There is a wealth of information out there about business, change and transformation given away by consultants, locked up in white papers and articles, in forums/discussion groups and on all of the social media sites. Wrap it all in your mind then put the plan down on a piece of paper and you are good to go! Looking at your strategic handiwork you say, “Look at that. We do not need Change Management”. In fact, “we don’t even need consultants!”.
Change Management
Yes you have functions, processes, structure and talent to get things done. And you have people to slot into those categories. Enter Change Management. Because pulling that nice clean plan off the paper requires a next step of connecting it to people and work.
“Do we have to?”
“ ‘Cause it looks so good ON PAPER.”
The farther away from that paper plan you get (it happens fast, be ready) the more you will find the need to make hidden connections, to develop better collaboration, to break developed silo’s, to build ,reinforce and leverage leadership and to build reinforce and leverage people.
Yes you also have the people for that paper plan (if you do not then you probably are not questioning CM). But you also have culture, measurement and competition. There are too many competing interests to get that into the paper plan.
For transformational change not only are you addressing the current and past aspects of this organizational bones to people/work equation, but you are adding a brand new, possibly completely different version.
From what I have seen in 30+ companies you do not have a place in those bones or a person/group to make this happen. No one is truly responsible and has the power to weave all this together.
Consultants
Because of that culture, measurement and competition side of our equation even if you did have the group, the person, the capacity, you might just be putting the fox in the hen house. Every internal person has something to gain or lose from every change (at least the transformational ones).
Introducing external influences can strengthen the plan. Although be wary here too. Most of those external influences also have something to gain or lose. And they base their decisions on money- which may really conflict with that paper plan.
Where you can be helped is with consultants who travel alone or in small groups and value the transfer of their knowledge and experience above all else. The ones who do it well are compensated enough to keep that altruistic viewpoint. Add the external influence and help to strengthen your internal ones.
Change Management Consultants
At the highest level and the most appropriate time- right at the paper planning stages with high level strategists is the place to introduce external change management consultants.
What do they do? To save linking- guide, mentor, communicate, collaborate etc. Connect the strategy to the hands and motivation of the stakeholders.
Match them to what you already have in your organization – your strengths with their external perspective and that “plan on paper” might just have a chance at fruition.
