Prosci Global Conference: A Memoir
By Tim Creasey, Prosci Director of Research and Development

We've been waiting

The conference began Sunday evening with a "meet and greet" event. There we all were in the center of an expansive atrium. As attendees filtered in, I reconnected with folks I had met at training events over the last several years. I met some in person for the first time, putting faces with names and voices I had become so familiar with on our weekly webinars. Others, I was meeting for the first time. There was one resounding comment I heard from attendee after attendee: "We've been waiting for a conference like this."

The sentiment was pervasive. We were not at a Human Resources conference with one speaker or one track dedicated to change management. We were not at a Project Management conference where a lone delegate would talk about the importance of change management. This was not a conference dedicated to Continuous Process Improvement where change management might creep into side conversations but not be addressed formally. We were all at a conference dedicated to change management. You could feel the excitement and the buzz starting even as people were arriving after long airplane rides. Perhaps it was seeing so many people who had the same passion, and faced the same challenges, as us. Maybe it was the chance to share our own experiences in managing change with people who were on the same journey. It could have been the beautiful spring weather in Orlando. Whatever the case, people were excited for what they were about to discover in the next three days.

Punch line: I am recognizing that change management is emerging at the forefront of successful business change.

Friendly faces

Sandy Speake, one of the speakers at the conference, made a poignant observation at the start of her presentation. She said, and I paraphrase: "Wow, it is really nice to be up in front of a group to talk about change management and to be looking out at all friendly faces." I think the point that Sandy was making, and that many change management practitioners have felt, is that when you address a group to talk about change management, you may not always see friendly faces. You may see skepticism. You may see "here we go again" faces. You may see faces of people who think change management is someone else's job. You may even see faces of people who do not know what change management really means or is.

But at the Global Conference, you were among allies and comrades. Each individual was there with an interest in managing the human side of change. There was no "selling of change management" that had to be done. The attendees were already past that phase - they were there to learn from and share with others who are dedicated to making change successful by focusing on the people side of projects and initiatives. How refreshing, albeit slightly unsettling, to not have to justify one's point-of-view, but rather build upon the collective experiences of the group.

Punch line: I am realizing the strong sense of community that is available for all of us. We now have a professional network.

From diverse places

While there were certainly collective experiences and interest to build upon, I was also struck by how varied the audience was. There were folks with psychology backgrounds. Some were coming from the Organization Development field. There were project managers, and leaders who oversaw entire project management offices and functions within their organization. There were communications and training specialists. And there were Human Resources professionals sitting right alongside engineers. All bringing their own background and expertise to the topic of managing the people side of change.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg on diversity. There were attendees from around the globe; and there were delegates representing all types of industry: large governmental organizations, consumer product manufacturers, health care institutions, financial service organizations, state and municipal governments, engineering firms, and consulting firms.

What would possibly bring a group with such diversity together for three days? An appreciation that no matter what walk of life you come from and what type of organization you are part of - the people side of change is crucial to success.

Punch line: I am seeing an incredible richness of experiences and perspectives that continue to broaden even my own understanding of this field.

Common themes I picked up

Over the course of the three days, I kept a note-pad with the "a-ha" moments and common themes I was seeing across the numerous presentations and conversations I took part in. Here are just a few of the themes I saw emerge over the course of the Global Conference:

• Change management practitioners are working feverously to "talk the talk" of business value and the role they can play in helping projects succeed and organizations carry out their strategies. This was not a "touchy-feely" conference - the tone was very much one focused on the bottom line and driving business results.

• Go after your allies - strategically. Two of my comments in my a-ha notepad said 1) engage those with the most to gain, and 2) influence the people in your organization who have influence. As change management evangelists, the work is not yet complete. Be thoughtful and deliberate in who you engage and bring on-board to your change management efforts.

• Accountability is important. Whether it is personal accountability when we ourselves are changing, or professional accountability as we take change management to our projects and into our organizations - we must be accountable for what we do, or change, or try to change.

• Organizational flexibility will be a key success factor in the future. In a time of such constant change, how effectively we manage change will be what sets us apart from our competitors and enables us to realize our organizational strategies and missions. 

• Change truly happens as a process. And the change that the discipline of change management has undergone is occurring as a process as well. Some are at the beginning of the journey, others have already made great strides. But the acceptance of and application of change management does not happen as a single event.

• There is a huge appetite and passion around a professional change management association and designation. Prosci has started the effort with the creation of the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP), and at the conference we had a tremendous exercise enabling all of the delegates to share their thoughts and ideas on the direction this association will take going forward.

Hot topics

Some of the topics that really stood out for me as I listened to presentations and chatted with delegates were:

• Deployment of change management throughout organizations - both the challenges and the successes

• Integration of change management and project management

• Dealing with change saturation and change fatigue, and beginning to approach the management of the portfolio of change in a new way

• Richness of the case studies - truly amazing journey's of individual change practitioners and change management functions within organizations

Something special happened at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando between April 6th and April 9th, 2009. The energy was electric and contagious. If you were one of the delegates at the Global Conference, the only thing I can say is: thank you. It was your involvement and openness that made the conference such a success. If you were not able to attend, the good news is that we are now in the planning stages for Prosci's Second Annual Global Conference to be held next year. Also stay tuned for ACMP - this new association and professional designation will be rolled out in 2010 and 2011.

Over the next several months, we will be working with selected presenters and authors to release some of their insights and lessons learned though Change Management Learning Center tutorials - stay tuned.

I hope to see you all next year, at Prosci's Second Annual Global Conference!