Diary of A Rookie Project ManAGER 49

ENTRY 49

Monday, IX-IV

Dear Diary,

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Woody Williams once said, "Operations keep the lights on, Strategy provides a light at the end of the tunnel. Project management is the train engine that moves the organization forward." Strategies help the project manager unite the project team and understand stakeholders' needs and requirements. However, in a rapidly changing world with evolving stakeholder needs, I can't help but wish for things to slow down a bit. Why is everything moving so fast?

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Plateau State has undergone a significant change in its government, with a new State governor, commissioners, lawmakers, and officers in various government parastatals. Additionally, there's a new, unfriendly rise in gasoline prices leading to an increased cost of foodstuff. Adapting to this change poses a challenge.

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This morning, while driving to work and humming to a sweet musical tone on the radio to maintain my sanity, I pondered the pace of change. I started the day with a forced plastic smile, not fooling a street urchin at a traffic light who approached my truck with an extended, bony hand, pushing a dirty aluminum bowl, and asking for money. "Oga, smile today. God will bless you, God will give you money," he said. I dropped a Hundred Naira bill in his bowl, appreciating his deception detection skill, hoping the light would turn green quickly before attracting more beggars.

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The project site has been unusually quiet for some months as the focus shifts to the finishing stages before installing medical equipment. The sudden calmness in what used to be a noisy environment is quite dramatic.

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Mr. Tenshak visited to take photographs, expressing his satisfaction with the work progress. Despite being aware that we were two weeks behind schedule, I concealed my self-disappointment and embraced his praise. As he explored the administrative area, envisioning his future office, I sensed a mix of happiness for the change and sadness about the financial impact of commuting from "Faringada" to Bukuru.

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We discussed the impending change and its potential impact on the team. I believe there should be some form of change management by the firm to facilitate a smooth transition. Whether it will be smooth remains uncertain, but Mr. Tenshak and I touched on the subject, contemplating the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Change management refers to the structured process and strategies that organizations use to manage the transition from the current state to a desired future state. It involves planning, implementing, and guiding individuals, teams, and the entire organization through changes in processes, technologies, structures, or work cultures. The goal of change management is to minimize resistance, disruptions, and negative impacts that often accompany changes, and to ensure the successful adoption and integration of new practices or initiatives this new project would offer.

Change management recognizes that people are a critical component of any organizational change, and their attitudes, behaviors, and buy-in play significant roles in the success of the change effort. It focuses on addressing both the practical and emotional aspects of change, helping employees and stakeholders understand the need for change, and guiding them through the process in a way that minimizes resistance and maximizes engagement.

Some key principles and activities of change management that Dr. Pam may undertake would include:

Communication: Transparent and consistent communication is essential to inform employees both clinical and administrative staff as well as service staff about the reasons for the change, the benefits, and the expected impact.

Change Leadership: Effective leadership at all levels of the organization is crucial to guide, support, and champion the change effort. I believe the Trauma Center when in operation would add more departments to the existing organizational structure with team or department leads.

Assessment and Planning: Assessing the organization's readiness for change, understanding the current culture, and creating a comprehensive plan that outlines the change's scope, timeline, resources, and potential risks should have started by now.

Training and Skill Development: Providing necessary training and development opportunities to help employees acquire the skills and knowledge needed to adapt to the changes they will meet at the Trauma Center. This is very important because of some disruptive technology we adopted like IoT.

Addressing Resistance: Identifying and addressing sources of resistance to change, whether they are due to fear of the unknown, loss of control, or other factors.

Monitoring and Feedback: Continuously monitoring the progress of the change effort and collecting feedback from employees to make adjustments as needed.

Celebrating Success: Recognizing and celebrating milestones and achievements throughout the change process to boost morale and maintain momentum. Take them to the resort for a Suya and Masa Night for team building activities

Sustaining Change: Implementing strategies to ensure that the changes become a part of the organization's new normal and are not abandoned once the initial enthusiasm wanes. No more paper files and large storage cabinets.

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Mr. Tenshak was nodding his head and I could read the fears in his gestures but I know he is a bold man who could adapt to such changes. However, we have some of the Change Management Models which we they could adapt.

A.????? Kotter's 8-Step Change Model: Developed by John Kotter, this model emphasizes the importance of creating a sense of urgency, building a guiding coalition, and maintaining a clear vision throughout the change process. The eight steps are:

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·?????? Create urgency

·?????? Form a powerful coalition

·?????? Create a vision for change

·?????? Communicate the vision

·?????? Remove obstacles

·?????? Create short-term wins

·?????? Build on the change

·?????? Anchor the changes in corporate culture

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B.????? Lewin's Change Management Model: Kurt Lewin's model focuses on three stages of change:

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Unfreeze: Preparing the organization for change by breaking down existing mindsets and behaviors. Unfreezing of their solid frozen Berom ways

Change: Implementing the desired changes.

Refreeze: Stabilizing the organization in its new state and reinforcing the changes.

C.????? ADKAR Model: Developed by Prosci, this model focuses on individual change and has five key elements:

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Awareness: Understanding why change is necessary.

Desire: Developing a personal motivation for the change.

Knowledge: Acquiring the necessary information and skills.

Ability: Demonstrating the capability to implement the change.

Reinforcement: Sustaining the change over time.

D.???? McKinsey 7-S Model: This model, developed by McKinsey & Company, considers seven interrelated factors that need to be aligned for serious strategic successful change. They all start with the letter “S”:

-Strategy

-Structure

-Systems

-Shared values

-Skills

-Staff

-Style

E. THE SATIR CHANGE MODEL: Developed by Virginia Satir, this model focuses on the emotional and psychological aspects of change. It consists of five stages:

1. Late Status Quo: The current state before change is initiated.

2. Resistance: Initial resistance to change.

3. Chaos: A period of confusion and uncertainty during change. Like what Mr. Tenshak is facing and I hope I have not traumatized him.

4. Integration: Adapting to the new way of doing things.

5. New Status Quo: Achieving stability and a new normal.

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F. PROSCI'S 3-PHASE PROCESS: Prosci's approach to change management involves three phases:

1. Preparing for change: Understanding the need for change and preparing the organization and its leaders.

2. Managing change: Executing change plans and addressing resistance.

3. Reinforcing change: Ensuring that the change is sustained and becomes the new norm.

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G. BRIDGES' TRANSITION MODEL: William Bridges' model focuses on the psychological and emotional aspects of change and has three stages:

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1.????? Ending, Losing, and Letting Go: Coping with the end of the old way.

2.????? The Neutral Zone: A period of confusion and uncertainty.

3.????? The New Beginning: Embracing the new way of doing things.

Each of these models offers a different perspective on change management, and the choice of model Dr. Pam would adopt depends on the specific needs and context of their organization undergoing the change or transformation from where they had been to where they are going in Bukuru. Some organizations even combine elements from multiple models to create a customized approach to change management.

Anyway, when we get to the bridge, we would cross it. Planning is needed and I guess that was what I did in preparing the minds of Mr. Tenshak.

#projectmanagement

#diaryofarookie

#changemanagement

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