Firstly, if you`re a "techie" thinking that this is all about version control or change control, you`re reading the wrong column!
You can try and force change or you can be sensitive to your people and do the intelligent thing: MANAGE the change!
This is about that faceless mass the IT industry fondly refers to as "end-users" - those sombre-looking bipeds that trod the passages between the canteen and their cubicles; those upon whom new systems are thrust without a word of consultation, who are forced to accept that which is totally unknown to them, those who are expected to adapt and adopt all change within the enterprise. After all, they only work here and we are doing our best to improve their world and they don`t know anything about systems and system development anyway!
Yeah, right! The fact that my entire knowledge base has been built on my experience, understanding and working with the current system - oops, sorry, you called it a "legacy system" I think? The real problem is that you don`t understand the real legacy behind the system and what it means to us! You just walk in, meet with management, give them what they think they want and never as much as ask us what we think, never mind greet us when you walk pass! And now you want me to be happy and support this new system!
Sound familiar? How many times have you not heard this from friends, family or others who have lived through a "new system implementation"? And, then the reverse is also true. Oh, my people are open to change; they realise they have to change, they have no option. So why should we spend all this extra cost on this fluffy stuff? How do you know it works anyway? People are flexible. If they don`t adapt, they will die! We haven`t got time to waste on this people nonsense. Training them will do the job. We`ll have one workshop with them and tell them what is going to happen - that should be more than enough!
I`ve heard them all! But what never ceases to surprise me is when you talk to a senior manager after the event and they always say: "If only we had addressed the people factor, it would have been so much easier!" or "If only we had brought them into the decision process and at least made them feel they had some say or were part of the process - the system would have been in long ago!". And my personal favourite: "If only we had listened to you and spent that extra little bit on the soft issues - we may have had a system today!"
Damage control
Hindsight is an exact science and measuring resistance is the prize! Why do I say that? Well, we always seem to be able to recognise the need after the time and never believe that people can really resist until it is actually too late! But is it ever too late? Can we still do some damage control? Can`t we implement a change management programme during or after the implementation?
The answer is no, yes, yes, no. No, it`s never too late. It will cost you a lot more, require a lot more time, more interventions and a lot more effort once the cart is off the rails, but it can be rescued. Yes, we can do damage control, but the scar will always be there in some form or another. Yes, we can implement a change management programme during or after the implementation, but there is always a lot of catching up to do and much lost opportunity lying around. No, after the implementation you should not do change management but rather call it performance management or any other name because by now your staff know that you don`t really care about them and they have shown you that they won`t change, so who are you bluffing?
The decision is yours. You can try and force change or you can be sensitive to your people and do the intelligent thing: MANAGE the change! The problem we always face is once the implementation is done and management says: "Why did we need change management? I was never aware of any resistance or problems during the project - were you?"
That`s when I know that the change management programme really worked and that the customer has crossed the river; we now have to convince them to pay the ferryman!
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