I enjoy the debate about whether Change fatigue is really a thing or whether it is simply a myth. Change is a constant in business, however if it is not led well or managed well, frustration sets in. Remember what it feels like when something is just 'dumped' on you or your team without notice? Where your leader's instructions were pretty much that you had to suck it up and get on with it even though it makes no sense to anyone? So my hypothesis is that people aren't fatigued by change, but they will be fatigued by poorly led and poorly managed change.

Just imagine in an organisation where that happens over and over. Last minute briefings, poor information shared where someone presents to your team about information that isn't relevant to them and then they can't answer the questions that are sensible to ask? 

Like groundhog day - no matter who you give feedback to, the people who are delivering change aren't listening and just keep releasing poorly developed fixes that...

In Part 1 we covered the areas to investigate when you have been engaged to 'fix' a change that has gone awry! 

So now let's see what actions to take, and who should take them if you have areas to 'fix' and fast.

Revisiting Scope: When it comes to reviewing scope the question to ask is was what was left out of the scope that should have been addressed? Many times the scope missed out on one of these elements which impacts the change. This sits with the Project or Program Manager.

Be sure the program scope covers the following:

Policy or procedure changes necessary

Process changes

People changes if needed

Technology change, as well as addressing possible migrations and transitions from old to new.

If there is a change strategy you need to be clear as to the Change scope. Does it include change and communications interventions and any Capability uplift deliverables.

If this is a large change it is worth comparing both the program and change plans to make sure all scope items are...

So you have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in a new IT system only to find that it 'doesn't work' for the business. The operations teams are beside themselves, having to implement workarounds and fast. The project is now in 'crisis management' mode. Heads are rolling as the Executive team are asking the usual questions and looking for someone to blame amongst an operating crisis. 'Where is the change plan?' 'How did we not know that there was a risk with this system?' 'What are we doing to resolve this?'

Now these are broad questions, however it isn't too unfamiliar. Take it from someone who has walked into scenarios like this with a need to 'revisit' urgently a system rollout. Sometimes it takes the 'guise of a system 'improvement'.  Over time as a change expert, but also a program expert, you become familiar with the common weaknesses and mis-steps of poor rollouts. So it becomes easier to identify areas to be changed or revisited and fast. Needless to say the best...

'It's just a change of reporting line' he said. 'Here we go again,' I thought. So I took my time walking through the changes, the impacts and what would need to be done. Luckily by the end I also got the response I had hoped for 'I get it now'. Every now and then, the outcome is different. I get the first comment and no matter what I cover, the impacts won't be acknowledged. There is sometimes a preference to play down the change. And without doubt as the change process takes place, there is a reaction to the emotional push back and its intensity that is experienced. My comment in these instances is - well this change isn't about you, and people don't react how you would react, they react based on how they feel. The only hope I can have in those cases, is that when it happens again the same leader will pay more mind to their people.

When Leaders have a case of the 'Dory's'

Remember Dory from Finding Nemo? She had a very bad memory and this can also be case of many leaders when they...

In my latest episode of Next Level Change success, I share my thoughts on what it takes to be a great change practitioner. And it isn't probably what you are thinking. 

If you are a change practitioner, have a listen and see whether you agree. if you are hiring change managers, or you are a people leader of Change practitioners, then listen to this podcast to get some ideas on what you may be looking for.

2.09 We cover the three areas to consider.

2.50 Self-awareness and the life long journey in your career.

3:47 How self development added value to my role in identifying behaviours.

4:37 Perfection is an illusion and everyone has different reactions to change.

5:03 The importance of boundary setting and how it empowers people through change.

7:01 Diffusing situations, managing conflict, listening and building trust.The ability to handle stressful situations and self-regulate comes from working on yourself.

8.18 It helps if your purpose lines up with what you do.

9:45...

Change leadership is critical to create a sense of ownership and has a direct impact on outcomes as a result of a change being introduced. Change leadership frameworks are hard to find and that is because many organisations see good leadership IS being able to lead change well. And capability building is normally the first action taken to respond to this challenge. Whilst training in this area does build an awareness and improves capability but there are other elements that assist in facilitating effective change leadership.

The MVCM Change Leadership Framework covers all elements to be considered when venturing into Change with leaders.

So let's explore them in more depth in no particular order and without one being more important than the other to facilitate effective change leadership.

When leading change, context has to be considered. The context within the organisation in which the change is being rolled out. Context of the organisation within the industry itself in...

Do you lead change in your team or in your role as a leader? In this Episode we cover the three critical questions that you should be asking related to the change.

Highlights...

2.00 While we are approaching the festive break, the cut off for introducing change should be early November to allow for embedding change to take place up to Christmas. For many organisations though this is not the case.

3.40 The first question is about impacts. Who is impacted, and here is a hint, it is never just one group! 4.30 The change must be simple in the way it is communicated.

5.34 We over the 'when they....then they' method

6.12 What is the size of the impact.

7.00 Is this transformational?

7.30 The most important question as a change leader that indicates ownership.

8.24 The trend used to be to outsource change leadership to change managers, however this is also changing.

9.19 When asked, the third question reflects the behaviour you want from your change leaders.

...

Leaders are getting a bad wrap and in most organisations who aren't performing leadership is blamed. But what about in Programs? When projects are started, it is often a leader or a group of leaders who have decided that the project is needed and lead the funding push. When funds are awarded, a leader then plays a Project or Program Sponsorship role. 

Many times leaders are not equipped to take on that role as it is unclear as to their role and it's responsibility. So how much impact can a poor leader have?

So what should you expect from your leaders when it comes to sponsoring a program and looking to achieve outcomes for the organisation? What is reasonable?  Have a listen to the latest episode and you decide.

 On Apple Podcasts here or Spotify here.

Well here are some hints and tips and links to articles we cover which are related:

The critical role that leaders play in changing organisations

Is change leadership simply good leadership?

Visit us at ...

Over the many years of working in this field, in both change and project management, the resourcing required for programs is often an area of debate. When heading up a Change Practice, getting the blend of expertise as well as the right time to introduce a Change Manager into a program was also key. Unfortunately it became apparent that if you introduced a Change Manager into a program too early, it created tension if the program didn't have a business case or foundation on which to base the change.

But there are a number of factors to consider when looking at resourcing.

The size of the change. Size does matter in this case. The greater the impact, and depending on the existing resources to support the change internally, you will need adequate resource. The resource isn't there just to produce documents such as the change plan, impacts assessments etc. Change resource on major programs is the People change conductor as such. They are there to orchestrate and integrate the...

In this episode of Next Level Change Success,  we covered the dynamic duo of the Change Diamond of Program Effectiveness. Project Management and Change Management - the Yin and the Yang. There are a number of areas we explore on this topic.

What are the resource requirements and how do you get the right balance? What does Project Management cover vs. Change Management? And I talk about the importance of getting the right people for the right role, which is a shared challenge. However regardless of the resourcing mix, the functions and activities that Project Management covers, and what Change Management covers, mix to be a powerful combination to support your investment in projects and programs.

So when your organisation is investing money into projects and changes, the investment into the right capability mix to support the delivery and ultimately the adoption of the change is key to achieve outcomes.

Have a listen to the full Episode on Apple Podcasts here or on Spotify here....