But We Sent An Email...
READ TIME - 4 MINUTES
"Hey Alex!" Tom stuck his head around the office door, grinning. "Just wanted to let you know there’s no need for change management for this rollout.
The product owner will send a heads-up email next week, and we've pencilled in a training session for June.
That should do it, yeah?"
Alex looked up from her screen and laughed.
She genuinely liked Tom - his enthusiasm for the project was infectious, even if his idea of change management was... endearing.
"Come here for a sec," she said, gesturing to the chair near her desk.
"I've been mapping out what our teams will need to make this work, and I reckon you'll find this interesting.
You know how Finance always gets slammed at end of quarter...?"
When the project team has a ‘different’ view of what change management involves, here's how to keep adding value while maintaining great relationships:
1. The "Support Their Success" Strategy
The best change managers know it's not about proving their worth - it's about staying focused on helping teams successfully adopt new ways of working.
When you focus on supporting adoption, the value of change management becomes clear naturally, because it makes everyone look good.
Do this when working with delivery teams that don’t get change management:
Share insights about stakeholder readiness and capacity
Help identify where extra support might be needed
Map out busy periods to plan around them
Connect delivery teams with the right stakeholders (and don’t forget to talk up the delivery team!)
Highlight where end users might struggle with adoption
Show them which areas will need more hand-holding (and how you’ll take care of that)
Help anticipate adoption challenges before they hit
Use change champion insights to plan support needs
Pro tip: Focus on making adoption easier for everyone - that's when people really get what change management brings to the table.
2. The "Quiet Impact" Approach
Instead of talking about change management concepts and trying to educate folks, focus on consistently supporting successful implementation in ways that make everyone's life easier.
Take the pressure off yourself: It’s not your job to turn the project team into expert change managers.
Instead, just keep focusing on:
Keeping track of what stakeholders are worried about
Helping spot potential adoption roadblocks early
Building networks that support implementation
Creating momentum through peer success stories
Making it easy for teams to support each other
Sharing what's working in different areas
Helping teams learn from each other's experiences
Keeping the focus on successful adoption
Pro tip: Sometimes the most effective change management is invisible - people just notice that tech and business areas are working together more constructively and things are going more smoothly than expected.
Truth is, you don't need everyone to understand change management theory to help them successfully adopt new ways of working.
Your role isn't to explain what you do - it's to help teams successfully navigate the change journey.
The secret? The best change managers are a bit like good party hosts - they're not the centre of attention, they just make sure everyone has what they need to have a good time.
That's it for this week.
Next Tuesday we're diving into managing change when everyone's on Easter break - don't miss it!
See you then,
Team EVER
PS: Someone pass this on to you?
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