Managing ch-ch-ch-changes

Change doesn't have to be a painful experience. IT pro Ben Acheson offers some advice on how to make transitions go smoothly.

There is only one thing you can be certain of in life and in business: change.

Managing change is the mark of a great business leader. But change is as dangerous as it is creative and organisations need a formal strategy for managing it.

Here's some advice I've developed over many years managing change within businesses.

Talk about it
Any plan for change should start with a consultation with all the stakeholders about the change, to talk about it and to identify and address sources of resistance to it. This will help you gain allies.

Communication is the key to success in any project. I have seen projects of all kinds - from new business implementations to rolling out new systems - fail because the project manager assumed it would be OK to go ahead with the change and tell everybody about it at the end.

Make no mistake: it is not OK.

You should tell everyone involved what the changes will be and how the change is likely to affect them, as soon as possible.

I was once brought into the implementation of a large new account about a third of the way through the process. Early in the meeting some of the people we wanted to win over walked out furiously and with no explanation. It transpired that their business unit had recently been acquired and the problem was the usual fear of losing control, perhaps even their job.

The parent company, which we had made a deal with, had failed to consult these key stakeholders.

Embrace resistance
Any change will encounter some resistance from stakeholders. Generally speaking, the larger the change the greater the resistance will be.

Resistance is the silent enemy. It prefers to undermine your efforts quietly, spreading dissent and undermining your project. People will feel threatened by change because the status quo is comfortable and because it may threaten their power or even their job. This is particularly true during difficult economic times when change can be regarded as a ploy to cut jobs.

But resistance to change can be overcome if it is tackled head-on, or better still if it is dealt with using proper communication from the earliest stages of your project.

In fact, you can even use resistance and dissent to your advantage. You should welcome them as positive, natural parts of the change process - and use them as a mechanism to get all the issues out into the open.

Seek out, explore and debate workers' objections openly and at the earliest possible opportunity.

By considering the likely forms that resistance will take you can, to some extent, predict how people will behave and get ahead of the game.

I once dealt with a manager who had been identified as a potential resistor to change because he had chosen a supplier who was being let go only a year previously. It seemed likely that he would regard the change as an indictment of his decision.

Because it was too late to make him feel involved in the change process, I pointed out that the decision had been made above both our heads, and that we both had to make the best of the situation. He could make himself a key part of the new contract and carve a new role for himself, or he could step away and risk being marginalised.

Some other things to keep in mind:

• Influence the key change facilitators to think outside the box and champion your change. Show them the big picture - and their part in it.

• Do not allow people to be afraid of their inability to achieve what they regard as the impossible - clarify what is required and what help will be available to get them there.

• Note down the key stakeholders' ideas and thoughts and take them seriously. If they have an idea let them take the credit for it even if you had already thought of it. It is critical to get their buy-in, to build a consensus and then a coalition to lead the change, with representatives from all levels - perhaps even from customers, suppliers and external consultants for a really transformational change.

• Build an objection handling list once you have a picture of the main causes of dissent. Dismantle the mistaken ideas point by point and sell the benefits.

• Deliver tangible benefits early on, once the project is underway, to try to keep people them on board and maintain momentum. Try to identify some easy wins early on and focus on those first.

• Leverage the process for your own career as well as for the benefit of the organisation. Remember: change represents an opportunity to build new alliances and build a future with you in a key position and a reputation for making things happen. If you step up, take ownership and make things happen you can transform your career too.

Ben Acheson is implementation manager at Office Team Group.