Crunch Time for Change Managers

by Colin Gautrey

The economic downturn, recession or credit crunch — call it what you will — is going to hit hard on organisations and their management. In the UK and the US, things are gathering pace. In the UK, we have already seen the first run on a British bank in over a century. Property companies have all but stopped building houses. Not to mention the dramatic effect on retailers. The picture in the US is the same, with many real estate agents closing offices and some of the most robust of enterprises taking drastic (and seemingly desperate) measures to stay afloat. The impact on Australia is unknown, yet the storm warnings are on.

The pressure at senior levels in organisations is growing dramatically, as they have to react quickly to a rapidly changing environment. Carefully planned strategies are being thrown awry, conflict is growing and opinion is divided over the best response to the looming crisis. This is accompanied by a marked rise in the level of political activity amongst senior executives. They have their ideas about what to do and are increasingly at odds with their fellows. The world is getting ugly up there.

Any crisis has within it the seed of opportunity. The potential is there to do even better work, while others stick their heads in the sand. That this crisis requires change is beyond doubt, and the need for talented and savvy change managers will grow. Strong technical expertise in change, organisational psychology and managing buy-in will of course remain critical. However, what will distinguish the exceptional change managers over the next few years, will be the ability to effectively navigate the political dimension of their organisations.

We have been working at the forefront of developing understanding of these vital skills, and offer the following ideas to those change managers who are ready to accept the challenge and raise their game.

Stop and Look Around. Turn your attention beyond the current work. Get a feel for what is and could be happening to your industry and your organisation. What may happen that would relegate your work to the sidelines?

Take Note of the Evidence. What has been happening around your project lately? Do you sense a new of direction coming? Typical clues include a rise in political game playing. Games and Dirty Tricks like …

• Tell Me More. The tactic of saying no or delaying decisions by requesting more work, research or data, which often includes the wasted efforts of others.
• My Hands Are Tied. Pretending to be helpless due to the influence of a higher authority or process, when under the same circumstances, but with a different person, there would be a different outcome.
  

Or perhaps key meetings are being cancelled, or prominent people are absent. Decisions put on hold? Is resistance rising in small and unexpected ways? Stay factual and note it down.

Build Your Political Intelligence. Start to make enquiries. Find out what other senior people in the organisation are thinking. What are the powerful people doing? Talk to other project managers and change agents and test the water.

Understand the Tension and Conflict. Based on what you've gleaned so far from your enquiry, what are the political ramifications? Which powerful people are succeeding and which are faltering? Developing a political theory of your organisation can be extremely useful in planning your own moves!

Bring the Bigger Picture into Focus. Pull all of these insights together and try to arrive at a theory. What impact could all of this have on you, your change project and the organisation? Try to be objective. Sure, your job is important, but if you were several levels further up the chain, would the case for your project still hold good?

Engage with Your Stakeholders. Think again about who has an impact on your project. Find out where they stand — are they for or against? How good is your relationship with them? Look for ways to get closer to them. With those you trust, share your thinking and help them to get their heads around it too. Build allies and work together!

Build a Clear Plan of Action. The benefit of thinking is limited without following through with decisive action. If you have determined that your project is right, what action can you take now to push forward more effectively in the current climate? Alternatively, what steps can you take to bring your initiative into line, or even bring it to a rapid close? And as you act, keep your political radar on to ensure you continue to build your awareness of what is really going on.

Take Heart, Build Courage. Have confidence in your talent. Difficult times require strength of character, belief and conviction. Even more, they call for positive action. So manage your attitude towards what is happening so that you can remain alert for opportunities to demonstrate your flexibility and also your value during the crisis. If you've worked hard on the points above, you'll be in a much safer position to be bold.

Carpe Diem — Seize the Day. Whether or not you have determined that your change project is safe, is there something bigger you could be pushing for? Make sure that the powerful people around the organisation know you and the value you can bring. Build a personal stakeholder map of the most powerful people and start to network with them. If bigger change is imminent as a result of the downturn, they'll be the ones looking for real talent to assign. Put your hand up and get ready to move into new territory.

Okay, let's be realistic. Many things will be outside of your awareness and control. Decisions could have already been made. Yet we have found from our experience of working with thousands of managers that any work done in the areas above will improve your position. This work requires motivation, confidence, some clear thinking and the skill of engaging with people.

In the current phase of the economic cycle, change is going to become more radical; change management skills more critical and opportunities for success more plentiful. So open your eyes and quickly grasp the subtleties of the political dimension of your organisations in this rapidly shifting environment.