Change Management Overview
Projects are remembered for the pain they inflict, not the benefits they achieve…
…effective change is about winning people over.
‘IT projects’ get bad press; there have been many high-profile failures, and most organisations have been through their own painful experiences, despite a backdrop of the technology actually becoming more and more commoditised; the chances are the technology component has been done before and will work. The make or break is whether the business actually likes the solutions; success is achieved through managing this transition effectively.
Through awareness of research and much-publicised past failures, most Change Leaders now acknowledge that Change Management is essential for success in any transformational programme. Most ‘software implementation’ approaches now talk of change management in response to this. However, there is a large gulf between software-driven change and business-inspired transformation.
Having played a part in numerous IT and Organisational Change programmes, it is clear to me that change agendas and plans are seen as an extension of the ‘software development’ style of approach; they have a step-by-step, task-driven focus on delivery of project milestones that will hopefully produce deliverables that will be accepted by their recipients, the ‘end-users’.
However, these ‘end-users’ ARE the business. Projects and programmes are not important - they are just the facilitators of change. ‘Stakeholders’ and ‘end-users’ are not interested in the project; only in what will happen to themselves, their roles and their business after the project has done its job and the team disbanded. Heaven forbid – these people might even be able to add value to the project!
It would be foolish to suggest that change management activity shouldn’t be structured, but transforming an organisation is an art, not a science – you can’t write a detailed plan for much of it. You can’t predict human nature or the reactions you will get from people who may or may not want a new way of doing things which might be, put differently, life-changing. Just because you have a business case doesn’t mean it will be warmly received.
Leadent’s approach avoids getting caught up in the prescriptive side of things. It ensures that tasks such as communicating with the business and delivering training fit with broader programme timelines and get done on time; but it also ensures that there is fluidity within the planning framework. This gives the Change Team the space to get closer to those affected by change so they can ‘Make it Real’ for them.
Make It Real
With Leadent’s broad experience of transformation programmes, we place the business influences at the heart of change, using it to drive programme behaviours and actions. Our approach leverages the value the ‘customer’ can bring to the programme and builds momentum for change.
Success for the programme is seen in terms of business outcomes and acceptance by the ‘customer’, not just in hitting project milestones. We build our Change Management agenda to ensure success is achieved - by everyone’s definition of success - and is sustainable.
David Middup
Head of Change Management
Leadent’s expertise in business change can be applied to a new initiative or to a project that needs an injection of fresh ideas.
If you would like to discuss how Leadent’s approach can help your organisation then please contact us on 08707 664 884 or at info@leadent.com .