navigating resistance to change
Post on 19-Oct-2014
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workshop: understanding resistance to change, and then overcoming itTRANSCRIPT
Hiring Great Technical Communicators
Overcoming Resistance to Change
Emma C. HamerE. Hamer Associates Ltd.Career and Performance Consultants
When Technology and People meet Some hard facts
Some inconvenient truths
Symptoms, diagnosis, and
treatment
To Overcome Your Opponent, You Must First Understand Him Sun Tzu The Art of War
The number one reason:resistance to change According to LISAs 2006 Global Business Practices Survey:Staff resistance to change is a factor that complicates roughly half of all technology implementation projects and severely threatens about one in ten
Its (just) a technology implementationIts (just) business as usualIts (just) an infrastructure projectIts (just) a piece of software
If we explain the business rationale, people will understandIf we tell them what will change, people will adjustIf we give them application training, people will use the system
people will naturally fall in line (and do as theyre told)
behavior is more complex than that
everyone has different drivers
The technology is *just* the tool the desired outcome is to do something differently = transform (part of) the business
Business Transformation is a process - not a product
(With apologies to any vegetarian and vegan participants)
Technology is never the promised silver bullet not all business problems are solvable by automation
No sophisticated technology system can be used off the shelf there will always be a need for customization
Inefficient Processes + New Technology = Failure
Upgrading or automating a dysfunctional process: same problems, just faster and harder to fix
Get your key people involved and
fix whats broken first!
1. Secure C-level sponsorship
2. Bring in independent experts
3. Talk with your people, not just at them
Change may be psychologically painful, but uncertainty about the end-state is more painful
Fear of loss is a powerful motivator
Loss of what?
No more Mr. Big Shot?
I have no idea what Im doing anymore
No more working from home?
No longer part of the winning team?
I used to know where we were headed
Get ready to pound the pavement again?
Dysfunctional behavior; territorialismPassive resistance; apathyCling to inefficient work methodsJealously guard expertise; no sharingPoliticized environment
Which behaviours link to which fears?
What are the risks? to the team? to the project? to the individual?
What if the fear is justified?
One-on-one conversation
Acknowledge, discuss, resolve
Focus on CAUSE of behaviour
Do NOT like surprises
Get everyone together and communicate
Already feel overwhelmed with special projects dont need another headacheFeel uncomfortable with difficult conversations
Talk about the problem, not the solutionFocus on positive outcomes and benefitsTap into collective memories Provide forum for sharing experiencesInvolve users in defining new rolesUse peer-mentoring
Fact: most managers spend 80% of their time with the 20% that are poor performersStop it! Face time one-on-one with the boss should be a reward; an earned privilege, and recognition for a job well-done
Use mentor as a sounding board
Ask for help dealing with internal politics
Bottom-up solutions enhance ownership Managing by results, not by process gets a lot more work finished
Humans are actually very adaptive
and, as always, evolve to suit new worlds
Its all about trust in the system and in each otherModel desired behavior do as I do and most will followa new day
Contact: [email protected]: +1 604 317 2234
****Wrong system chosenNon-adoption by usersGovernance models didnt changeNo authoring and review policy in placeNo-one took ownership of the contentIT rolled it out and washed its hands
*IT knows the magic elixir
More featuresBased on cool factorI like the vendorWe have the last version****Old system + new upgrade = Failure******************Its not change they fear, its having to do it all by themselves
They also believe theyre the only ones having a hard time emotionally
Care about their co-workers
Want to do the best job they can
Need occasional reassurances
**********