Neutralizing change threats in the new year: No
plan for the people side
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Prosci and the Change Management
Learning Center's final tutorial series of 2008 is titled
Neutralizing
change threats in the new year. Each tutorial
in the series will
address one of the biggest obstacles currently facing change
management professionals and project leaders as this year
comes to a close and the new year begins. Visit the
first tutorial in the series to see all six threats and
a snapshot of the tactics used to neutralize each threat.
This week's threat:
No plan for the people side
Who needs a plan?
It is a fairly common question - which
changes need a plan for change management? Or, more
directly, I have a pretty small change, do I really need a
change management plan? While the change management effort
will certainly be customized and tailored to your particular
change effort, a change management plan is a critical
component of any change effort, regardless of the size. The
more appropriate and important question is:
does your change effort require
people to do things differently? If the answer is
yes, then the value your change delivers will be tied
directly to how employees adopt and embrace the change - and
a change management plan should be developed.
Prosci's methodology uses two assessments in
the preparing for change phase - one for evaluating the nature of the
change including how big and how disruptive it is (the
Change characteristics assessment) and a second for
evaluating the groups being impacted by the change and their
propensity to support or resist the change (the
Organizational attributes assessment). The result of these
two assessments tells you how big of a risk the change
effort faces and how much change management is needed. But,
if your effort requires people to change how they do their
work you need a change management plan.
Common "plan-less" approaches
There are really three main culprits when it comes to
project teams attempting to introduce change without a
structured approach and plan for the people side.
- Culprit #1 - "We have a communication plan, isn't
that all we need?"
- Culprit #2 - "We are sending them to training, isn't
that enough?"
- Culprit #3 - "Can't we just tell people to do it?"
The first two instances represent a limited view of what
change management really means. For years, organizations
have had "communications" and "training" departments. So
without a structured methodology for managing the people side of
change, it is easy to assume that communication or training
is enough. However, best practices data on the people side
of change shows that there are many other organizational
levers that can be used to drive successful change -
specifically the actions of the change sponsor and the
coaching provided by managers and supervisors. Without a
robust change management plan, teams will revert to the usual suspects of
communication and training as the only vehicles to support
the people side of the change.
The third culprit results from the belief by some project
teams and leaders that employees can simply be told to
change and they will. There are numerous reasons why this
approach is destined to fail - particularly recent efforts to
empower workforces and new values of accountability and
ownership (replacing predictability and control). Employees
who are engaged ask more than just "how high" when they are
told to jump. Their first response is often "why?"
Simply telling people to change, rather than managing the
change with a structured plan, results in greater
productivity declines, more resistance and in some cases
complete project failure. |
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Change Management resources
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Tactics for neutralizing the "plan-less" approach
Moving from ad hoc to competent; following a structured approach
The first tactic here is to adopt a structured approach to the
people side of change. Many participants in Prosci's certification
program walk away happily surprised by the fact that they now have a
process to follow for managing the people side of change. Although
sometimes considered the "soft" side of change, managing the people
side of change is many times more difficult and complex than the
technical components of the change - it is actually the "harder"
side of the change. But successful change can be modeled and
repeated by following a structured approach.
Benchmarking data suggests that more and more teams are utilizing
a structured approach for change management. In Prosci's 2003
benchmarking study, only 34% of participants reported that the
followed a structured approach for the people side of change. In the
2007 study, that number rose to 58%. Preliminary results from
Prosci's 2009
benchmarking study indicate
the number is moving closer to 65%. This jump is reflective of 1)
more changes failing because the people side was ignored and 2) more
project teams dedicating the mindshare and resources for the people
elements.
During this same time, more and more teams are attributing the
success of their projects to using a structured approach. In each
study, participants are asked what the number one contributor to
success was on their project. In each study, the role of the sponsor
was number one. However, a structured approach has moved from #5 on
the list in 2003 to #4 in 2005 to #2 in 2007.
A structured approach to change management provides purpose and
direction to the people side activities. It ensures that all
organizational change management tools are used, that all actors are
engaged, and that the change management effort matches the change
management needs.
Removing complexity; selecting an approach that is easy-to-use
While building commitment and managing resistance can be
difficult, the most effective approaches to change management are
simple, easy-to-use and intuitive. By a large margin, participants
in the 2007 benchmarking study identified "easy-to-use" as the top
selection criteria for their methodology. Easy-to-use was further
defined as: easy to implement, easy to understand, easy to
communicate to others, simple, practical, structured and systematic,
logical, comprehensive and holistic.
One of the main reasons a complex approach is not practical is
that many people in the organization must be involved in the change
management effort. Senior leaders must fulfill the role of sponsor.
Managers and supervisors must fulfill the role of coach.
Communication, Training, Organizational Development and Human
Resource groups will all be involved. And the project team must work
to integrate change management tasks into the overall project plan.
A simple, easy-to-use process enables a more unified approach by
all the actors involved in managing change.
ADKAR provides a thread for all those involved in change
management - it is simple to understand and easy to apply in both
professional and private settings. Prosci's organizational change
management methodology is built as a scalable process so it can be
easily applied and customized to numerous types of change. In the
end, for change management to take hold on a project, people must be
able to see why it is important, what it means and how it can easily
support the other work they are doing.
Planting the seeds in the right places; ensuring change management resources on projects
In the end, change management is applied to projects and change
efforts that impact how people do their jobs. Projects must assign
the financial resources, human resources and mindshare necessary for
change management to be effective. The first major hurdle is
building an appreciation for the need for change management with
project teams and project leaders. Prosci's model for connecting
change management to business results shows a simple flow that links
projects to their purpose, the particulars of what is changing and
the people who will ultimately be impacted. Read more about
connecting change management to business results.
There are several options for resourcing change management on a
particular project. At the simplest level, the change management
work can either be done by someone on the project team (Structure 1
below) or by an outside group supporting the project (Structure 2
below).
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Structure 1 |
Structure 2 |
Each model has pros and cons. When the change management work is
done by a person on the project team, there is less work required to
get the change management resource up to speed on the change
details, but more work may be required on the change management
expertise front. An outside group supporting a project team likely
brings more experience and expertise in change management, but often
lacks an understanding of the business issues behind the particular
change. Prosci's 2009
benchmarking study includes questions on which structure teams
are using and which structure is recommended.
Regardless of the particular structure, there must be resources
dedicated to the people side of change.
Resources for neutralizing the "plan-less" approach
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Three easy ways to begin applying Prosci's change management methodology: |
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Certification program - In Prosci's 3-day
certification program, learn the underlying
concepts and principles and then apply the
methodology and tools to a project you bring
with support from one of Prosci's experienced
executive instructors. |
Do it
yourself, online option - Prosci's Change
Management Pilot is an online tool that has
step-by-step instructions for applying the
methodology, eLearning modules and downloadable
templates, assessments and presentations you can
use immediately. |
Do it yourself, hardcopy - Prosci's Change
Management Toolkit presents the entire
methodology and guiding principles in a 3-ring
binder with a USB drivecontaining templates and
assessments. |
Coming up
In the next tutorial in this series, the last threat is neutralized:
- Engaging a missing sponsor
- Managing resistance to change
- Building middle management support and alignment
- Planning for change management
- Evaluating overall project health
- Avoiding change saturation
Offerings for applying Prosci's change management methodologies:
Training:
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Change
management certification ($2100) - 3-day program where you bring
a project you are working on and apply all of the assessments and
tools as you learn them - taught by former fortune 500 executives at
locations across the US - includes over $1000 in products, including
the Best Practices in Change Management benchmarking report, the
Change Management Toolkit and the Change Management Pilot 2010
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Train-the-trainer ($2400) - learn how to teach Prosci change management training programs in your
organization
- Onsite training
- bring Prosci to your location for 3-day certification programs,
4-6 hour executive briefings, 1-day manager programs or 1-day
employee programs - call +1-970-203-9332 for more information
Methodology tools:
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Change Management Toolkit ($349) - hardcopy 3-ring binder presenting
Prosci's change management methodology, includes templates, checklists
and assessments for managing the people side of change (includes USB drive)
- Change
Management Pilot Pro 2010 ($449) - online tool including Prosci's change
management methodology, eLearning modules and downloadable templates,
assessments, presentations and checklists
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Change
Management Guide for Managers and Supervisors ($189) -
tools to help supervisors engage and coach their direct reports
through change (includes 4 copies of the Employee's Survival Guide)
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PCT Analyzer ($149/$349) -
web-based tool for collecting PCT Assessment data, analyzing
results, identifying risks and developing action steps
References and books:
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Best Practices in Change Management benchmarking report
($249 / quantity discounts available) - journal-style report with lessons learned and best practices
from 575 participants, presented in an easy-to-use format - reads as
a checklist of what to do and what not to do
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Change Management: the people side of change ($18.95 /
quantity discounts available) - a primer for anyone
involved in organizational change that addresses why manage change,
individual change management and organizational change management
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ADKAR: a model for
change ($18.95 / quantity discounts available) - the definitive work
on Prosci's ADKARŪ Model
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Employee's Survival Guide to Change ($14.95 / quantity discounts
available) - a handbook to help
employees survive and thrive during change, answers frequently asked
questions and empowers employees to take charge of change
*** Prosci also offers
leadership packages - groupings of products at discounts that
offer you some of the most helpful and common combinations of Prosci
change management resources
Email this page to a friend
Email a Prosci analyst or
call 970-203-9332 with questions about the methodology, its application, or finding the
right resources to support your change management activities.
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