Change and IT Projects Dr Andy Wilson Director of Capability Enhancement Loughborough University

Purposes To share some thoughts on change......and on change wrt IT projects To invite your reactions To identify some recommendations.

Comment I am currently Project Manager of Loughborough’s move from 3 faculties and 20 departments to 10 schools I’ll offer some comments on this experience!

Change concepts The “burning platform” Dilbert and Senge on change Change and loss PESTLE and MORTAR The DICE model What managers can do to help.

The “burning platform”

The “burning platform” 2 Sometimes proposed as a way of encouraging change Refers to Piper Alpha disaster 1988 Gas platform in the North Sea 167 people died The 59 survivors jumped 200 feet into the water This is not how you encourage change.

Dilbert on change Change is good. You go first.

Senge on change People don’t resist change. They resist being changed. Peter Senge

Change and loss Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, On Death and Dying (1969) Often applied to change, sometimes in a rather simplistic way, but… People don’t neatly follow the model The downs and ups are not straightforward But loss is often a part of even “good” change.

The stages ~ DABDA(M) 1. Denial ~ They can’t do that! 2. Anger ~ They can’t do that to me! 3. Bargaining ~ Well, if they’re going to do that then I want… 4. Depression ~ It’s awful and I feel miserable 5. Acceptance ~ OK, it’s going to happen 6. Moving on ~ Well it’s not so bad, I can deal with this.

On Death and Dying

PESTLE …and MORTAR DriversIssues PoliticalMeMe EconomicOrganisation SocialResources TechnologicalTop Team LegalAffectional Ethical/EnvironmentalRational

The ABCD of Drivers Altruism ~ lip service, maybe Business case ~ benefits to...? Compliance ~ they do it – reluctantly Desperation ~ they do something…

The Hard Side… …of Change Management “Companies must pay as much attention to the hard side of change management as they do to the soft aspects. By rigorously focusing on four critical elements, they can stack the odds in favor of success.” by Harold L. Sirkin, Perry Keenan, and Alan Jackson Harvard Business Review Online, 2005.

DICE Model of Change Duration Integrity Commitment Effort Get these right, and change is much more likely to be successful.

DICE 2 Duration = the amount of time between reviews (or the duration of change programme) Integrity = the ability of the team to deliver what is required Commitment C1=commitment to change of top management C2=commitment to change of employees affected by change Effort = the perceived effort over and above normal workload that the change initiative demands.

DICE Score (low is good), fractions OK D + 2I + 2C 1 + C 2 + E <15Win 15 – 17Worry >17Woe Double weighting for: Integrity = the ability of the team to deliver what is required Commitment C 1 =commitment to change of top management.

Loughborough and DICE DDurationConstant scrutiny1 IIntegrityLots of time of senior management team, two senior administrators, many other staff, and staff development 1.5 = 3 C1Senior commitment Visible and repeated1.5 = 3 C2Wider commitment Very doubtful4 EEffortSeen as high4 Total15

What managers can do With all that as a starting point… If you were going through a significant change, what would you want from your manager?

We’d want them to... Give us time Listen Acknowledge our feelings Encourage the expression of feelings Describe reality Explain the drivers Explore options Nudge us forwards Discuss the consequences Ask difficult questions Help us to imagine how it could be Analyse risks Rehearse behaviours Feed back on our mood Celebrate successes.

IT aspects of change WIIFM? The impact of IT change Group think The computer says, “No”.

WIIFM? What’s in it for me? Institutional-level benefits may not look like benefits from the individual’s perspective With IT change some of the institutional benefits may seem fairly obscure… …and some of the personal impacts may seem substantial.

The impact of IT change Consider the “worlds” of different staff groups The academic world...? The support staff world...? And the degree of control people have over their worlds Then think about the impact of IT change.

Group think The tendency for members of a cohesive group to reach decisions without weighing all the facts, especially those contradicting the majority opinion. allpsych.com/dictionary/dictionary2.html Technical expertise – or the lack of it – can reinforce boundaries.

The computer says, “No”.

Remember Senge IT change may seem less negotiable.

Stakeholder analysis I’m seeing stakeholders as those people who have an interest in – or can have an impact on – your change project If you don’t understand who your stakeholders are – and how they feel – then successful implementation will be very hard This tool helps you with this Please agree a project from within your group that you’re going to work on.

Stakeholder straplines

Stakeholder straplines 2 In the top part of the circle write the name of the stakeholder or stakeholder group Then, for each stakeholder, try to identify a pithy phrase or strapline that captures their view of the project Here are some examples from the Loughborough project...

Stakeholder straplines 3 Senior managers This must happen Academic staff It’s the second envelope! Depart- mental admin staff Will I be made redundant?

Stakeholder straplines 4 Your straplines? Do they tell you anything about what you need to do to make your project work?

People and Technology... It’s not rocket science...your recommendations People do tend to get forgotten Especially teams What recommendations would you offer concerning IT-related change?

Stakeholder straplines? Senior managers So now it will just happen Academic staff So what am I not going to do? IT staff You should have asked us about it beforehand

Traffic lights Stop doing or do less of Keep on doing, carefully Start doing or do more of

Fundamentals 1. Establish the case for change 2. Visualise how the new world will be better 3. Establish a set of shared values 4. Resource the change initiative appropriately 5. Lead by example 6. Assess capability and capacity 7. Engage the team in the change process 8. Communicate the change in a timely and sensitive way 9. Ensure senior management commitment is visible.

Dealing with negativity Rational Explain the plan Consider what happens without change Involve people and demonstrate effectiveness Reorganise systems from the bottom up Personal Stress future benefits Present exciting possibilities Accept management responsibility for past failures Emotional Provide concrete examples of the need Communicate details face-to-face Demonstrate long-term commitment Explain honestly, and promise involvement

Another project and DICE DDurationFire and forget4 IIntegrityNo time of senior management team and other resource very limited 4 = 8 C1Senior commitment Invisible4 = 8 C2Wider commitment Sceptical, on top of everything else 4 EEffortSeen as high4 Total28