The pace of change in today’s world is staggering; it’s
hard to keep up with all the technological advances. To remain competitive organizations are incessantly
driven towards process improvement. Practitioners
in every field must continuously sharpen their skills to remain relevant. What’s more, every field is becoming more and
more specialized. People aren’t just
programmers anymore; there are programs just for mobile apps, programmers for
the healthcare industry, industrial drives, PLCs, ERPs and CRMs, etc. Every field is becoming more and more niched. But, regardless of the industry, the human
element lies at the heart of every change initiative. Post-project analysis consistently confirms that
human factors, more than any other single element, are at the root of poor
performance and failed change initiatives.
So, regardless of the industry or business sector, successful change
agents must understand the human variables involved in implementing change in
order to effectively utilize their in-depth professional expertise.
Where do you begin? If a practitioner wants to gain
expertise in managing the human elements there is a virtually endless supply of
literature about leadership, change management, communications, conflict
resolution, engagement, productivity improvement, performance improvement
etc. It becomes overwhelming; people
just don’t have the time. They end up
picking up techniques here and there as they have time and apply whatever they can. Like the old adage says, 'The solution to any
problem you face is the one you happen to know.' It’s all very piecemeal. Consequently project success relies too
heavily upon chance and circumstances – hoping that the problems that arise
fall within the solution set available. Speaking
for myself, I became very frustrated that so much of the advice available was overly
simplistic, nonspecific non actionable, and redundant. I wanted a solution I could apply in my own
practice on real-world problems and projects.
Analysis of the research and personal experience observing how
people learn, how teams form, what drives behavior, and how people make the
transition from involved to engaged, revealed some consistent behavioral patterns. To simplify the patterns I built upon the
work of past practitioners and applied systems thinking to define the five
stages of organizational development that resulted in The Workforce Engagement Equation:
Forming à Focusing à Committing à Sustained Performance à Renewal
Each phase represents a juncture where the
team will either successfully navigate the situation to move to a higher, more
cohesive level of group dynamics and operational performance or they’ll stumble,
experiencing confusion, frustration, and lower productivity.
Each stage requires appropriate management
and leadership interventions to simultaneously satisfy the needs of both the
project and the team. The comprehensive
change management approach addresses:
· People Needs
· Effective Management Responses
· Effective Leadership Responses
· Tools and Techniques to Employ
Understanding the logic model prepares
practitioners to recognize the patterns and empowers them to adapt their response
to successfully navigate the phase.
Regardless of the industry or the size of the team, understanding The
Workforce Engagement Equation will equip practitioners to achieve success more
consistently and in shorter time.
What do you think of Jamison's response? How often have you been frustrated by the
human factors involved in project management or process improvement?
