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The disciplines of change management and project management in specific have become the backbone of how organisations introduce a new and better way of order. Whether implementing new technology, merging or acquiring businesses, reengineering business processes or completely changing a business model; project management provides the structure, tools and processes to ensure the initiative is designed, developed and deployed effectively. However, whilst business executives prepare their organisations for the fundamental change, they often underestimate the human nature aspect of the change that requires change management, which can result in projects not achieving the intended results and outcomes.
This is where the discipline of change management comes into effect, managing the emotions and resultant behaviours of those affected by the change. Project and change management are complimentary disciplines; with project management focusing on the effective execution of the change, and change management centered around people embracing and adopting the change. Change management provides the tools and processes such as communication, sponsorship, coaching, training and resistance management for addressing the people side of business changes.
Change management helps business leaders understand the organisational and employee readiness for change by considering the size and timing of the change, the culture and value systems and the adaptability and capacity to change. Integrating change management with project management means that project obstacles and risks can be identified and the right actions can be taken proactively to mitigate project risks.
Many projects only initiate change management when the project is two-thirds of the way through, usually as the team prepare for implementation. Equally, business goals are often not aligned with the reality on the ground. So as projects progress through their lifecycle, people issues start to arise that hamper project success, such as complacency or resistance. This often causes project delays which can be prevented if change management is integrated in the early stages of the project. Implementing change early in a project provides the opportunity to encourage employee input in the initial planning phase. This is critical for gaining credibility, identifying potential resistance and preparing employees for what’s coming.
In many cases, projects are delegated to middle management with Project Managers not having legitimate or formal power over project team members. Because of this, team members and others may not see the importance or priority of the project. One of the key constructs of change management is defining project sponsorship and responsibilities, ensuring projects are supported from the highest level in the organisation. The higher the leader of the change process, the better the chance of success.
Inherently employees often don’t see the need for change, especially if the business is doing well. Employees therefore need to be adequately prepared for change to ensure successful adoption. Key to preparing employees is communicating the benefits of the change. Importantly though communicating benefits that motivate employees to invest themselves in the change. Change management helps translate corporate speak into terms that resonate with employees emotionally, for example “we are implementing a new system that will increase productivity” to “you no longer need to capture customer data twice”.
Preparing employees for the change means changing thinking and behaviours associated with the current state, to thinking and behaviours required for a future state. This means ensuring employees have the right knowledge, skills and abilities to increase the probability of project success. As the business moves through the change initiative, change management focuses on building employee confidence in the change through encouraging input, constant and effective communication, managing resistance, training and education.
The disciplines of project management and change management focus on delivering a sustainable solution. Sustainability is about keeping the organisation from moving back to the old ways during and after the change. Creating quick wins throughout the duration of the project helps sustain the change initiative as it creates a positive perception of the future state. When employees see that the future state is possible, they are more likely to invest effort in the change process. Once the change initiative is implemented, change techniques used through the project lifecycle such as engagement, communication and training help sustain the change.
Project management and change management are intrinsically linked in creating a structured approach to drive business improvement. Whilst project management deals with the technical aspect of the improvement, change deals with the human aspect of improvement. Integrated effectively they can create sustainable results for a business.
