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Category: Change Management

Portfolio Management: Enhancing the Efficiency of Change in its Full Context

Posted on December 19, 2022 by Marbenz Antonio

Managing portfolio volatility

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, effective portfolio management is important for organizations of all sizes. This is especially true as technology drives much of the change we see. It’s important for every business to have a well-defined plan for how they will approach and benefit from a change. By properly managing their portfolio, businesses can ensure that they are well-equipped to navigate the challenges and opportunities of an ever-changing landscape.

As organizations emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, many are faced with a backlog of change initiatives that need to be prioritized and implemented. It’s important for these organizations to carefully consider which initiatives will have the greatest impact and which ones should not be pursued. It’s also important to reflect on past change efforts and identify any initiatives that should not have been started in the first place. By carefully evaluating and selecting the most impactful change initiatives, organizations can optimize their resources and increase their chances of success.

Despite its importance, portfolio management is often not well-established or integrated with project and program management within organizations. This is especially true for best practices approaches such as MoP. As a result, many organizations may not be effectively managing their portfolio of initiatives and maximizing the impact of their efforts.

Why Portfolios?

An organization’s portfolio represents all the change initiatives it is undertaking or considering. To effectively manage this portfolio, it’s important to have clear criteria for evaluating and selecting the most impactful initiatives. This involves making trade-offs between competing projects and programs, as organizations typically have limited resources and cannot pursue every desirable change. By carefully considering the relative value of different initiatives, organizations can make informed decisions about which ones to prioritize and which ones to set aside.

It’s common for organizations to be skilled at executing individual projects and programs, but less adept at making informed decisions about which initiatives to pursue. This can be due to a variety of factors, such as senior managers pushing their own “pet projects” or a tendency to view all ideas as potentially viable. In a resource-constrained environment, it’s important to be realistic about the costs and benefits of different initiatives.

However, it’s usually the case that project proposers overestimate the potential benefits and underestimate the costs of a project, a phenomenon known as optimism bias. This can lead to a situation where the portfolio of initiatives becomes more like a “tunnel” with a narrow focus, rather than a “funnel” that allows for a wider range of possibilities. To effectively manage their portfolio, organizations need to be mindful of this bias and take a more strategic approach to decision-making.

Effective portfolio management involves establishing clear criteria for evaluating and selecting initiatives that align with the organization’s overall goals and needs. These criteria should be used to determine which initiatives are worthy of further consideration, rather than focusing solely on the feasibility of individual projects and programs. Once a change initiative has been identified as a candidate for the portfolio, it still needs to be prioritized and carefully planned before it can be implemented. By approaching portfolio management in this way, organizations can ensure that they are making informed decisions about which initiatives to pursue and that they are able to effectively execute the chosen projects and programs.

The Risks of Choosing the Wrong Type of Change

Effective portfolio management helps organizations realize the full potential of their change initiatives by aligning them with strategic objectives and maximizing the benefits they deliver.

Without proper portfolio management, it’s possible for organizations to pursue projects and programs that lack a clear connection to their goals or that are unlikely to deliver meaningful benefits. This can result in wasted resources and missed opportunities to allocate those resources to more impactful initiatives. In short, portfolio management helps organizations to avoid the “double-whammy” of delivering unnecessary or low-value projects at the expense of higher-impact initiatives.

The Value of Best Practice Approaches – MoP

Before any change initiative is considered for inclusion in the portfolio, it’s important to thoroughly evaluate its viability and feasibility. This includes scrutinizing the business case to ensure that the project or program is likely to deliver the intended benefits and can be successfully executed.

Best practice portfolio management involves ongoing assessment and reassessment of initiatives to ensure that they remain viable and are aligned with the organization’s goals. It also helps to free up resources by eliminating initiatives that are no longer viable or necessary, and by making holistic decisions about the allocation of resources rather than focusing on individual projects or programs in isolation. By taking this approach, organizations can optimize their use of resources and increase the chances of success for their change initiatives.

The moP is a best practice approach that helps organizations prioritize their investment in change and ensure that they are able to successfully deliver initiatives and realize the full benefits of those efforts. According to the guidance on MoP, the goal is to “do the right things” by selecting initiatives that align with strategic objectives and maximizing their impact. In contrast, PRINCE2 and Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) are focused on “doing things right” by effectively managing the execution of individual projects and programs.

The guidance on the MoP is designed to be easy to understand and highly practical, with techniques and case studies that practitioners can use immediately. The portfolio definition cycle in MoP is particularly useful for tailoring portfolio management to the specific needs of an organization.

It includes detailed explanations on how to calculate ROI and other approaches for evaluating change initiatives. These practical approaches make it easier for organizations to effectively manage their portfolio and make informed decisions about which initiatives to pursue.

One of the key concepts emphasized in the guidance on the MoP is organizational energy, which refers to an organization’s ability to mobilize its emotional, cognitive, and behavioral resources to pursue its goals. By focusing on organizational energy, organizations can increase their chances of success and improve their ability to manage their portfolio of change initiatives effectively.

Who is MoP for?

The people working at a senior level, such as portfolio directors, heads of departments or divisions, and other directors, are typically the ones who can gain the most value from learning about the principles of portfolio management as outlined in the guidance on MoP. This is because they have the ability to influence the overall direction of the organization and ensure that the energy and focus on portfolio management are effectively communicated and embraced throughout the organization. By adopting best practices in portfolio management, senior leaders can help to optimize the allocation of resources and increase the chances of success for the organization’s change initiatives.

While MoP is primarily intended for senior leaders, it can also be valuable for project and program managers who are looking to advance their careers. Having previous experience in running projects and programs can be helpful for those who are responsible for managing portfolios, as it allows them to make informed and efficient decisions based on their understanding of these types of initiatives.

MoP can help organizations deploy change in a way that is most effective and aligned with their overall strategic direction.

 


Here at CourseMonster, we know how hard it may be to find the right time and funds for training. We provide effective training programs that enable you to select the training option that best meets the demands of your company.

For more information, please get in touch with one of our course advisers today or contact us at training@coursemonster.com

Posted in Change Management, Project ManagementTagged Change Management, Project ManagementLeave a Comment on Portfolio Management: Enhancing the Efficiency of Change in its Full Context

The difference between Business Resilience and Change Management is Progress!

Posted on September 29, 2022September 29, 2022 by Marbenz Antonio

Change Management in Manufacturing - FORCAM

The two ideas have quite different perspectives even if they are complementary.

People have questioned us as a member of the Business Resilience Framework authoring team about the distinction between business resilience and change management. Each has a distinct focus, and progress, to put it simply, is the difference.

Business Resilience is about providing businesses with the tools they need to advance in VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) environments. Progress can be defined as the ability to bounce back from an event, continue moving forward in the face of challenges, or bounce along to maintain a position.

Change Management is designed to provide ways for successfully planning and implementing change initiatives and to assist businesses and their people in managing the impact of change. It enables:

  • overcoming resistance to change
  • providing effective encouragement and support to teams and individuals to accept change
  • Key stakeholders are managed and maintained aware during the change process.
  • accelerating the implementation of change initiatives.

There is no denying the need for change management, which is a component of effective corporate resilience strategies. The possibility that changes could be successfully implemented but prevent the organization from moving forward is rarely discussed. Some changes cause an organization to backward!

Business Resilience examines the organization’s definition of progress in light of the current situation and what is required to make progress. In different contexts, progress will be defined differently. In the event of a world pandemic or a civil war, advancement might mean merely surviving. On the other hand, if the VUCA level is lower, progress is more likely to represent an improvement in one or more organizational characteristics as shown by the KPIs (bouncing forward).

Business resilience starts (or should start!) long before a crisis occurs. To give the organization the underlying strength it needs to deal with any events that may come, resilience foundations are put in place.

‘Business Resilience – A practical guide to sustained progress delivered at pace’ provides a framework for dealing with operating in VUCA settings. The PACE culture is at the core of the framework (Purposeful mindset; Application of tools; Capability and skills; Elevating energy). A PACE culture encourages employees to give their all while taking a unified, deliberate approach to advancing the company. The supporting Progress Cycle selects and puts into action projects that are practical in the current environment and will help the organization advance.

Resilience in business and change management go hand in hand. Changes must be done for a business to be resilient; these changes may involve introducing new or revised goods, services, procedures, or business methods. Smooth execution of this is ensured by effective change management. However, it is crucial that the appropriate modifications be implemented, and that these build on strong foundations.

Resilience in business and change management go hand in hand. Changes must be done for a business to be resilient; these changes may involve introducing new or revised goods, services, procedures, or business methods. Smooth execution of this is ensured by effective change management. However, it is crucial that the appropriate modifications be implemented, and that these build on solid foundations.

Summary

In conclusion, while business resilience focuses on building a solid foundation for changes to succeed, motivating and energizing the people, and ensuring the changes result in progress to make the organization more resilient, change management focuses on successfully executing changes.

 


Here at CourseMonster, we know how hard it may be to find the right time and funds for training. We provide effective training programs that enable you to select the training option that best meets the demands of your company.

For more information, please get in touch with one of our course advisers today or contact us at training@coursemonster.com

Posted in APMG, Change ManagementTagged APMG, Change Management1 Comment on The difference between Business Resilience and Change Management is Progress!

Why Change Management Must Be a Core Competency in Organizations

Posted on August 17, 2022August 24, 2022 by Marbenz Antonio

9 Competencies Your Project Manager Needs to Succeed | IPM

Installing a new technology or educating staff on a new procedure is not the same as developing an organizational ability to manage change. Building organizational change management competency, commonly referred to as enterprise change management (ECM), focuses on the fundamental principles behind how the company functions as well as how its members view change. These people gain the perspective, power, and capabilities they need to support the various changes that occur in their lives over time when they develop the competency to manage change.

5 Causes to Develop ECM Competency

There are many reasons to manage the human side of change in the great company world of today. Here are five explanations for why developing enterprise-wide expertise is preferable to project-by-project change management:

1. Competitive advantage

One of the most important ways to differentiate yourself from your rivals is to have an organizational capacity to successfully implement and manage change. Many businesses have observed the foundations of their historical competitive advantage fading in today’s market. Many organizations now compete on an equal basis because of quick access to information, technologies, best practices, suppliers, and markets. Organizations are being forced to alter their domestic and international working practices by the global economy.

How will your company stand out if you can no longer rely on traditional sources of competitive advantage? Consider a situation in which your company can respond to change more quickly, effectively, and with a less negative impact on production. Your people are prepared for change and anticipate it will occur. You focus on their inquiries. You lessen or stop their opposition to the change. Every new project has a strategy and plan in place for handling the people aspect of change. The term “enterprise change management” refers to this.

Organizations have started to devote more time, money, and brainpower in recent years to developing change management as a core skill. In the upcoming years, how successfully you manage change—and develop internal change management competencies—will be an important source of competitive advantage that will set you apart from the competition.

2. Failed changes

Each of us may identify some changes that were badly implemented in our businesses. Some adjustments take longer than expected. Some go beyond their budget. Some encounter strong staff resistance. Some are put into practice, but the desired outcomes are never realized. Sometimes modifications are entirely unsuccessful and given up on. Your initiatives’ inability to fully achieve the anticipated benefits in the past can be attributed to poor change management on the part of the personnel involved.

Now think about how much these unsuccessful changes have cost. How much time and money was devoted to projects that weren’t finished? What effects did these changes not being adopted have on the organization? Your company cannot take a chance on the extra expenses and lost opportunities caused by ineffectively handling the human side of change.

A cost-saving strategy that reduces the effects of failed changes is to increase organizational-wide competency in change management.

3. Upcoming changes

The quantity and variety of changes that are coming support the case for enhancing organizational capacity to manage change in addition to lowering the risk of failed change. The coming years hold the possibility of swifter, more significant, and more complex developments.

Organizations are continuously attempting to put new technology into use, modernize their systems, increase productivity, reduce costs, and manage their human resources. Your company might be working on 50–100 initiatives at once that have an impact on how people perform their jobs, and another 50–100 are planned. The success of any program that is already underway and those that are planned for the future will directly depend on how well your organization manages change. Additionally, the high-priority, more strategic initiatives usually directly affect how individuals perform their tasks, necessitating change management. With so much change in store, efficient change management will be essential to the success of the project and the business as a whole.

4. Consistent application

Although there is a benefit in using change management on a single project, the value is increased when organizations start using it consistently on all changes. This is an essential skill for managing organizational transformation. A standard method that has been adopted and put into use leads to more uniform implementation across various projects and by individual practitioners. This step of adopting a common approach entails using the same procedures, equipment, techniques, and language for all projects and levels.

Applying change management more regularly has a lot of advantages. First, a range of change management practitioners can be helped by a shared set of resources and subject matter experts. Learning curves get shorter when a common strategy is applied regularly. A shared strategy offers a framework for ongoing learning and development. Practitioners can produce lessons learned that will enhance subsequent change management efforts each time change management is used. The change management process and approach cannot be continuously improved without this consistent use.

Risk also exists when changing without following a standard procedure. Imagine that a single manager is required to do three entirely distinct duties by three change management professionals who are assisting with three distinct modifications. The manager may get disinterested in all aspects of change management as each practitioner attempts to maximize the adoption of their specific change. Senior business leaders, project teams, and other project support roles may experience the same backfire effect (such as communication specialists or training specialists).

The choice and implementation of a unified strategy, which enhances change management activities across the business, is one of the first steps in developing an enterprise change management system.

5. Personal competency

The individual viewpoint on developing organizational change management competencies should also be taken into account, to summarize. In addition to the organizational benefits mentioned above, leaders, managers, and supervisors across the organization need to expand their skill sets in managing change.

The importance of managing change as a personal ability at various organizational levels is demonstrated by some important best practices. In Prosci’s biennial Best Practices in Transformation Management research study, the position of the principal sponsor is regularly identified as the single biggest factor in successful change. The sponsor’s responsibilities include being an active and visible member of the project team, forming a coalition of support with peers and other managers, and personally informing staff members of the need for change. However, many senior executives find it difficult to carry out their responsibilities. Even the top leaders within a company could require coaching, training, and assistance in order to be a successful sponsor. When it comes to playing the roles of coach, communicator, and resistance manager when changes are implemented, the same is true for managers and supervisors.

Members of the project team can develop their own particular capabilities for handling change. Managing the human element of change has begun to be included in the list of project management competencies, according to the Project Management Institute.

The collective individual competencies developed across the whole business, from the person at the very top all the way down to front-line supervisors and employees, make up the final component of organizational change competency. The ability to handle change manifests itself throughout the entire organization, and it must be controlled from both an organizational and a personal standpoint.

Enterprise Change Management Is the Future

There is a growing demand for enterprises all over the world to have the real capability in managing change. Building competency makes your business stand out and enhances the execution of every new project you launch. By doing so, you can lessen the severe negative effects of poor change management and better position yourself for future endeavors to be successful. It is difficult to develop the ability to adapt; it involves design, project management, change management, and organizational commitment. But in the coming years, it will be essential for success.

 


Here at CourseMonster, we know how hard it may be to find the right time and funds for training. We provide effective training programs that enable you to select the training option that best meets the demands of your company.

For more information, please get in touch with one of our course advisers today or contact us at training@coursemonster.com

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How to Engage Your Audience in Change by Motivating Them

Posted on August 16, 2022August 24, 2022 by Marbenz Antonio

5 Ways to Maximize Engagement and Motivation at Events | ITA Group

How to Engage Your Audience in Change by Motivating Them?

Highly engaged workers increase productivity at work, but they can also hasten and improve the effectiveness of your change management efforts.

Nearly 1.4 million employees, according to studies, confirm the link between performance and employee engagement. Employee engagement is a significant and strong predictor of individual performance, productivity, profitability, and customer service rating, according to nine performance outcomes that were measured.

Therefore, it’s important to maintain high levels of engagement whenever we introduce change into the equation to guarantee that everyone is invested enough in the change to support and promote it in their workplace.

Kotter mentions “motivating and inspiring” others throughout a shift as one of the three important elements of change leadership. How therefore can we effectively inspire and engage our audience to achieve positive change?

Barb Grant, Lead Change Management Practitioner of barb@barbgrant.com (Wellington, New Zealand), a former guest speaker for the Change Management Institute, offers us some excellent starting points for achieving that ideal engagement.

Clearing Desk

Being present, according to her, is an important factor in inspiring and motivating others.

The easiest way to accomplish this, according to Barb, is to take a few deep breaths, let go of whatever you have been focusing on or worrying about, and then start by being attentive and present with the other individuals in the room.

This can also be a great approach to begin a session with a huge audience, a one-on-one customer, or even a small group. This is a useful approach to “clear the decks,” so to speak because everyone you connect with has competing challenges and things going on both professionally and personally.

Empty Sky

Barb suggests care while acting as a facilitator since it inhibits you from entering genuine creative expansiveness and coming up with the audacious and most useful ideas and solutions. She also warns against trying to control too much of the discussion.

If others see that you are simply checking items off your list and moving quickly through things without giving ideas time to marinate, input to be heard, or debates to take place, this can also seriously hinder your connection with others.

Empathy

Walking in someone else’s shoes, even for just a moment, and adopting their perspective are powerful ways to engage with them, help you understand where to go to meet their needs, and help you focus your goals, according to Barb.

Empathy for employees can increase engagement and foster a culture of trust, respect, and a sense of being heard. Starting by simply listening to employees and demonstrating empathy is a fantastic way to cultivate both of these and get the important involvement needed for effective change. Trust and respect for the changes you are leading are essential components of leading change.

Since humans are social creatures, communication is essential to participation. Five communication strategies to encourage involvement in change communications are described by the late Alison Davis, founder of the internationally recognized employee communication firm Davis & Company (New Jersey, USA).

As a widely recognized authority on employee communications, Alison Davis has made remarkable achievements that we recognize and remember in this article.

Debunk Rumors

Employees are likely to turn to one another once changes are disclosed to discuss them, express their worries, and gossip about them. Use this to your advantage, advises Alison, by setting up casual coffee talks with no planned topics of conversation. Making time for senior leaders to meet with staff members over coffee fosters an environment where workers feel comfortable discussing issues and concerns with management.

By the end of the discussion, the manager will have a better knowledge of the concerns of the workers and be in a better position to work with them on the change while taking their concerns into account.

Empower Employees to Play a Key Role

Alison recommends using Change Champions to inform people about what is happening and the next actions during the change process. One of their duties would be to generate enthusiasm for the change, increase awareness and understanding of the anticipated transitions, pay attention to other employees’ worries, gather feedback, and identify any knowledge gaps.

Change Champions can act as your eyes and ears on the ground and significantly contribute to the development of team motivation and engagement for upcoming transitions.

Create High-touch Experience

Giving people the chance to interact is one of the best ways to increase engagement. Holding problem-solving sessions is one of the simplest ways to accomplish this, according to Alison. Include them in helping to shape the processes involved in the transitions, she says, as they will be more committed to seeing it through when they are part in working out the specifics of the shift.

Increase Wellness Initiatives

According to Alison, employee engagement and wellness go hand in hand. Employees are happier at work when they are experiencing their optimum physical and mental health.

It’s a good idea to encourage and engage workers with wellness offerings. For example, you could hold meditation sessions during lunch breaks or hire an in-house masseuse to give shoulder massages. You could also set aside a regular fortnightly or monthly afternoon for a team-building activity or social event, or you could just offer employees a discount on coffee at a nearby café. Since happy employees are engaged employees, a little bit goes a long way.

Celebrate Success

To acknowledge employees’ dedication to the transitions and help keep them motivated and engaged in the process of change, Alison advises celebrating accomplishments along the way.

Celebrating little successes in the change process helps to demonstrate to staff that, despite their small size, transitions are taking place and that the systems in place are effective. Another important aspect of this celebration is acknowledgment, which encourages other workers to join in. Before you know it, a few incremental victories lead to a significant transformation.

Using the gamification strategy is a fantastic and enjoyable additional means of motivating people. Gamification, according to Euan Wu7 (Sydney, Australia), a previous guest speaker for The Change Management Institute and Director of The Change Compass, is the use of game design to circumstances that are not games, with the main objective being to increase stakeholder engagement.

Gamification can be a really effective strategy for getting people to adopt change, whether it’s through presenting a challenge, converting objectives into points, having a leaderboard, competing with yourself or other employees, or just having fun. Gamification is very engaging and inspiring because it taps into people’s natural curiosity, fun, and competitiveness as well as their sense of accomplishment and community.

Stockholm is an excellent example of how gamification has successfully influenced behavior. There, a staircase next to an escalator was converted into piano keys that played notes when stepped on. It resulted in a 66% increase in stair usage.

Image courtesy of Euan Wu

Fun seems to be the key to making changes nearly invisible, which can be quite useful because it can reduce the tension, anxiety, and hesitation that are frequently linked to change. Therefore, the next time you add a new procedure or step to your world of change, why not consider whether it may be made more fun, amusing, or even like a game?

 


Here at CourseMonster, we know how hard it may be to find the right time and funds for training. We provide effective training programs that enable you to select the training option that best meets the demands of your company.

For more information, please get in touch with one of our course advisers today or contact us at training@coursemonster.com

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Risk Management: What NOT to Do?

Posted on July 14, 2022July 26, 2022 by Marbenz Antonio

Thrive on Risk and Build Resilience with an Agile IRM Program

Other projects’ risk logs revealed a very similar approach to describing and recording risks. However, there are ways to ‘do’ risk management and ways not to do it.

Let’s look at a few examples and what we might do differently to become active risk managers.

Generic Risk Descriptions

Therefore, describing the risk in terms that indicate the cause (the present state that gives birth to the risk), the event (the situation that could occur), and the effect (the likely impact arising from the event). This provides us with a far better awareness of the danger, as well as three separate areas in which we may be able to intervene.

Not all Risks are Negative

Describing all risks as “things that could go wrong” gives the idea that risk management is a problem-solving profession.

Risks should instead be seen as either negative threats or great possibilities. However, one useful definition of risk is “an unpredictable event that, if it occurs, will affect the achievement of objectives.” This influence can be both beneficial and bad. Using risk management approaches to find opportunities can usually result in the development of value for enterprises (as indeed can the identification of threats).

Lack of risk analysis and prioritization

A basic description of risk only offers us a general overview of what might happen. However, without proper analysis and prioritizing, we may become overwhelmed by the set of possible risks or stop after identifying only three.

We can begin to prioritize them by asking a set of questions, such as what is the possibility of the risk occurring, what is the potential consequence, and when might this happen.

This is significant because it helps leaders decide where to devote resources to improve the certainty surrounding each risk (whether the threat or opportunity).

Passive risk management

Simply describing a concern in a risk log or register is nothing more than a passive record of observation. Once a threat or opportunity has been recognized, characterized, analyzed, and prioritized, there are some critical steps to take to become active risk managers.

An important first step is to analyze our alternatives so that we can respond correctly. Several responses can be used to change the cause of the risk, avoid the event, or lessen the effects.

Lack of accountability and responsibility

As previously stated, documenting a risk is a passive act. If we want to effectively manage our risks, we must first choose who will take action. Too many risk logs exclude this important information.

Some roles can be identified:

  • Risk author – the people who identified the concern, since they will be a valuable source of information
  • Risk owner – the person in charge of managing the risk and monitoring its status
  • Risk actionee – the individual who will carry out one or more risk-reduction measures

Many organizations will additionally have particular risk specialist jobs with broader responsibilities than a single project or program.

Now, whether we work in projects or programs, or at a strategic or operational level in our organizations, we understand that there are risks and that risk management exists.

But, now more than ever, we need to take a new look at our attitudes and practices and resolve to move away from terrible practices and build far better approaches to this important subject.

 


Here at CourseMonster, we know how hard it may be to find the right time and funds for training. We provide effective training programs that enable you to select the training option that best meets the demands of your company.

For more information, please get in touch with one of our course advisers today or contact us at training@coursemonster.com

Posted in Change ManagementTagged Change ManagementLeave a Comment on Risk Management: What NOT to Do?

AVOID THESE 5 OBSTACLES IN CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Posted on May 10, 2022July 26, 2022 by Marbenz Antonio

Organizational Change Management Consulting Services in Singapore

Leading your business through effective transition is difficult, but according to Prosci’s Best Practices in Change Management benchmarking study, we can gain useful lessons from others. Participants provide crucial information and statistics on what works and, perhaps more significantly, what doesn’t when it comes to change implementation. With the help of global change management experts, you may start anticipating and avoiding frequent roadblocks to success.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT OBSTACLES

Participants in the Prosci study highlighted their top five challenges:

  1. Lack of executive support and active sponsorship
  2. Lack of effective communication led to misalignment
  3. Lack of change buy-in and solution support created resistance
  4. Limited knowledge and resources for change management
  5. Change-resistant culture and attitude

 

1. Lack of executive support and sponsorship

Many executives don’t understand their role in change management, the resources necessary, or the objective of the change, according to participants in Prosci’s Best Practices in Change Management report. Because of this misunderstanding, the organization’s communication, visibility, and openness are all skewed. Executive sponsorship also contributes to declining support after go-live, a general lack of buy-in for the change, and infrequent interaction.

This is the most common issue raised by participants. It demonstrates, as, in prior research, the tremendous influence sponsorship may have on change management efforts. Poor sponsorship may restrict and postpone development in the same way that excellent sponsorship can motivate and activate an organization. An absent or inactive sponsor is interpreted by employees as a sign of how significant or unimportant the effort is.

The efficacy of sponsorship and the possibility of reaching project objectives are also directly related, according to data from the 11th Edition research report.

 

2. Lack of effective communication led to misalignment

Confusion and misalignment happen as a result of ineffective communication—that is, communication that is transparent creates awareness, and aligns with company goals. As a result, participants devote more time and effort to defining roles, communicating expectations, and encouraging buy-in.

Using preferred senders is the first step toward Effective Communication during the transition. Employees like to hear business-level messaging regarding the shift from the company’s senior executives. Employees want their direct supervisor to communicate with them about personal messages about the change, such as replies to “What’s in it for me?” questions.

 

3. Lack of change buy-in and solution support created resistance

Employees who show little participation and an unwillingness to accept new procedures because they do not comprehend the change and fear the “unknown” is the most likely to oppose it. These employees are content with their present methods and have little desire to change.

The inability of impacted individuals and groups to comprehend the business reasons for a change is a major source of resistance. Acquiring buy-in for the change is an important part of every successful change management program, and it has been a foundation of the Prosci Methodology from its beginning. Getting buy-in starts with a compelling “why” for the change, which includes both the commercial reasons for the change and a response to the question, “What’s in it for me?” ” for each employee (WIIFM).

 

4. Limited knowledge and resources for change management

Participants at all levels of the company expressed a lack of understanding of what change management is and the benefits it provides. This makes obtaining the required resources and budget more challenging. Because they do not understand the benefit of change management, leadership and front-line managers are hesitant to allocate funding or manpower to a change management project.

Change management isn’t something that can be done in one’s spare time or “on the side of a desk.” In fact, Prosci’s research shows a clear link between proper resourcing for change management activities and reaching project goals. Change management must be resourced according to the scope and size of the change in order to achieve effective acceptance and usage, reap the advantages of the change, and avoid the costs of not changing.

 

5. Change-resistant culture and attitude

A history of unsuccessful reforms, the presence of silos, and resistive behaviors all contribute to decreased organizational performance, trust, and engagement. Individual objectives, disruptive thinking, and resistance to change are all encouraged by a culture filled with bad attitudes and internal politics. Shifting the organization’s entire culture and atmosphere would need a transformation in employee perspectives.

An organization’s culture may generate resistance to change and change management due to the complexity of the situation or a history of failed changes. Change-resistant cultures can also be created by internal politics, inadequate behavior management, and personal agendas.

Successful change management is dependent on the context in which the change is occurring, in addition to efficiently managing individual transitions. As part of an organized strategy to change management, it’s also vital to handle opposition.

 

SUCCESS WITH ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

Understanding the most typical impediments that change practitioners experience will help you predict and avoid them as you start on your path to change success. Get even more research findings, including the most important factors that influence change success.

 


Here at CourseMonster, we know how hard it may be to find the right time and funds for training. We provide effective training programs that enable you to select the training option that best meets the demands of your company.

For more information, please get in touch with one of our course advisers today or contact us at training@coursemonster.com

Posted in Change ManagementLeave a Comment on AVOID THESE 5 OBSTACLES IN CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Project and Change Management; One and the same?

Posted on February 24, 2022July 26, 2022 by Marbenz Antonio

Q1: You’ve been involved in many major capital projects. Do you ever get to start a project, enjoy the ups and downs, and see it come into operation?

Some years ago, I was Project Manager of the Systems partner, in a JV (Joint venture) that was awarded a contract for the expansion of Dublin’s light rail system, the LUAS. Our scope included everything related to electrification, tram signaling, and telecommunication works. I was lucky enough to have been involved in this project since its inception (the commercial offer) up to full commissioning and start of operation.

This project brought me from Portugal to Ireland back in 2006, and I combined the responsibilities of Project Manager with those of Country Manager. This meant I was responsible for setting up the company’s local subsidiary and responsible for delivering the project.

I retained the solicitors and accountants, opened bank accounts, rented an office, and, above all, recruited and set up the team who would work with me in the delivery of the project. It was very hectic but very exciting.

The early days of the project were focused mostly on the definition process, planning, and preparing for delivery. I remember how challenging (but also how rewarding) all tasks associated with (local) stakeholder management and setting up the governance and assurance framework were. The work developed during those early days set the foundations for what would be a very successful project.

Q2: Working in the Rail industry, safety is a top priority. Do you think this has an impact on the way projects are designed and executed?

Safety is the top priority on any rail project. I’d say that safety has much more than an impact on the way projects are designed; the best analogy I can find is that safety is the canvas on which all rail projects are designed.

When I think about the “iron triangle” (scope, schedule, and cost) I cannot consider safety together with the other three dimensions of project management. The dimensions of the “iron triangle” are all seen as variables: it is possible to accelerate delivery without changing the scope if you are prepared to pay more. Similarly, if you want to accelerate delivery without incurring more cost, you can reduce the scope. You can play with the variables without ever changing the area of the triangle.

However, you cannot do that with safety! Safety requirements are hierarchically above all other components in rail projects, therefore, safety is not a dimension that can vary. It is an environment within which you develop your entire project that spans the full extent of the project lifecycle: safe construction, safe operation, safe maintenance, and safe decommissioning.

Q3: You are a great supporter of Praxis Framework and have worked with several international PM approaches, what do you find so appealing about Praxis Framework?

The Praxis Framework helps organizations improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their project delivery by increasing [1] individual performance, [2] team effectiveness, and [3] organizational capability maturity.

In other words, by “acting” on these three dimensions (individual, team, and organization), the Praxis Framework increases the effectiveness and efficiency of project delivery, the combination of which, improves strategy execution.

Unlike any other framework I’ve tested, the Praxis Framework comprises a [1] Body of Knowledge, a [2] Method, a [3] Competency Framework, a [4] Capability Maturity Model, and an [5] Encyclopaedia of techniques and models.

Finally, there is the customization allowed by Praxis Local, a dynamic PowerPoint-based document that summarises the contents of the framework and provides links to the detail contained on the website. Praxis Local can be adapted and expanded with additional, organization-specific content either within the PowerPoint file or via links to organization assets.

Q4: You are working on some Organizational change initiatives; how do you blend the Change Management principles and Project Management principles? Do you have a hybrid approach?

According to Albert Einstein, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, is the definition of insanity.

When facing projects of dimension, complexity and impact never faced before, people and organizations must prepare and adapt. In organizations where some past projects have failed, it is mandatory to reset mindsets and behaviors and start from scratch.

In change initiatives, organizations create or adjust processes and people must be born again. Change of processes “per se” will not produce the desired outcome if people are not willing to go through the behavioral transformation.

Don’t give me that comment “project managers only deliver, therefore they are not responsible for change”. It is very important to accept that there is change within change. If we want more effective and efficient delivery of projects and more effective and efficient strategy execution, people need to embrace this vision. They need to accept the challenge and commit to the transformation process required to deliver the change (in the way we deliver projects and execute strategies).

Q5: What are three things you’ve learned that you wish you’d learned earlier in your career?

  1. How Project Management is so intertwined with Change Management, and that you cannot have the former without the latter.
  2.  There are no bad projects, just bad business cases.
  3. I would have liked to know that the main critical success factor of a project is a good Sponsor.

Q6: Thinking of the great sponsors you have worked with, what set them apart from the rest?

The best project Sponsors are those that started their careers as team members of small projects and worked their way up the ladder until they got a seat at the organization’s strategy table.

Sponsors must excel in people management, be very supportive, and be the main protective shield of their project/program team. Teams that feel from day one they are utterly protected by their sponsor, increase their loyalty and delivery performance. Sponsors should take the heat in liaising with the most complex stakeholders, those that are typically a hard nut to crack. This will release the pressure from the project manager and their team, who can then focus on a better delivery.

Finally, Sponsors must master the “art of phases and gateways”. Whether with incremental delivery, iterative delivery, or a combination of both (hybrid models), projects must be stress-tested before being authorized to spend money and use resources on the next phase. This stress-test exercise is a permanent dance around benefits realization and business cases. Clarity on the objectives of the following phase, the path, cost, and resources needed to get there, and the performance metrics to measure effectiveness and efficiency of execution, are vital.

 


Here at CourseMonster, we know how hard it may be to find the right time and funds for training. We provide effective training programs that enable you to select the training option that best meets the demands of your company.

For more information, please get in touch with one of our course advisers today or contact us at training@coursemonster.com

Posted in APMG, Change Management, Project ManagementTagged Agile Project Management, APMG, Change ManagementLeave a Comment on Project and Change Management; One and the same?

Understanding Change Management

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Marbenz Antonio

 

What is Change Management?

Change management is a word that refers to an orderly process to executing a strategic change inside of an organization. The organization not only outlines the processes necessary for change but also encourages and assists employees in transitioning to it. Moreover, it establishes means for monitoring the modification to determine whether or not it was implemented successfully.

Making organizational-wide changes is a difficult task. It is a time-consuming procedure that necessitates many distinct components inside the company banding together and working as a single group. This is why change management is frequently used to structure organizational-wide cooperation. This method reduces the possibility of failure.

 

Reason Why Change Tends to Fail

Change is frequently disruptive. This indicates that if leading figures do not have a strategy for dealing with people’s responses, the change would fail. Then again, people are the primary reason why change initiatives fail.

An excellent method to avoid this is to emphasize communication and information sharing, make sure that individuals and groups are informed of what is needed of them as well as how to accomplish it. They also need to be able to observe the outcomes of the modification as it is executed piece by piece.

 

Change Management’s Importance

When a company sees the need for change, it signifies it seeks to be more responsive to its surroundings. Organizations can reap a wide range of benefits if change management is executed correctly. Organizations can use change management to:

  • Enhance their probability of successful change implementation.
  • Integrate the change with the company’s vision and objectives.
  • Reduce the amount of time and money needed to accomplish change.
  • Provide the resources needed to accomplish the change.
  • Assist and support staff in adapting to the change.
  • Reduce any inconveniences and dangers that the change may create to business operations.
  • Reduce any tension and fear that employees may be feeling like a part of the change.
  • Learn to deal with the volume and regularity of change that occurs inside your organization.
  • Minimize the adverse impact of badly managed change that occurred.
  • Handle problems in a timely and effective manner.
  • Enhance how employees interact and collaborate.
  • Implement adjustments that will help them become more sustainable and efficient.

 

Change management should be considered by any company that is committed to executing change. Many firms have attempted to manage change without it, wasting resources and making personnel resistant to change. All of this can be prevented with change management, as change can be conducted to put the organization in a better position than it used to be previously.

 


Here at CourseMonster, we know how hard it may be to find the right time and funds for training. We provide effective training programs that enable you to select the training option that best meets the demands of your company.

For more information, please get in touch with one of our course advisers today.

Posted in Change ManagementTagged Change ManagementLeave a Comment on Understanding Change Management

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