Project Leadership vs. Organizational Change Management

 

As pervasive organizational change has become so common, it is important to understand the relationship between project leadership and organizational change management. This will help you to become more successful in change situations.

Bas de Baar had some relevant comments in our Project Leadership discussion area (http://www.gantthead.com/discussions/discussionsTopicContainer.cfm?ID=15911). And in the Leadership GIG, there are more points about  project leadership, but organizational change management is a higher level, just as PPM and PMO lift our thinking above individual projects.

Say that an enterprise, driven by an adjustment in corporate strategy, is replacing an older business process with a new process supported by more sophisticated technology. Job roles change - some are eliminated while new ones are designed. Numbers of workers will be reduced in some places, added in others. Power and prestige will change among departmental leaders. Traditional experts will fear obsolescence. The only ones who will be confident at first using the new technology will be the vendors. Few in the enterprise will feel comfortable once the announcement of such a major initiative. 

Sounds like a great time to initiate an IT project! All is not lost, however. To the rescue will be various groups that will intervene to make things better. Expect HR, Corporate Communications, Learning & Development, Organizational Development even Executives to get involved to manage organizational culture. An IT project within such a high-impact enterprise-wide initiative will be affected by these related activities.

Now we can see more clearly how project leadership is affected by organizational change management in such a situation. The PM must exhibit leadership behavior consistent with the needs of organizational change management. These behaviors are not necessarily the same as  those of a project unconnected with enterprise-wide change. In fact, the PM in this situation may have to:

• communicate certain messages consistent with the wider initiative  ("But I already have an approved communication plan.")
• use leverage from the larger initiative to  get cooperation from stakeholders resisting progress because they are losing power  ("Like working with stakeholders in not hard enough!")
• support resources attending change management training that occurs simultaneously with the IT PM's project  ("The schedule is already too tight!")
• deal appropriately with complex and controversial enterprise change issues that erupt from outside of the PM's IT project  ("Ah, good! Something to fill my spare time and increase my subnormal blood pressure!")

These are just examples. There are a lot more. Project leadership during major organizational change is distinctly different than otherwise. Preparation for these situations is the key.