The Future for Change Managers
Dr Steve Barlow
Leadership Development, Business Growth, Workplace Wellness - A Change Readiness Approach
There are many natural change leaders who are not managers, let alone change managers. They influence change in organic ways and are instrumental to the success of change projects. On the other hand, those who typically resist change significantly contribute to poor outcomes.
There is talk, especially in the wake of Covid-19, that we are all change agents and, to some extent, change leaders. After all, we have all had to adapt to crisis and we are all required to adapt to disruptive change. Some have gone as far as to say that the field of change management is dead or no longer relevant, because we should all be able to adapt to change without any assistance from change professionals.
Well, not so fast.
Here are 3 reasons why you as a change manager deserve your place as a respected professional. We will look at a fourth reason soon, but let’s first consider these:
- You are valuable because you have specialist knowledge and training based on over 70 years of research into how to manage change. We might all be change agents, but that doesn’t mean we are all equally knowledgeable or experienced in managing change projects. Your knowledge and expertise has been developed and handed down over decades, and it is a very valuable asset. Others would do well to respect that.
- You are valuable because it is not only your knowledge, skills, and experience that is valuable. What is even more valuable is your ability to apply and adapt that knowledge to any situation. This is not a one-size-fits-all scenario. You know how to take the tools of your profession and apply them to different circumstances – something that is both art and science. That makes you valuable to any organisation.
- You are valuable because you’re a change management professional by choice. You’re not a generic ‘change agent’ just like everyone else. No, you chose to develop skills and knowledge in this field. In some way, it reflects who you are as a person. It is that ‘fit’ that makes you valuable.
Change managers should be confident and bold in this time of crisis and disruptive change, recognising you are uniquely placed to play a pivotal role in the future of business and society.
However, a word of caution. As professionals, we rightly take pride in who we are and the value of what we do. But what makes us valuable is not directly what makes us successful.
We are valuable because we have specialist knowledge, we take that knowledge and apply it across situations, and because this profession captivates us. But we are successful because stakeholders change how they think and how they behave, and they do so within the designated limits of the project.
So, your value is directly associated with you, but your success is dependent on others. You want to be a successful change manager, but the change limitations of your stakeholder group may be the major thing standing in the way of success. If you want to increase your value to any organisation, I suggest you deepen your understanding of what happens when people change and what they need to keep moving forward towards success.
People and change. I believe that if you truly want to improve your professional status, the best thing you can do is to improve your understanding of what empowers people to succeed at change.
That is much easier said than done. But you are not alone and we can help you.
Let me tie together what I am saying in this article. There are two bodies of knowledge. One relates to how people manage change. Key thinkers in this area are people like Kurt Lewin and John Kotter. This is what is taught in most change management courses.
The other body of knowledge relates to the psychology of change and what makes people successful (or unsuccessful) at it. This is a much newer field of study and is also less known. It is usually not taught adequately (or even at all) in most change management courses.
The brightest future for change managers lies in combining these two bodies of knowledge. When you do that, you have the power to understand and influence not only what you do as a manager, but also what stakeholders do. This gives you greater control over change outcomes.
And that also sets you further apart from all those generic ‘change agents’.
This is a complex area and you will certainly need some help getting to where you need to be. But if you want to learn more about it and secure your future as a leader in the change management space, reach out to me and let’s have a chat.
Steve Barlow is a change readiness specialist and works in the change management field.
Coach | Father | Entrepreneur
3 年Love this article, thanks for sharing!
Good pitch Steve. Change 'management', like much management science is rooted in traditional Industrial Revolution and Manufacturing models that have arguably never had a lot to do with the systems of Nature that rule our ever more rapidly changing world. I agree with Hatem Shehab in an earlier response about the essence of change being behavioural and that sort of change is not linear and not homogenous. Herrero agrees and suggests change is largely viral and that we need to turn some of our thinking on its head. Just as with the coaching industry, I think the focus for change 'management' will increasingly turn to building change capability into the base skills of staff across the organisation and away from the idea of specialist teams. You are clearly on the front foot with this and I'm with you all the way. Good fortune to you.
Human Capital Consulting | Transformation, Culture & Change Management | ROI Consulting
4 年Great insights Dr Steve Barlow. In fact I strongly believe that the only real change is behavioural change. ? In a change management methodology, we can map new processes and re-arrange the organization chart, revitalize the business delivery model, install new ERP software and explain to people why this is good and necessary for them and the organization, create a massive PR and communication campaign and conduct training, etc. Perhaps we have done this already but still see that many people hang on to the old ways of doing things. That is because the behavioural aspect of change was compromised. Unless new behaviours have become the norm, one should not claim that he has successfully managed or implemented real change. If you want a new culture, change behaviours, as culture is not created by training and communication campaigns. Change managers and leaders need to develop their competencies on behavioural change and behavioural communication.
I help Owners of Million Dollar businesses to the Next Million with more Profit and less Stress | Your Business is Your Most Valuable Asset | Profit Mentor | Advisory Board | Mastermind Chair | Executive Leadership
4 年Interesting article Dr Steve, the more change that permeates our world the more immune people get to bothering to understand it. However: ... Success always comes first to those open to question, understand, plan and act - and getting that right is always faster with professional input.
Coach and Mentor for high performing specialists transitioning and growing into leadership and leaders looking to refocus and regain their sense of balance in their role
4 年You are dead right that connecting with different peoples' perspectives is important. One size doesn't fit all. The different experiences we bring and our awareness of how people approach change are important.