By Olivia Le Jeune and Jean-Roch Houllier
August 26, 2024
Recognizing and formalizing change management is crucial for a project’s success.[1] By making it a priority, you can better achieve project objectives, limit risks, and ensure that everyone, including end-users, fully take ownership of the change for the long term!
To achieve this effectively, you must lead and embody the change with all stakeholders, near and far. Here are some insights from our experience with change management projects.
The Emergence of a Change Management Pilot
The project manager, failing to manage change as a simple “sideline”, must identify and appoint a change management pilot who can be the expert in the support system to be put in place[2]. The legitimacy and positioning of this key resource should be backed up by his or her feedback from various projects, the methodology applied to the future project, and the support of the program director and sponsor, which are essential.
On the start of the project, the key resource’s first task will be to acculturate all stakeholders in change management, including project teams, business units, sponsor(s), strategic relays and managers, and the IT department. This acculturation, which depends on the teams’ level of maturity on the subject, may involve awareness raising, training, feedback on best practices in similar areas, and testimonials.
To frame and deploy the support system, the change management pilot may work in tandem with an “operational relay” or “field expert” who has knowledge and expertise in products, organization or any other contextual component associated with the project. Within the framework of the project, the change management pilot may be responsible for a team of collaborators in charge of delivering the various change deliverables. He/she may functionally manage a team made up of several “relays” who are experts in the different activities deployed by the project.
They can build communities of best practice within the organization, like discussion forums and groups on the corporate social network. This encourages open dialogue, especially when stakeholders are resistant or in denial. It fosters peer-to-peer exchanges, shares best practices and ultimately builds support for the project, increasing its legitimacy and chances of success.
Acculturation doesn’t happen overnight; it can take several months—between four and eight months, depending on the maturity of the teams. The change management pilot will need to be patient, tenacious and never give up! Once the project is over, he or she will need to capitalize on the change process, to share and publicize it, so as to distill the lessons learned and best practices as widely as possible throughout the company.
Change Management Skills: The Keys to Success
First and foremost, the change management pilot possesses leadership skills, as the guardian of a strategic vision who, against all odds, sets the course and embodies the ability to stand back. Their ability to inspire and motivate, coupled with a real sense of communication and good conflict management skills, enable them to deploy change with stakeholders.
To establish the change management pilot’s credibility should adopt a stance that combines the following elements when addressing resistance and engaging with stakeholders:
- Empathy – Understanding team members’ concerns about change, welcoming and recognizing emotions and the impact of change on employees’ daily lives
- Flexibility – Adapting and adjusting your strategy as you go along, while staying on course towards the set objectives
- Ability to unite – Creating a team spirit around the change project by encouraging everyone’s commitment, and ensuring that each member feels valued in the process
- Proactivity – Anticipating challenges and taking initiatives to solve problems before they become major obstacles
Finally, his or her theoretical and practical knowledge of change management tools and methodologies will make all the difference in supporting change effectively. These include, for example, techniques involved in stakeholder analysis (e.g. partner map), change management methods (e.g. John Kotter’s model and its eight stages of change), and monitoring and steering tools (e.g. design and steering of indicators to assess the progress of change).
Sources:
[1] Change Management in Transformation Projects : A Look Back at Some of the Essentials (iil.com)
[2] Autissier, D., & Moutot, J. M. (2023). Méthode de conduite du changement-5e éd.: Diagnostic, Accompagnement, Performance. Dunod.
[3] La conduite du changement dans les projets de transformation (iil.com).
[4] Autissier, D., & Moutot, J. M. (2023). Méthode de conduite du changement-5e éd.: Diagnostic, Accompagnement, Performance. Dunod.
Olivia graduated with a Master’s Degree in Chemistry from the University Paris Orsay. She is currently an expert in change management and a project director with Groupe Société Générale France. Olivia is also a professor at Skema Business School Paris (Master Project & Program), and Coach (Personal development). She is previously Presidente PMI France.
A graduate of HEC Paris, SUPAERO (ISAE) & SKEMA BS, Jean-Roch Houllier is currently Head of Operations, Learning & Digital at SAFRAN University, the SAFRAN Group university. Jean-Roch is also a research associate at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) in Paris, in connection with his research into prehistory, and a visiting teacher and professional thesis supervisor.
IIL has two upcoming Change Management Courses:
Change Management Foundation
Live Virtual Classroom – starts September 11, 2024, 8 am to 11 am ET
Change Management Practitioner
Live Virtual Classroom – starts October 8, 2024, 8 am to 11 am ET
