nothing to do with me.
A survey such as Mr. Turbit?s allows project managers to create a
If a company isn?t committed to managing
series of change management activities to address each assumption. A
change, it will only see what it wants to see or
repeat of the survey at a later date will measure overall progress.
only those situations that changed for the worse.
Escalating market competition and fluctuations will require most companies to refocus
g
g
g
g
Change management is dynamic and methods will
continuously, necessitating a solid means for swiftly
change over time
implementing and accepting more frequent changes. ?In
Change management can be applied in all cultures
the near future,? Mr. Nauheimer says, ?an expertise in
Top management often believes the organization under-
change management will be considered a prerequisite for
stood the change message when that is not the case
many project management positions, equal to or even
The transformational potential of change management
more important than organizational and team skills.? PM
approaches is not always evident, so monitoring and
taking a down-to-earth approach to reaching different
Lorna Pappas is a business-to-business freelance writer
process stakeholders is needed.
based in Andover, N.J., USA.
46 PM NETWORK | APRIL 2006 | WWW.PMI.ORG

Purchase answer to see full
attachment