A project with clear operational outcomes that are linked to the organizations strategic intent is guaranteed to succeed - right? Wrong! I found that it is equally important to realize that resistance to change is inevitable and we must be prepared for it. Following the certification in change management I felt it necessary to develop a mindset that assumes most staff in the organization that will be impacted by the change will resist it. Even the Tarzans in the team will say they are on-board early, but given time don't be surprised to see them swing back the other way. By engaging the stakeholders early I have found it is possible to unearth the reasons for resistance and so address the objections. The project stakeholders should provide insight into what resistance to expect, however I have also found that relying entirely on stakeholders input regarding resistance can provide you with a false sense of security. The Change Readiness Audit will provide pointers to pockets of resistance and is an ideal tool to calibrate the employee's attitude to change.

I now have a better understanding of the need for an organization to develop a change capability. This ability is never more evident than when staff become agents of change as opposed to 'doing change' so they can say it is done. As project leaders we can fall into the trap of wanting to close the loop on project items. The downside of this work ethic, in relation to the change management component of the project, is that managing change should be a footprint that we leave behind in the organization rather than a series of steps taken to complete a project. The Change Guides methodology helped me understand the need to address the bigger change management picture in an organization. I agree that it is hard to develop a change management capability in an organization, however if the tools and methods are explained to senior management, most will opt for the more lasting change footprint than the small change steps of a project.

What advice do you have for others trying to drive change?

My experience around implementing change since completing the change management certification can be summarized by the words 'engage early'. In all aspects of change management it is necessary to engage with stakeholders as early as possible. Ideally, this commences at the time the business case for the project is being developed. By helping business leaders understand both the value of managing change and risks associated of not managing change, the more tightly change management best practice will be integrated into the culture of the organization. By positively influencing the business case development process for a project through assessing the organizations ability to manage change early, we increase the stickiness of change best practice and so greatly increase the successful outcomes of the project. If possible, conduct a needs assessment prior to completing the business case so that change management becomes a positive input function into the Cost Benefit Analysis of the change project. I believe that if we engage early and often in the change dialogue we will greatly influence the change culture in an organization and by so doing move employees from 'doing change' to becoming effective change agents.

What one thing has helped you the most in driving change in your organization?

When talking to stakeholders about the need for change management as part of a project, focus on two phases for a start. These are the Plan and Sustain phases of the Change Guides model. Now this is not to say that the Do phase is not important or that stakeholders will not be interested in the communication strategies and transitioning work, however in the early stages of the project I have found that stakeholders have trouble coming to grips with the level of change management effort required to deliver a successful project. By helping stakeholders focus firstly on the level of planning necessary to assess the needs of the teams and then when they have a grasp of this effort have them visualize what outcomes they see as the desired future state for the project or function. I ask them to describe how they see the new structure or the optimized results they are looking for. Once we have discussed in detail the planning phase and then the desired outcomes they are more open to wanting to be involved in the specific communication activities.