So, I mentioned in the last article that I would make some comments on change management – managing change. Can you do such a thing? I think you can mitigate the impact of change, or cummunicate the wants, needs or desires brought about by a change – but, can you really manage the change itself? Everyone is entitled to their own thoughts, opinions, ideas and perceptions of the way things are, the way things ought to be and ultimately the way things turn out. As such, I think what we are really looking at managing is not “change”, but rather the expectations, perceptions and realities of those affected by change.

As I have been interviewing for a new career recently, one of the common desireable qualities that has come up for the ideal and successful candidate (as expressed by those interviewing) has been experience in change management (among other things). This is an area where I do feel that I have particular expertise. However, as I hope I made clear above, that expertise comes not as a result of applying processes, decisions and methodologies to change initiatives, but in expecting the unexpected, soliciting participation and maintaining positive and two-way communication with stakeholders and thsoe affected by said change.

By involving others, managing expectations and communicating along the way – even the most complex scenarios can be transformed to manage as a simple execution. Now, don’t get me wrong. All of this is not easy. The magic lies within communicating the right messages to the right people at the right time; in involving the key decision makers when needed and leaving out unnecessary decision makers when input is not required; in ultimately building a plan and sticking to it, but knowing when to steer off course when a rock appears in the direct path of your ship, only to get back on course at the right moment and bring everyone to safety – to the final destination in one piece.

Managing change management perhaps then could be viewed more as an art form than a science. Something not learned and applied from a text, but learned and applied from observation and experience gained through understanding of human interactions, relationships and cognitive thinking. For, we are beings of free will, ones who form our own realities and perceptions. And, in a world where perception is reality, the final task of the leader and master of change is to grasp all those independent perceptions and make them one common harmonious reality.

Make sense as a concept? Hope so. Focus on the people, not the problem. Pay attention to your human assets, not your papers or processes. That’s a start. Perhaps more on my style and methods later.