How do you manage change and resistance in service development projects?

1 Kotter's 8-Step Change Model

One of the most widely used and respected models for change management is Kotter's 8-Step Change Model, developed by Harvard professor John Kotter. This model outlines a series of steps that can help you create a sense of urgency, build a coalition, communicate a vision, empower action, generate short-term wins, consolidate gains, and anchor the change in the culture. By following these steps, you can overcome complacency, resistance, and inertia, and create a momentum for change.

2 Lewin's Change Management Model

Another classic model for change management is Lewin's Change Management Model, proposed by psychologist Kurt Lewin. This model simplifies the change process into three stages: unfreeze, change, and refreeze. The unfreeze stage involves preparing the organization for change by challenging the status quo, creating awareness, and reducing resistance. The change stage involves implementing the new behaviors, processes, and systems that support the desired outcomes. The refreeze stage involves stabilizing the change and reinforcing it with rewards, feedback, and policies.

3 ADKAR Model

A more recent and popular model for change management is the ADKAR Model, developed by Prosci, a leading research and consultancy firm. ADKAR stands for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement, and represents the five elements that individuals need to successfully change. By assessing and addressing each element, you can help your team members understand the need for change, develop a positive attitude, acquire the necessary skills, apply the new behaviors, and sustain the change over time.

4 Service Leadership Framework

Besides managing change and resistance, you also need to foster a service culture that encourages innovation and improvement. One way to do this is to adopt a service leadership framework that guides your actions and decisions as a project leader. A service leadership framework is a set of principles and practices that help you create value for your customers and stakeholders, align your team and organization around a common purpose and vision, and empower your team members to collaborate and co-create solutions.

5 SERVQUAL Model

Another way to foster a service culture is to use a service quality model that helps you measure and improve the quality of your service delivery. One of the most widely used and validated models is the SERVQUAL Model, developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry. This model measures the gap between the expectations and perceptions of customers on five dimensions: reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. By identifying and closing the gaps, you can enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

6 Service Blueprint

A final tool that can help you foster a service culture is a service blueprint, which is a visual representation of the service process, the customer journey, and the interactions between them. A service blueprint helps you map out the front-stage and back-stage activities, the touchpoints and channels, the physical and digital evidence, and the pain points and opportunities for improvement. By using a service blueprint, you can design and deliver a seamless and consistent service experience for your customers.