Two big present requests for the year ahead.
A Change Manager’s Letter to Santa
Dear Santa,
Time goes quickly as a Change Manager. It seems only a few months ago I was writing but it seems it is a full twelve months.
It has been a very interesting twelve months; not only in organizational change management but in the global changes and their additional impact of prioritising the organizational changes giving the best chance of success in future-proofing against the undoubted turbulence coming in 2019.
Para-phrasing the late Andy Gove of Intel when he said to survive you need a high-tolerance for ambiguity! True and increasingly accurate words.
I have two big present requests for Christmas this year: effective change management governance and value-delivered change management projects and programmes.
1. Change Management Governance
In my change management engagements this past year I have experienced several organizations, public and private, having great sounding organizational value statements which sadly do not translate into day-to-day organizational behaviours. Certainly, there are examples of good practice but not as many as there should be. It’s easy to find examples of good and not-so-good at the implementation levels of change. Sadly, there are not enough examples of senior management setting a consistently high standard using their own criteria.
The adage of people hearing what is said but believing what is done applies here. It is particularly appropriate as organizations find their year-end targets approaching, bringing success or relative failure.
When situations get tough this is where real value from effective change management governance with applied corporate values come into play. It is relatively easy to hold to “standards” when things are relatively easy. It's when things get tough that the character of everyone involved is truly tested.
What I’d really like, Santa, is for organizations - when getting involved with change management - to fully consider what is good governance for their planned changes and the value this governance brings, and to hold every member of the organization to account using the agreed governance standards.
2. Value
I’m only asking for two presents this year, Santa, because I know they are really big ones. Here is my second wish.
When change teams start their preparatory work, engaging with sponsors and key players, they should explore more fully what each interested party defines as their expectations for value from the change; testing common and required shared understanding of what to expect from the change project or programme before starting out. This may change over the life of the change.
However, the initial value statements could and should be used to baseline the business case value. What I mean here is that the relatively “hard” values are calculated and are seen to have objectivity, while the “soft” values (for example staff retention, staff attraction, future-focused workplace) seem to take second place or don't have equivalent value impact.
Please Santa, help me make some changes here in 2019.
I know you are very busy but thank you for reading my letter. I promise to be the best change manager possible in 2019 and my two presents would help a lot.
Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year!
Change Manager
