Change and Transition Management


Models of change abound; many with step-by-step instructions that are based on generic situations and descriptions that are so general and high level that they are almost impossible to apply.  Here's what I focus on:


Principles

not models

Models oversimplify the complex array of human responses during change that influence change outcomes.  Principles, on the other hand, allow us to look for trends and types of behaviors and possibilities for what triggered them.  Applying principles more appropriately reflect what can have positive impacts during a time that is, by its very definition, unpredictable and uncertain.


Context

not culture

Organization culture has been identified as the intractable and immovable force in organizations, even in the face of data and evidence that show organizations as open systems, interacting constantly with their environment and evolving accordingly.  By understanding context, you can demystify why collective behaviors sometimes run contrary to what is desired (and even counter to the people's own best interests.)

Read more about context vs. culture here.

People

not Project Management

There has been a disappointing trend in change management that has taken people out of the equation.  This new view emphasizes changing IT systems, tying up loose ends and training people.  But, that is just good project management.  When it came on the scene, over 30 years ago, Change Management 1.0 made a clear and compelling argument that people are key to any organization change's success and I still believe it today. 


Reality, not ruse


Change and Transition Management should not be a single swim-lane on a project gant chart.  Getting people's "buy-in" is only appropriate if you are trying to "sell" something, not transform an organization.  Too often, consideration of people is either back-burnered in favor of achieving a more visible goal or is reduced to an oversimplification that maybe more palatable, but it is not realistic, nor is it sustainable.  Surveys regarding employee engagement put it at around 30% as of 2014.  Could this be the reason?

 

If you would like to bring a more realistic approach to change to your organization and build internal capability, contact Terry.  


 

Have you given up on change management because

  • you haven't seen it work
  • you've developed a certain level of cynicism and figure people will eventually "get over it"
  • you've had experience with consultants who bring a cast of thousands but not much depth or expertise?

Contact Terry for skill building, consulting or improving overall organization capabilities around change:

TerryMroczek@gmail.com

Resistance is a key area of interest in change management and there are some new interpretations around it that could actually be making it worse.

Check out Terry's article:

Stop Referring to People Who See Negatives in Change as "Resistors".

Click here for Part 1