Change Management in Government - Practitioner Interview

I am a Change Management Lead at the Ministry of Defence (UK). In my role I am responsible for providing strategic direction, methodology and tools to the change managers that operate across our 250,000 people-strong organisation and for raising the profile of the discipline at all levels. I also chair the cross-government Change Management working group. 

Throughout my career I have worked within various public and private sector organisations and lead teams to deliver complex strategic change and transformation programmes. My professional journey - like many other Change practitioners’ - has also involved Project Management, in my case across numerous sectors from commercial deals to construction.

In my spare time I co-lead the London Chapter of the Change Management Institute, which provides me with an amazing opportunity to work with colleagues across the globe and to be at the forefront of Change Management innovation.

As I mentioned earlier, like many Change colleagues, I have taken a project management route to change management. As a Project Manager, I really struggled to specialise in a specific sector, as I have always enjoyed variety and change (I know – what a cliché!). My favourite projects to deliver have always been around Transformation and so I decided that Transformation will be my specialism! As a Transformation Project Manager, I have managed service redesign, sustainability and merger projects. And although very different in scope, all of those projects had one thing in common - people experience was never at the forefront of the effort. I knew that there had to be a better way to handle the ‘people side’ of projects. In my pursuit to find that ‘better way’ I came across APMG’s Change Management course and decided to take it – and that was a pivotal moment in my career!

I chose the APMG course because it is the most popular change management training in the world – and for good reason! It was definitely the right choice for me. The thing I enjoyed most about the course was the structure: before launching into technical aspects of effective change management, the course first builds an understanding around why people react to the change the way that they do, which is a crucial piece of knowledge for those that are new to the discipline.

Another reason for choosing APMG was the fact that I could study at my own pace and in my own time in preparation for the exam, which was helpful given that I was working full time. That setup enabled me to build my skills and gradually transition into a Change Management career.

I qualified as a Change Manager whilst still working as a Project Manager. My APMG qualification provided me with the confidence, knowledge and ability to effectively manage change, and significantly improved my chances of being selected for change management roles.

However, I knew that in order to make a successful career transition I would also need to gain hands on experience. Therefore, I proactively created opportunities for myself to manage change well in advance of getting my first change management role. I would deliver change management activities in addition to my project management duties. In doing that I was able to test if I enjoyed managing change and if this was suitable career for me. And indeed it was!

According to research, approximately 80% of project benefits are dependent on changing the way people think and operate. Utilising change management techniques and managing people through change effectively has a significant impact on an organisation’s ability to realise benefits. Therefore, I can confidently say that my change management expertise results in tangible benefits for my organisation every day. Furthermore, over time, I help create a more flexible and change-ready workforce.

I would say - do it! Regardless of what your motivation is: to progress/change your career, personal development or wanting to be able to manage change in your organisation, team or yourself better. You will find it useful. Change is the only constant and the rate of it will only increase in the future, so why not learn how to manage it for the best results!

The Change Management Institute has had a positive influence on my professional life.

I can still remember being nervous going to the very first event not knowing what to expect, especially as I was then still looking to become a Change Manager and had little relevant knowledge and experience. However, the welcome I received exceeded my expectations and I immediately knew that I wanted to be part of this group of knowledgeable, innovative and passionate people!

Fast forward a few years and I am now the London Chapter Co-Lead. The Institute continues to provide me with learning and networking opportunities, and together with other members, we truly have an opportunity to raise the awareness of Change Management as a discipline across all industries and sectors globally!

1) CHANGE MANAGEMENT IS A RELENTLESS COLLECTIVE EFFORT

• As a CM you cannot do it all by yourself.
• My advice would be - to utilise various organisational resources that are available to you and that can help you manage change effectively.
• Line managers are a crucial communications resource and so are communications colleagues – Invest time in giving them the right change tools and knowledge so that they can help you to manage change; 

2) LOOK AFTER THE COACH / CHANGE SPONSOR 

• It is our responsibility to make Sponsor’s job as easy for them as possible. They are crucial to success of change.
• They want to be good – they just need help understanding their own role – it's our job to help them navigate their role in their busy schedules,
• The value of building that rapport early on cannot be overestimated.

3) WORKAROUNDS WILL EMERGE!

• The majority of change initiatives fail at the ‘embed stage’ - that’s because people are really good at workarounds and because of a serious misconception that when Project Management stops, so does Change Management. 
• When the Change Management resource is removed prematurely, workaround activities emerge and there isn’t anyone to deal with it. My advice – fight to stay on long enough!

4) UTILISE LISTENING

• You can be almost certain that resistance to change will occur when you are managing change - so keep listening!

5) MIND YOUR CULTURE - BEWARE

• Too often change projects are perceived as stand-alone initiatives and not in the context of culture; 
• We end up attempting to embed a solution without addressing the environment in which the new solution will be operated.
• To use a famous quote by Peter Drucker  ' Culture eats strategy for breakfast', it also eats change initiatives for breakfast!.