Synergy Unleashed: Unifying Project Management (PM) and Change Management (CM) - A Recipe for Workplace Success

The World is changing, and it will continue to change even at a faster pace in the

years to come. However, change is not easy, rather it is frequently caused by

stress, exhaustion, anxiety, delays, and occasionally even total failure. After all,

the COVID-19 epidemic serves as an excellent example of how swiftly the world

changed and how fast organizations were able to adapt to manage the change

as the new normal. Gone are the?days?when organizations could have dealt

with?changes at a clunky and slow-paced mechanism. Nowadays, it’s all about

being change-ready and developing an agile mindset. According to Dr John

Kotter, change capability is the most important missing competency for today’s

leaders. It is challenging for leaders to envision and foretell future events with

any degree of accuracy; forecasting how present-day hidden currents may

indicate future changes. As we navigate the tumultuous tides of change,

individuals and leaders must be willing and able to continuously change, evolve,

and adapt their personal and business strategies effectively. They must identify

the most critical change variables, monitor those variables, and anticipate any

unintended consequences of those changes. However, the new standards are

larger, quicker, more intricate, and require a cross-functional and

multidisciplinary change.

First, it is important to understand the change at the most basic and simplistic

level possible. By?having a basic grasp of the change fundamentals, individuals

and organizations can better anticipate, prepare for, and?manage?the challenges

and opportunities that come with the change itself. Change is a project, initiative,

or solution that is introduced or implemented into the organization or in one’s

personal life to improve productivity, resolve issues, or seize opportunities.

Almost every?project,?initiative,?or solution that improves?an organization’s

health or individual’s life impacts the way?employees do their?daily?work.

However, a?very?useful?way of understanding the process of change?in?people,

groups, and organizations is the “change curve”. This is also called the “transition

curve”, “adaptive cycle” or “human response to change” derived from the

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1969) work, who observed individuals in the process of

coping with death and bereavement. The patterns she observed provide

important insight into people’s experience of change which involves letting go of

the current state (or past) through a transition and encourages them to engage

with a different future state (Figure 1). Any change event that occurs has the

potential to upend or disturb individual performance, undermine organizational

trust, and reduce performance. Significant performance improvements can be

achieved through effective change management at the future state performance

levels exceeding current performance levels. However, change is not even one

directional, linear, or smooth event, but rather a series of transition processes

that come together to move an individual, an organization, and its stakeholders

from their current state to a desired future state.

However, change is a very personal thing that is always embraced for valid

reasons, with the goal of achieving the desired result. Effective change leads to

behavioral, emotional, psychological, and cultural changes within an individual

and an organization. Therefore, individuals or organizations aiming to grow and

develop must view managing change as a recurring element of their personal,

professional, or business strategy rather than as a sporadic, one-time activity.

This requires to have a clear understanding of what is the change and how to manage the change (Change Management) journey.

Lets dive into it for a moment!

What is Change Management (CM)?

Change management (CM) involves supporting those individuals who are

impacted by the change, through the transition from a current state to a future

state. This desires the application of a structured methodology to transition an

individual, group, or organization from its current state to its future state to

achieve expected benefits (the so-called “People Side of Change”), while

reducing the chance of unanticipated outcomes and the disturbance.

Some people will argue and view change management as an entirely soft and

fluffy alternative to project management, but I want to argue the opposite.

Change management is not a separate discipline but rather forms a core part of

the project management discipline. Prosci introduced the Unified Value

Proposition (UVP) framework, which summarizes the change management (CM)

on a single page. The UVP framework stresses the need to consider both the

technical (project management side) and the human (people) side of the change

as necessary disciplines with a comment objective to achieve organizational

benefits. Figure 2 below shows the Proci’s UVP framework. Cornellius?Fichtner

once said, ‘’The P in PM refers to both people management and project

management.” Successful project management involves not only managing

tasks, deadlines, and resources (the traditional aspect of project management),

but also effectively managing the people involved in the project and ensuring

that they are motivated, engaged, and working effectively towards the desired

goals.?

Balancing both Technical and People side of the change?

In reality, project management (PM) and change management (CM) are two

necessary ends of the skills spectrum. At the PM end, we have a very highly

technical approach where we design, develop, and deliver change that

concentrates on corralling people, setting deadlines, and measuring budgets. It

is reasonably simple to identify a problem if newly purchased equipment or

software is inoperable on the technical side. Occasionally, a change affects?only

a?few people and is entirely?technical. Whereas at the other (CM) end of the

spectrum, we have soft/or human skills where individuals/employees are

empowered and encouraged to adopt, engage, and leverage (use) change in

their daily work while managing their emotions and behaviors. Problems

related?to the?people?side of?change are even harder to identify whether the

change has significantly impacted people’s current roles, work systems, and

relationships. And, undoubtedly, each of us can find one part of the spectrum

better suiting our approach, skill set, and preferences better than others.

The current trend suggests that project teams in small and medium-sized

organizations implementing change must consider both the technical and

people side of the change in a UVP Framework. Any change is challenging, and

we tend?to focus only on the technical?aspects?of?change, which, although

incredibly difficult, are usually "easier"?than changing?people's hearts,?minds,

and?behaviors. Failing to address the?people’s aspects?of?change increases the

likelihood that affected individuals will not adopt the?new system or way

of?working, especially if similar change plans?have failed?in the past.

Therefore, for leaders, project managers, and professionals to be truly?effective in

their lives, roles, and responsibilities, they?must be able to?work across the whole

UVP spectrum, integrate and bring balance between project management and

change management as an integral part.

How to Elevate Change Management Skills?

Nothing could be further from the truth because, as Robert Greene, a well-

known author for his work on strategy, power, and seduction said, the future

belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways. This

makes us all to be somewhat experts in change management, just as we attempt

to become experts in the technical side of the UVP framework such as quality

management, stakeholder engagement, risk management, crisis management,

and all the other project management disciplines and knowledge areas. Old-

school leadership philosophies required everyone to conform to the holdover of

the command-and-control system in the organizations.

In today’s fast-paced world of contemporary business, change management

continues to be a strong pillar supporting organizations negotiating tumultuous

shifts and transformation initiatives. If we reflect on the strides made over the

past year, marked by unprecedented global challenges, and accelerated digital

transformation, it has become more and more clear that the gusts of change are

rapid digital revolutions, it is becoming more and more clear that the winds of

changes that continue to blow with relentless force. For organizations to thrive in

the face of unprecedented global challenges and accelerated digital

transformation, they must unleash the power within the organization strategies

by concentrating the leadership abilities on creating the structures and

mechanisms that allow the people's skills to provide high value at the

appropriate time is a more contemporary (and agile!) approach to leadership.

They must redefine success in terms of performance management, transparency,

and sustainability, positioning themselves to succeed in an ever-changing

business environment characterized by change, innovation, and resilience. This

will enable individuals and teams to deliver value quickly and collaborate with

other teams to optimize business outcomes within the organization.

Ultimately, the Unified Value Proposition (UVP) Framework that integrates PM

and CM aids in achieving success in the workplace. It helps businesses to deliver

successful projects, quickly adjust to changes, and develop a workforce that is

resilient enough to thrive in changing conditions. In today's business world,

embracing this synergy is a strategic requirement rather than just a prescription

for success.