Reading through all the embedded links I clicked on from the assigned PowerPoint on change management I found myself taking notes on aspects that resonated. Because I really wasn’t clear, in my true be a good learner form, I was looking for information help me understand a more formal definition to change so I could respond to the reflection question, “how do I feel about change in organizational settings?” During the sixth article, I found myself chuckling while reading multiple grammatical usages of change management because it solidified some of my own understanding and misunderstanding of my experiences with change and change management initiatives within multiple companies.
It’s a noun: “Change management is key to the project.”
It’s a verb: “We really need to change manage that process.”
It’s an adjective: “My change management skills are improving.”
It’s an expletive: “Change management!”
Source: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_87.htm
To better understand my chuckle it’s important to know that I am a coaching professional with a coaching certification since 2001 as well as I have clocked thousands of paid coaching hours as a solo practitioner, contractor, embedded organizational coach, speaker and business owner. Seeing change management in the form of a noun, verb, adjective and expletive remind me of the word “coach.” I see both as misunderstood step children by many.
In 2000 and 2001 as I was getting my coaching certification and shifting my career for the third time, although there were many sports coaches, few people claimed to be a professional coach. They were consultants. Fast forward, coaching is quite vogue and embedded into every organizations people development vernacular and everyone is a coach or has been “coached” in some format regardless of their coach learning or certification.
Generally speaking, if you need to be coached in an organization there is a negative connotation and it means you’re not performing to your best ability. My chuckle is the connection to “change manage” the process or to experience someone’s greater change management skills. Truth be told, no thank you, I don’t see much difference from needing to be “changed” or “coached.”
All these thoughts bring me to my own pondering and experience on change in organizations. In my organizational experience, we often have it right when we begin with the process of clarifying our current state, and often are pretty good thinking about future states from either a mediocre one to dreaming up some big audacious one where we start making videos that show up in our email to remind us of how awesome we will soon be.
Where I better understand why there is a 60 – 70 percent failure mentioned in both the IBM Making Change Work Teaser YouTube video and the Change Management: What is it? Why should we care about it as Project Managers? .ppt by Elizabeth Hoburg & & Sarah Schwartz is the more misunderstood transition phase. All I can think of is, hey we have another misunderstood step child called transition and its parents really do need to be “coached.”
If the goal of change really is about improving my organization and my workplace by altering how work is done and / or possibly positively disrupting how my work is done so that we, the organization, reach a positive outcome. I’m beginning to think I’ve never experienced a successful transition with change and the kind of change management I am reading about that thinks about current state, transition and future state. The kind of change management that not puts a plan in place, rather works a plan through the obstacles as well as integrates awesome project management with said change management in a way that the technical side of things and the people side things hold hands and may be even sing Kum ba ya. Rather I am coming to the understanding that I am continually experiencing the failing 70 percent of change management initiatives.
I have an actual feeling of sadness because I’ve been involved, yet I didn’t know what I didn’t know. The good part is now I am the conscious incompetent to change management which means there is a lot of room for growth. I know growth only comes when we are conscious to choice and open to possibility. I am also thinking yes, perfect timing and synchronicity because I am putting some 2018 strategic plans in place and “this” is really going to help.