Top Tips for Planning Organizational Change – Part 2

This is a part 2 of our Top Tips for planning organizational change. Part 1 is available here.

Part 2 focuses on resourcing, risk and issue, and how the delivery of effective organizational change management requires a mix of key elements.

As you have probably guessed by now, I place significant emphasis and importance on organizational culture as a key element in the mix that facilitates effective change.

The tip here is to take a very considered, hard look at organizational culture and its potential impact – positive and negative – on delivering effective change. There is often a considerable distance between committing and delivering. I know there shouldn’t be however in practical terms, there often is.

When the change programme is announced it is, by definition, the “new bright shiny thing”. Depending on who in the organizational hierarchy is driving the programme, everyone will be keen to commit. The reality often differs.

If it’s a high-profile, executive-driven programme, lower levels in the organization will be saying “yes” and the delivery plan will have the appearance of being fully resourced. This is unlikely to hold up in the delivery of the “committed resources”.

The most likely indicator of future actions is what those actions were in the previous situation/s. If this has some resonance with you, what are you going to do differently this time?

This is where organizational culture and good sponsorship comes into play. Depending on culture and sponsorship, the risks and issues can be a “pro forma” process step with no real meaning. Or the real risks, issues and mitigation ownership actions can be identified rather than a game of “let’s pretend”, increasing the difficulties of implementing change in organizations.

Culture is important. Identifying risks and issues is not being negative. It is not lacking commitment to getting “this” done. Rather, it is being a change management professional, being courageous and telling truth to power.

If the organization starts playing “let’s pretend” at the start of the change programme with a reality-based resource plan, this is a downward inflection point at the start!

It’s a top tip, to mention here, that lessons learned from previous change programmes is a valuable use of time. Simply put, what were the commitments and actual delivery of resources in previous change programmes? Again, this is where organizational culture comes roaring into play.

People can become very defensive, lacking in transparency, perhaps even get into a state of denial and bluster about why resource commitments were not as “planned”. If this sounds likely, what is your plan to deploy organizational influence to reduce the potential negative impact of defensiveness before you’re in the middle of it? A Change Programme Sponsor is a good place to start, and the right sponsor appointment is extremely important.

Most organizations do not have a super-abundance of terrific people standing about waiting to spring into action. Most have significantly less highly skilled people than they need at any one time. This can be over a significant period. Does this start to sound familiar, sound like a pressured environment, likely to increase individual and organizational stress? The answer is obviously “yes,” so what to do at the planning stage?

Don’t panic and don’t accept “that’s the way it is here” without robust professional push-back. 

Most organizations will have some experience with Matrix Management and Agile. Most will also have several people who have opinions about both. These views are likely to be both positive and negative.

Another top tip here is ensuring whatever method or process is decided for the change programme delivery, is clearly defined, well-communicated and applied consistently across the organization.

Following #4 above, resilience means the people with capability, competency and capacity to fulfil the work to get done (Scrum definition here; complete!) and available to deliver to the current reality-based planning requirements based on the evolving situation(s).

Doesn’t seem much when it’s written down however a top, top tip is appropriate resourcing is incredibly challenging to achieve requiring 3Cs (capability, capacity and competency for the required activities, not just simply being available). Depending on change programme complexity, to be fully resourced with resourcing not being a “part-time” activity.

This, again, requires a transparent organizational culture acknowledging the complexity of the task in-hand and the organization working as a collaborative team.