Change is Not Always Pain

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at [email protected]. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

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I have led a number of change management initiatives over the years--projects that would fundamentally change the organization that was sponsoring the project. These may be the result of an acquisition, a sale or changes in organizational structure--or they could simply be a process re-engineering exercise that changes how things are done within part or all of the organization.

These can be very exciting projects; I always relish the opportunity to be involved in something that has the potential of making dramatic improvements to the company and laying foundations for the way that the business will operate for years to come. However, I also recognize that these projects can be very painful experiences for some employees. Projects like this can result in changes to the number and type of employees who are required--and there is no getting around the fact that they may result in people losing their jobs.

In my experience though, these are the exception. What happens far more frequently is the unrest, uncertainty and concern that is caused by nothing more than fear. People lose focus, become less productive and potentially seek out alternative employment because of the fear of something that is not going to happen. In this article I want to look at how we can manage those situations more effectively.

Recognizing the need
I fully accept that there are some projects…

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