Change is normally driven by a desire to make improvements.
In fact, according to the playwright George Bernard Shaw, ‘progress is impossible without change’.
Some changes are planned and executed with surgical precision, others however, often driven by external influences and market forces, are forced upon us and compel us to respond. One thing is for sure – change is our most reliable constant.
Within management theory, there are many models of change.
These models, some dating from the 1950s, are usually based on the series of steps managers need to take in order to control and tame the beast of change.
Whether it is ‘unfreezing’ the current situation, ‘creating a sense of urgency’, or ‘crafting an implementation plan’, these models focus on things to do, and less on the people who do them.
Little attention is given to the people who have to implement, live through and live with the changes.
The systems designed to support Project Management, such as Prince2 and PMBOK, view change management as predominantly being about sets of procedures and the steps to take when dealing with variation, corrective action, or preventative action.
So often what is missing are the competencies of the managers who have to wrestle with the changes.
There are three interpersonal skillsets which are vital in this area where science and art overlap: The ability to communicate; the skills to gain, maintain and promote commitment; and the capacity to resolve conflict. These are the human talents which help the procedures run smoothly, but which are so often neglected.
The result is, according to the Project Management Institute, that 20% of projects fail due to poor communication.
A report from Towers Watson, as reported in Forbes Magazine, states that even though 55% of projects met their initial targets, only 25% offered long-term change management gains.
One of the crucial weakness they found was ineffective change management training coupled with managers’ inability to get their messages across.
Interestingly, 68% of senior managers thought their communication was successful and 53% of middle managers thought their communication worked well. Feedback on first-line supervisors skills at at explaining what had to happen and why suggested only 40% did it well.
This is not a great performance!
Communication is like driving a car. Most of us believe we are good drivers, however this is a classic example of ‘the above average effect’. In fact most of us are good enough ‘to get from A to B’, in reality there are very few who are truly skilled.
Gaining commitment and motivating people is also problematic with ‘relationship with line manager’ cited as the most common reason people give for moving on to another organisation. Too many managers are dealing with the ‘things’ of change, and not dealing with the people - which, like communication, takes time to do properly.
Conflict resolution is the third area to address. Conflict is inevitable and its resolution vital for healthy organisations. The problem is that all too often conflict isn’t truly resolved and only appears to be. Sometimes, when overruled, people move to silence and become unwilling to speak their minds. They cease to offer their input and support meaning the organisation loses access to their competence. In these situations it can look like conflict has been resolved, when actually it continues to simmer under the surface, only to boil dry or boil over later. Either way unresolved conflict is highly destructive.
Developing real skills across these areas takes what most of us don’t commit to - the investment of time, appropriate training and coaching plus, once the skills are learned, the courage to put them into practice.
Beyond the people issues, there is also a need to take process into account when considering change. Most organisations have a process or procedure called ‘Change Management’ however is it a true reflection on how they actually manage change? One is a document which explains a series of steps to undertake, whereas the Management of Change is a wider-ranging need to ensure that the initial driver i.e. progress is achieved, adding value to the organisation in a manner that eliminates or reduces risk.
Furthermore when readdressing Change Management procedures, there are some additional challenges to consider. Technology now allows us to transmit massive amounts of data at the click of a mouse which is driving the behaviour of ‘over communicating’. Due to large file sizes reviewers can fail to pick up on key facts (or changes), which are lost amongst reams of supporting information. In this instance improved communication need not mean communicating more information, just more relevant information!
Overall successful change management must address both the behaviours and the practises of the people who are implementing the change and also consider the people affected by that change. Failure to do so could well be the reason why so many changes fail to deliver. Perhaps we do need to look at the concept of ‘Change’ from a different perspective for, as the George Bernard Shaw quote ends, ‘…those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything!’
- Chris Docherty is Managing Director and Dean Wiseman is a Director at FQM Ltd., a Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Consultancy and Training organisation. For more information visit http://www.fqmltd.com