Enable change by including PEOPLE

In today’s world, the new constant in our personal, social and work lives is ‘change’.  We have seen our parents, friends and peers go through major restructures, change in work practices, emerging and dying industries and the introduction of more flexibility and instability in our work and personal lives.  Significant change in technology, economics, generational preferences, the way we do business and globalisation dynamics means that we need to think, act and do differently to ride the change wave.  That means we need to understand the change benefits, their implications, embrace them and go with the flow rather than resist change.

The current buzz words in our world are all about how we can adapt without resistance and despair.  Terms like how to be ‘agile’, ‘resilient’, ‘inspired’, ‘purposeful’, 'accepting and adapting to change' and yet 'keeping it simple in a world of complexity'. These now form the current business mantra!  Easier said than done. 

Did you know that nearly two-thirds of the following major changes in organizations fail? 

• re-engineering project success 

• mergers covering their costs

• quality improvements worth the effort; and 

• major software applications worth the cost.  

Fortune 500 executives recently said that resistance was the primary reason changes failed. 

We are all human and the majority of us say we can deal with change until it actually occurs.  The thought of change can, for some, be a ‘God send’ and for others it can lead to ‘dread, despair, denial’ and 'resistance'.  It depends on our past experiences and our innate responses of either fight or flight as well as how well we have been supported through the change in the past.  

Rick Maurer, a US based and established global leading change expert in his recent book “Beyond the wall of resistance” outlines the main reasons for people’s resistance to change at 3 levels. These being: 

Level 1: People don’t get it (Intellectual)      
Level 2: People don’t like it (Emotional)

Level 3: People don’t like you (Personal)  

The key for Change Agents is to engage all stakeholders that will be instrumental to make the successful change. They need to be able to understand the need, the sense of urgency, their part in the process and to feel this need with their hearts.  So, no matter what the change program is, it needs to really consider the Major Project plan and management approach for a success outcome. The change project leader and team will need to have engaged, focused and supportive people as part of its core . Without the people’s hearts, minds and hands being engaged to enable change, forget even doing the change.

As an experienced auditor, chief risk officer, project governance expert and board member, I have always said that the focus of a change program needs to be about systems, process and please don't forget the PEOPLE:

1. Proper planning and project management disciplines - in terms of governance, project scope approach and key challenges to be addressed leads to successful project performance; and
2. PEOPLE (within your organisation and also external stakeholders and customers / clients) will make or break an organisation. What is needed is involvement in terms of communication, understanding, engagement, support, training and successful change enablement.

The fundamental shift in change models that I have observed over the past 5 years is the focus on bringing along people and treat them as part of the solution. Instead of the process driving the solution without the people being engaged, supported and united.

The culture drive to clearly communicate to all key stakeholders: the why, what and how, by providing clarity, inspiration and motivation is now ‘King’. In relation to PEOPLE, current leading change experts recognise the importance of Change Agent skills encompassing leading and motivating people, communicating and engaging key stakeholder hearts, minds and hands on the reason for the change and their contribution. 

Of course there are processes that we can utilise to strategise, plan, monitor progress and support change. We just need to field an effective change management approach (eg. Prof John Kotter’s 8 step leading change model and Prosci’s Enterprise Change Management Model) and Project governance and management model (eg Prince2 / PMBok) tailored for your organisation's needs.  

Remember PEOPLE will make or break the difference.  Engage them to transform your organisation and deliver your project outcomes!