Times, they are a chang'in

One of the toughest things to deal with as an agent for change is how people deal with change.

As any type of manager, we constantly look for efficiencies.
Even leaving "process innovation" and its goal of 10x change out of the equation, there are significant gains to be had by implementing a continuous improvement program. Whatever system we are working with, near the top of our managerial todo list must be improvement. This means process efficiency.

Efficiency comes in many flavors and doing a deep-dive into current processes gives us the insights needed to streamline and make better. However, a mistake is to think that our changes (no matter how nobel) are going to be accepted. We have to understand what we are asking and plan strategically for the implementation.

There are two types of change: technical and adaptive.

Making technical change is about picking up efficiency by shifting process - an example would be moving from sticky notes on a white board to a computerized system like Jira. This requires a change in process and tools and will certainly add the benefit of visibility. It will also make backup and arching easier. It won't however force anyone to think differently.

Making adaptive change requires an underlying shift in what people believe. This may come is the form of relinquishing power over certain functions and changing scope on the way their team contributes to projects.

Lets consider a fictitious sales manager who is used to acting as de facto project manager.

In this capacity, project changes to support sales get weighted heavily.

This most likely will frustrate an efficient project delivery.

Changing project leadership from the sales manager to the project manager will force everyone on the tea to behave differently. We clearly see the benefits of this change with more timely deliveries, clear project scope, less stress on the teams, improved customer satisfaction. The sales manager (and maybe even the team) however may find it difficult to ADAPT.

As champions of change, we have been given a mandate for improvement that we are happy to accept. After all, inspiring program efficiency is a worthwhile task and a satisfying aspect of our career. However, strategic change is prudent. Take the time to demonstrate your value first. Plan your changes over time. Remember, the mandate and promise of senior management support today can go away tomorrow if too many feathers are ruffled in the process.

Good luck!