Who is responsible for Managing Change?

One observation I’ve made is that operational managers don’t very often have objectives linked to managing and implementing change. Why would they? Their roles are related to manufacturing product, operating technical infrastructure or selling and providing service to customers. Working on the age-old adage that ‘what gets measured gets managed’,  it’s perhaps not surprising that many operational managers see change initiatives as a distraction or an unnecessary add-on to their ‘real job’.  

But what if every manager had an objective to demonstrate that they have made progress in adopting change in whatever guise that is relevant to their department or team?  Would that change the way projects are run and delivered? Would there be a different mindset around collaborating and achieving a common set of outcomes?

Just as you wouldn’t expect a project or change practitioner to step into the shoes of an operational expert, why do we expect operational experts to understand how to participate in and manage change? One wise colleague once told me that the reason most people don’t do things is that they don’t know how to, that can lead to fear of failure and increased resistance to change.  

So, I’d argue that whilst the project team will be accountable for  the delivery of change to time, cost and quality, the owners of the change in the long run are the operational and business teams.  Everyone needs the skills and confidence to deliver change successfully and adjust to their new normal.

 If you are an operational manager here are 3 skills that could help you: 

• How to deal with resistance to change

• How to protect your people during times of change

• How to design KPIs that show your contribution to change

Please do get in touch If you want help with your change agenda: [email protected]