​Information technology (IT) leaders and their staff talk about applications, network components, databases, storage, and servers every day.  It is their job and often, their passion.  It’s no surprise that many leaders in this field have a blind spot when it comes to communicating about the work that is occurring. 
 
They often communicate about the technology rather than the results the technology is going to support or deliver.  It is an easy trap to fall into and it is difficult for leaders and staff to recognize.  It can be challenging for IT leaders and their staff to fully acknowledge that their customers don’t really care about technology.  This is not a statement about IT’s value to the company.  Without technology, everyone in the company can pack up and go home.  IT’s value is immense.   It is just a reality that people want to use technology to accomplish a task.  It should be easy.  They just need to do their job.  They don’t even think about the technology until there is a problem.  They shouldn’t have to think about it. 
 
Many times, “tech speak” is the organizational norm.  Business cases, presentations, reports, and project documents will all contain more information about the technology than the results it supports.  This situation is quite challenging when the organization is attempting to introduce a new or changed service to the community it serves.  To solve the problem, IT organizations began hiring organizational change management (OCM) professionals but it didn’t quite resolve the problem.   
 
IT is still too focused on the technology and the OCM staff were often relegated to merely communicating what they were told.  IT leaders are excited about technology and it is difficult to get the necessary buy in to change the overall focus of the message.  The OCM staff didn’t have the technical background to serve as a translator which left them crafting messages that considered the end user but they were still technology focused. 
 
Answering Four Questions will Significantly Improve Communications
 
1)  What results will this initiative deliver to the company?  The answer to this question is key.  Put the business case aside.  The communications don’t need to include the return on investment or net present value information.  Using simple language, answer the question by considering how the company will benefit.  Does the technology lay the foundation for new products and services?  How does the technology enable the company to achieve the strategic goals?  Every communication should talk about the linkage to the broader organization achieving results.

2)  What is the benefit for the company or department staff?  This is basically “what’s in it for me?” but when answering consider how the technology is going to fulfill a need for the staff member.  Is it going to automate a complex process?  Will it reduce the time they spend on specific tasks?  Remember, people don’t care about the technology.  They care about how it helps them.  If you adhere to this basic idea, the answer to the question won’t include any technical information.

3)  What happens if we aren’t successful with delivering this technology?  Asking this question might seem counterintuitive as IT is planning to deliver.  Every initiative experiences obstacles.  The answer to this question is meant to motivate staff members to work together and achieve the goal.  Normally, the answer to this question is incorporated into initial communications regarding the initiative as well as communications relating to some sort of challenge such as a schedule or budget change.  Be careful when incorporating the information into communications as it should be a motivating factor.  The answer shouldn’t spark fear or paint a picture that is all doom and gloom.  It should focus on the business challenges that may occur and engage the staff in being part of the solution.

4)  Where does someone go if they have questions or ideas relating to the initiative?  The answer to this question should include specific people.  Distribution lists are great but they do not encourage strong, meaningful dialogue.  People need the option of contacting an individual rather than emailing a faceless distribution list that may never reply.  Notice that having both questions and ideas are a part of this question.  Encouraging the sharing of ideas may help to lay the groundwork for a stronger solution.  Ensure the people noted in the communication are prepared to address both questions and new ideas and that they understand the importance of a timely response to anyone that contacts them.  Even if they don’t have an answer, they should reply to let people know how they are handling the inquiry.
 
Communicating about technology won’t garner the support that is needed for IT related changes.  It may have the exact opposite affect by instilling fear into the hearts of the end user as they are unable to understand what is happening or how they will do their job once the new technology is implemented.  Fear often manifests as resistance to change which actually makes IT’s job more difficult.  Focus communications on results, benefits, and business challenges to maximize the opportunity for success.

​Research by the Corporate Executive Board[i] (CEB) shows that when employees help to determine the right course of action and they are responsible for the implementation of the changes, the chances of success double and the implementation will most likely be faster.
 
IT staff that are actually doing the work need to be involved in creating the change necessary for their teams to become more efficient and effective.  Whether you are implementing a best practice, a new type of technology, or going through a digital transformation, if you want a higher probability of achieving the expected return, the IT staff need to be engaged. 
 
Engaging employees in determining the right process or technology changes isn’t as easy as merely assigning them an action.  To be successful, the same CEB research also shows that leaders need to change how they communicate about the problem, the project, and the end result. 
 
It is time to throw out the PowerPoint slides which encourage one way communication with the team. 
 
The adoption of change requires a two way conversation right from the start.  Rather than telling IT staff about the problem, leaders need to ask IT staff about the problem and how it affects the customer as well as completing their work.  The staff are in the best position to understand the issues and the ramifications as they are actually involved in the work every day.  They are also in the best position to solve the problem.
 
Once the problem is known, the IT staff need to be tasked with solving the problem and implementing the solution.  Leaders may need to set limits relating to budget, schedule, risk, etc. but if the IT staff are charged with determining and implementing the solution, the adoption of the solution amongst the staff will be higher.  The end result will be a stronger return on investment and most likely, a better customer experience.

[i] CEB HR, The Power of Open Source Change Management, May 2016 

If you are involved in implementing DevOps practices or if you are researching DevOps, you know that culture change is critical to success.  Developers and Operations must work together to create high quality deliverables on a frequent basis.  For most organizations, bringing Developers and Operations closer together is a significant cultural shift.  It is the most important aspect of transitioning to DevOps practices.  Without fully addressing the people side of DevOps, you can only make so much progress.

The various DevOps discussions and materials tend to focus on the behavior and subsequent culture change required within the IT organization but what about the business.  If you are going change how IT works and delivers services to the business, there is a business impact.  They are the customer.  They need to be prepared to have discussions about the value of various requirements and deliverables.  These discussions require someone at the table that can make decisions about functionality that delivers value, resources that may be required for user acceptance testing, the business impact of delivery schedules, etc. 

In the last fifteen years, IT leaders often talked about wanting a seat at the table with the business.  They wanted to be involved in strategic decision making and offer advice and counsel on the various initiatives that the business was undertaking.  Many IT leaders struggled with achieving this level of involvement.  Now there is a new opportunity.  In a sense, DevOps creates a brand new table and the business is definitely interested but they need to be involved in the planning as well as the execution so the entire organization can fully recognize the value of changing how the work is delivered.

The culture change required for DevOps involves more than just IT.  It needs to include the rest of the business.  IT provides foundational technology for the entire company and it may create services that are sold to the community. 

​It’s great the Development and Operations are recognizing the value of tearing down the silo between the organizations but to be truly successful, it is time to remove the silo that exists between IT and the business.  Any organization adopting DevOps practices needs to focus on the behavior changes required across the entire organization. 

It’s a new day.  DevOps practices involve more than just IT.  The business needs to adopt a new mindset as well.  Organizational change plans that address IT behavior need to consider the behavior of their business partners as well.  The business needs to take the journey with IT to achieve the expected return.

When adopting DevOps practices, engage the business in the early discussions prior to making changes.  Even if you want some time to test and learn within the IT organization, take the first step in tearing down the wall that exists between IT and the business.  Bring the business into the conversation.  Talk with them about your objectives and ask them about the results they would like to see from this type of initiative.  Partner with them on developing a strategy and path forward. 

Engaging the business in the early conversations relating to DevOps will help to gain their buy in.  The behavior change from the business will evolve as DevOps practices evolve in the organization.  They will have a voice in the adoption of the changes and while IT Development and Operations are adjusting to a new way of working, the business will be planning and adjusting as well.  Inviting the business to the table along with Development and Operations will strengthen the end result and help to tear down the silo’s that have existed for far too long. 
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To be successful, the adoption of DevOps practices requires a cultural shift from IT and the business.  Take the journey together to achieve a much more valuable outcome.

When an organization adopts new technology or processes, there is a change to how people work.  They need to modify their attitudes and behaviors to adopt the changes and this usually results in new procedures, updates to tools, and changing relationships between coworkers or departments.
 
Business Relationship Managers (BRM) understand the needs of the business and they understand how the IT organization works.  BRM’s work directly with business partners to ascertain their current and future needs and they help the IT team navigate meeting these needs.  They have intimate knowledge of both organizations and they are pivotal to keeping these organizations in sync.
 
While some would argue that the BRM should not be spending their time on organizational change management, it is actually a critical part of their role.   IT staff often wonder about the value of the work they perform.  They are asked to do tasks or take on projects but they aren’t provided with a lot of information.  They may be given a copy of a business case but the overall handoff to the IT staff generally does not include the context relating to the true impact of the work they are doing.  The BRM’s are in a perfect position to provide this context.  They understand both the tangible and intangible benefits.  Every communication to the IT staff should talk about the value of IT’s work to the business and relate this information at a level an IT staff member can understand and connect with at an emotional level.
 
For example, the business case for completing an application upgrade at a bank may indicate that the branches will save millions of dollars and that customer satisfaction will be increased.  Generally, this is what IT staff know about the work as it is in the business case.   Why should they care?  The upgrade could result in lots of additional hours of overtime.  In this scenario, the programmer or engineer only sees the negative impact.  They don’t connect to the meaning of the work and therefore, they aren’t incredibly motivated to do the work.
 
The BRM has the opportunity to translate this upgrade into something meaningful for the IT staff.  They know the impacts to the organization’s strategic plan as well as the individual employee at the branch.  They can relate the impacts to a customer experience.  If the programmer or engineer understands that a branch employee will no longer have to contact support about the application when a customer is sitting in front of them or that the upgrade will provide the ability for self service through an ATM rather than requiring a customer to visit a branch, it would make a difference.  It would motivate the IT staff member to improve the experience for both their internal and external customers.  The BRM is in a perfect position to help IT staff understand why the work is occurring and the true impact of their work.  The BRM can tell the story.
 
On the business side, the BRM understands the various departments, organizational structure, and politics of their assigned area.  They are instrumental in setting and managing expectations.  The BRM understands enough about the IT organization and workload that they can effectively translate something technical into something meaningful for their business partner.
 
The BRM also knows their business partners well enough to understand their pain points and what motivates them.  They can influence buy in for upgrades, downtime, process changes, IT restructures, and other changes by applying this information in a useful, meaningful way.  For example, the server upgrade that will restrict application access for a half a day is required if you want the self-service functionality on the ATM.  The ATM downtime this week will allow us to ensure the customer’s information is safe and secure.
 
The BRM can tell the story to both IT and the business about how their work creates something meaningful for the staff and for the customer.  They can link the impact of the work to tangible and intangible benefits that will appeal to leadership as well as the frontlines.  They can have a huge impact on the success and adoption of change.
 
Don’t miss part two of this blog where we’ll talk about how Business Relationship Managers can use metrics to influence change!  Join our mailing list to ensure you don’t miss the next blog!

Advanced Organizational Performance Techniques (AdOPT) is Now an Authorized Partner of GamingWorks for the Delivery of The Phoenix Project Interactive DevOps Learning Experience 
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-- The Phoenix Project simulation is an experiential learning opportunity that fosters an understanding of DevOps principles and how those principles can be applied in the real world. --

TUCSON, AZ, October 13, 2016/ -- DevOps is becoming more important as businesses look for ways to achieve a competitive advantage. While best practices relating to DevOps are emerging, it is clear that every organization is unique, every implementation will be different, and that the culture of an organization can make or break the success of DevOps.

Advanced Organizational Performance Techniques (AdOPT) focuses on helping Information Technology and business teams to harness the power of change. By fostering an environment which adapts to change quickly, organizations can achieve a higher level of performance. Over the years, AdOPT has focused on helping organizations adopt and excel in achieving their objectives by customizing various best practices, tools, and techniques and providing advisory services and training relating to the acceptance of change as well as identifying targeted actions to influence organizational culture.

The Phoenix Project simulation is a natural addition to AdOPT's portfolio of service offerings. During this interactive, one day simulation, participants experience situations that mirror the real business world. Projects in trouble, system issues, financial pressures, and new priorities plague the team as they race to provide the technology services required to turn the company around. 

The simulation helps to break down the barriers and change resistance that often exists when a new way of working is discussed or initiated. It provides participants with a DevOps experience that becomes a foundational building block for achieving concrete change when they return to the office.

At AdOPT, we are transformation consultants focused on strategy, innovation, process, and culture to increase effectiveness, improve efficiency, and optimize costs.

Whether you are adopting best practices or new technology, the odds of your project being successful without your staff and your customer changing their behaviors are about 30%.  Even if your initiative has a strong start with the value proposition understood, senior leadership support, and a fully defined organizational change plan in place, your project isn’t out of the woods. 
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With our dependence on technology and the rapidly changing environment, the IT staff and customers are inundated with change.  It is overwhelming.  It is critical to understand that your communications about the project are just noise when there is so much change in the environment.  In today’s workplace, on average you have to convey the same message at least six times before it has an impact. 

When you stop to consider the amount of change taking place in your environment, is it any surprise that the IT staff and their customers are experiencing change fatigue?  Is it surprising that your standard email, intranet posting, or newsletter article is no longer effective?  Is it any surprise that many projects which have notable returns never achieve the intended value?  Probably not but this doesn’t alleviate the frustration experienced by IT leadership and the customer.

But you had a strong start….What went wrong?

In today’s world, the environment you are working in changes on a daily basis.  The business may have a new product they need to develop.  IT may have a new security related project.  You may experience a restructure.  Critical resources may no longer be available. 

The changing environment you work in will impact whether your project is successful.  You can choose to slog through it.  You just want to implement this project and move on but this is one of many scenarios that causes a failure to reach the intended return.  If your goal is to implement at all costs, your project will become another statistic.

What steps should you take to effectively manage organizational change throughout the lifecycle of your best practice or new technology adoption initiative?

1)  Start strong – Be sure to understand the value proposition for each stakeholder group.  Consider the required behavior change and develop your organizational change plan ensuring that you focus on changing attitudes and behaviors.

2)  Recognize that communication is important but to be effective you will have to be a “broken record” ensuring that you relay the same message in many different formats and venues. 

3)  Recalibrate your initiative at routine intervals.  Adjust the milestones and timeline to account for other changes in the environment.  Revisit your initial goals and objectives to ensure they still apply.  Ensure your organizational change plan is adjusted as well.

4)  Conduct routine stakeholder analyses throughout the initiative.  Are stakeholders resisting change?  If so, why?  Have their needs changed?  Research the root cause of change resistance and take actions to immediately address it.

5)  Evaluate unintended consequences of your change.  Publicly acknowledge the fallout and take action to minimize the impact.

6)  Ask for feedback throughout the life of the initiative.  Establish feedback mechanisms and solicit the IT staff and customer views on both successes and challenge areas.

7)  Consider how the changes will be sustained once the project is over.  A project has a point in time implementation.  True adoption requires ensuring the change is embedded in the organization. 

Managing change and achieving the intended outcome is difficult.  Whether you are adopting the latest best practice in hopes of improving efficiency or implementing technology to support the latest business objective, it requires a structured approach and focus throughout the life of the project.

At AdOPT, we are transformation consultants focused on strategy, innovation, process, and culture to increase effectiveness, improve efficiency, and optimize costs.  We wrote the book on organizational change in IT.  For more information about our Change Adoption course, vision and strategy development, or other services, contact us at info@adoptitsm.com or by calling 520-591-2427.

​Organizations don’t change but people can change the organization.  Your staff and customers are critical to success.  A recent survey indicated that 83% of organizations believe change resistance is inhibiting the organization from realizing the value of their ITSM initiative.

With technology changing rapidly, if an IT organization is unable to harness change and leverage it to the organization’s advantage, they will continue to struggle with customer and employee satisfaction.  If organizations are to recognize the value of an ITSM related initiative, they must take steps to minimize change resistance.

What are the top 3 actions you can take to minimize change resistance?

1. Recognize that organizational change must be effectively planned and managed.  Organizations that develop and execute plans to influence the attitudes and behaviors of both the IT staff and the customers are four times more likely to achieve a successful outcome.  Focus on adoption which includes both short and long term behavior changes rather than implementation which is merely a point in time.
2. Invest time in the development of your IT leaders.  Managers are vital to the success of your ITSM initiatives.  The IT staff and the customer are working directly with this leadership team on a daily basis.  Research from McKinsey shows the 50% of efforts to transform are negatively impacted as managers are defending the status quo rather than acting as role models.   The senior IT leaders should spend time on a weekly or at least monthly basis with all of the supervisors, managers, and directors discussing their ITSM vision and why ITSM is important to the organization. 
3. Engage those closest to the work in determining the solution.  Explain the vision and the current challenges and get out of the way.  The IT staff that do the job are often the best qualified to determine the solution.  If you provide them with the opportunity to determine the right course of action, you will often have a stronger solution and you will minimize change resistance.

Take steps to minimize change resistance and make 2016 the year your organization finally recognizes the value of your ITSM strategy.  By planning and managing change, investing time in your management team, and engaging employees in determining the right solution, you maximize your opportunity to achieve results!

At AdOPT, we are transformation consultants focused on strategy, innovation, process, and culture to increase effectiveness, improve efficiency, and optimize costs.  We wrote the book on organizational change in IT.  For more information about our Change Adoption course, vision and strategy development, or other services, contact us at info@adoptitsm.com or by calling 520-591-2427.

At AdOPT, we are transformation consultants focused on strategy,  innovation, process, and culture to increase effectiveness, improve efficiency, and optimize costs.  We wrote the book on organizational change in IT.  For more information about our Change Adoption workshop, vision and strategy development, or other services, contact us at info@adoptitsm.com or by calling 520-591-2427.

Organizational shifts in IT such as adopting various good practices and building them into the organizational DNA are a slow process.  They require culture change that often takes years to complete.  Along the way the IT employees experience highs and lows often accompanied by periods of intense pressure to demonstrate forward momentum and resolve issues.  In the midst of these changes, the IT organization must continue to be effective with the day to day operations associated with supporting their customers. 

The relentless pace of change over a long period often creates change fatigue leaving employees feeling exhausted and wondering if it is all worthwhile yet the organization must continue to move forward to achieve their objectives and they must continue to support their customers effectively and efficiently.  This scenario is tricky to manage.  If change fatigue goes unmanaged, the organization faces several risks relating to employee retention and engagement which will ultimately have a negative effect on the transformation initiative.

Change during periods of IT transformation must be calibrated to account for both the goals and objectives of the organization and the culture.  The development of strategic plans and subsequent projects as well as day to day operational management must consider how to revitalize fatigued staff throughout the entire transformation initiative. 

To maximize the opportunity for success with an IT transformation, leaders must carefully observe the organization focusing not only on transformation and employee engagement metrics but other key indicators of change fatigue such an increase in attrition, a decrease in customer satisfaction, and the frequent reallocation of resources.  Organizational change and project plans must be recalibrated throughout the initiative with the schedule and resource allocation being adjusted as necessary to allow for the IT department, key resources, and customers to take a break from the constant momentum of change to recognize and celebrate the progress to date.  ​