With the fast evolution of technology, organisations today must be able to manage the human aspects of technological change in order to implement the changes quickly and efficiently. INNOVATE@ISS speaks with Mrs. Tamsin Greulich-Smith and Dr. Hoe Siu Loon to find out the new Change Management course at NUS-ISS and how it can help project managers effectively introduce new technologies into their organisations.
We are fortunate to live in an era of fast paced technological change. The technology landscape is continually evolving and transforming, presenting exciting opportunities for organisations to solve their entrenched problems or to leapfrog their competitors. New technologies allow us to realise aspirations we once deemed impossible. However, bringing about technological change within an organisation can be a less thrilling prospect. Whilst on paper a digital or IT solution might look perfect, the reality of attempting to embed it into your organisation may fall far short from the vision.
No matter the nature of your organisation, technological change is not something you can avoid, and neither therefore are the associated challenges of introducing such change.
Much has been practised, written and researched about change management, yet despite the plethora of frameworks and guidance that have been developed over decades to assist the process, the success rate for most change projects remains pretty dismal. Estimates suggest around 80% of change management projects fail.
When it comes to the introduction of new technologies or IT systems into an organisation, it appears particularly challenging to bring about effective change. In the earnest pursuit of addressing the complicated hard science matters, from integration to security, the softer science of change can easily be pushed aside. All too often we assume that we have managed the human aspects of change by simply notifying our users. Sadly, said notification frequently takes the form of technically worded emails, leaving employees at best confused, and at worst threatened, angry, and determined to resist at all costs!
A new course launching this March at the Institute of Systems Science is designed to help project managers effectively introduce new technologies or IT systems into their organisations. Delivered by ISS lecturers Mrs. Tamsin Greulich-Smith and Dr. Hoe Siu Loon, “Change Management for IT Projects” is a 3-day executive education programme, that will help participants build change management skills above and beyond simply following a change management framework. Working through well-established methodologies and toolkits, the programme will help participants to better understand the human element of change, including how to engage with stakeholders for effective and sustainable change:
Here, Siu Loon and Tamsin share their thoughts on change management:
Why does change management matter?
Siu Loon (photo on left): Very often, we hear organisations say people are their most important asset. However, when change is introduced, people-related issues are almost always addressed as an after-thought. Change management is important because it is the people who make things happen.
Tamsin: We can’t avoid change, and we should feel excited about that fact! Change brings new possibilities; opportunities to experience brand new things. But as with most things in life, we are happier about change when we are able to exercise choice over it. When change is imposed we tend to focus on what we’re losing. When we are involved in driving change, we are more likely to look forward to the positive it may bring. Change management, performed well, can help to instil this sense of enthusiasm for change.
What are the biggest mistakes organisations make in managing change?
Siu Loon: One common mistake is adopting an “I tell, you do” approach to change without addressing the genuine concerns of the people. Very often, resistance to change is due to emotional rather than rational reasons. Therefore, it is crucial to let people understand and accept the need for change. Another mistake is engaging stakeholders late in the project life-cycle when the change is about to be implemented. Most of us need time to assimilate information and internalise it before action. Therefore, the sooner we engage the stakeholders the better.
Tamsin (photo on right): Change management works best when people are made to feel valued. Failing to invest real effort up front in engaging stakeholders can damage trust early on, and this will always be hard to rebuild. Successful change is built upon trust.
Why should people join the ‘Change Management for IT Projects’ programme?
Siu Loon: Our programme is special in the sense that we focus on the practical aspects of change management – on what works and what doesn’t – drawn from our experiences in managing large-scale organisational transformation initiatives. In particular, we will be sharing techniques that will lead to a collaborative style of engagement and more open communications. We hope that participants will be able to address common change management issues regardless of the frameworks they use.
Tamsin: There are very few change projects today that don’t involve an element of IT or new technology change, and our programme has been carefully developed to address some of the particular challenges associated with bringing about such change. People are at the heart of any change, and to manage change well we need to understand how to encourage our stakeholders to embrace that change and champion it. We aim to help our students develop these capabilities.
What is your proudest change management achievement?
Siu Loon: When one of my clients began to take it upon herself to drive the change instead of me.
Tamsin: A major transformation project, which I joined at a time of high conflict and public protest, eventually resulted in our public stakeholders championing the change themselves, and ultimately commenting to national media that the project had been fantastically managed and the end result ‘life changing’. It made the years of hard work worthwhile.
NICF - Change Management for IT Projects is designed to address the particular challenges associated with the implementation of new IT systems or technologies. For more information or to register, click here