Change Management - do we really need that "fluffy" intangible stuff?
Ron Leeman
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This article is a kind of prequel to my previous article called “?????? ???? ?????? ???????????????? ?????????????????????????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ???? ???????? ???? ?????????????? ???????????????????? ???? ?????????????? ?????????????? ??????????????” ...
But why should we need to?
By now, with all the evidence that abounds, stating how important Change Management is to change success, it should be a no-brainer. I’ve mentioned it a zillion times in my posts (slight exaggeration), in answer to other posts, I also bang on about it throughout my training (as I do involvement … co-creation, collaboration etc) but does anyone from that esteemed bunch called the C Suite listen? Some do but the majority don’t. In my mind, they are too preoccupied with the constant bombardment of companies offering them their latest wares aka AI, RPA, and ERP to name but a few. Their minds get filled with suppliers b/s presentations and demo’s and they think this is the answer to their prayers because they need to be seen to be keeping ahead of the tech curve.
My view is that the C Suite mostly consist of what I call "Tech Heads" and the impact on people is rarely considered at this stage. Sad but true, believe me.
I think we all agree that for transformation/change to be successful it needs to start from the top of the tree with the individuals who set strategy and allocate resources. This will include determining budgets for different aspects of the project of which one should be Change Management but alas on many occasions it isn’t. Some while ago Gartner recommended allocating 15% (minimum) of the overall system implementation budget to Change Management. Additional studies have found that 77% of businesses allocate up to 30% of their budget to an OCM consultant. Considering the importance of a Change Manager to a successful change outcome I personally think a figure of between 20% and 25% is realistic. Having said that there is no real correlation between the project cost and the cost of the Change Manager. If you are going to hire one then you need to determine exactly what it is you want them to do. Seems simple enough or is it.
We all know (don’t we?), and also in my experience, the C Suite is sadly lacking in their understanding of Change Management so will have difficulty trying to decide what their responsibilities will be and then allocate a suitable budget. Just for starters Change Managers consider things like:
This lack of understanding could also sway the C Suite to not even consider a Change Manager at all and go ahead and use a Project Manager who has probably had some minimal experience of real Change Management. Believe me this is not a good idea hence my previous article mentioned above.
I also refer to Episode 01 of Leeman and Greens Change Management Unplugged … PM vs CM
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There is still a belief that Change Management is a bit “fluffy” and to an extent cannot be measured through tangible performance indicators. How wrong they are.
If you think about it you can measure:
Leadership by managers from the C-suite through all levels of the organisations plays a powerful role in effective Change Management. However, at times, some leaders’ approach to Change Management can actually hamper the organisation’s efforts rather than help create a successful outcome. Executives who look beyond in-fighting or individual career objectives to keep everyone focused on the ultimate Business Benefits make the process more effective. Leaders who don’t step into the discomfort of changing their own behaviour to lead the execution of change will find that what they’re waiting for will never come. If you expect emotional and behavioral change in others, you must first expect it of yourselves (one of my many mantras).
So, basically, we shouldn’t still be having to try and convince the C Suite to get behind Change Management but alas (again) we still do.
What are your thoughts?
Business Transformation & Analysis, Focus on Operations, Services & Training
1 年Ron Leeman, Excellent Article All the failing, and by that I mean not being able to measure or realize the benefits of transformation, projects have 1 major challenge - the lack of time, investment, resources and consideration given to Change Management. Yet the projects that have embraced change management, or have been saved by change managers, are those where managers soon become evangelists for change management. Well-executed change management is critical to the success of any type of transformation. (By well-executed I mean change managers who go beyond putting together some online training modules and think that is change management!)
Building a start-up fintech | Programme Director | Operations Director | SaaS | Blockchain | Building smarter digital workflows for capital risk management
1 年Ron Leeman Thanks for tagging me. Glad you found my post interesting.
CEO, Founder @ Change Rebellion | Change & Transformation | Lover of all things cheese
1 年Great article and as you’ll have seen from my post yesterday I totally agree with you. If I had a pound for everytime someone said fluffy, I’d be a very rich man, also an annoyed one but all the same very rich! It’s incredible we’re still having the same battle with organisations all these years later.