When working with project teams, a common question I ask is, “What do you expect your biggest challenge will be?” Oftentimes they will say something like access to good data or the right data, time constraints, or shifting priorities. One that teams often overlook is Change Management. If the project team does not commit to it and plan for the various resistance that may occur throughout the project, the project will probably not succeed.
No matter how well analysis is completed or how attractive the solutions are perceived in the eyes of customers or senior management, problems may occur because of the following reasons:
- Cultural resistance to anything new
- Poor communication about the change
- A perception, real or imagined, that more work will be added due to the new process
- Lack of training on the new process and tools
- Poor planning and deployment
- Failure of the project team to understand the impact of the new process on employees and the organization
- Other reasons unique to your organization
Your project’s success will be driven by the support from key individuals throughout the organization. The project team’s communication and influence strategy needs to focus on:
- Individuals engaged directly in the initiative
- Individuals who can have an impact on the success of implementation
These individuals are often referred to as stakeholders. Stakeholders include any individuals who have a stake in the outcome of the team’s efforts. Stakeholders should be identified early in the project and managed throughout the project.
Teams must get the organization to commit to change.
My five-year old grandson loves playing the game, “Who will win, Grandma?” Well, imagine that resistance to change is an elephant. Who will win? Your project’s solution or the elephant? If you try to push even the best solutions against it, ignore it or suppress it, you will lose. However, if you acknowledge it, understand it, and develop strategies to overcome it, you will begin to mitigate it, moving the elephant in the right direction towards commitment.
Remember that resistance is a natural part of the change process. Embrace resistance: It’s a sign that you’re disrupting the status quo and that people are moving through the process.