I’ve written about this topic before, but it keeps getting stuck in my head, and I find myself using this metaphor when trying to help clients and colleagues alike understand the difficulty of the discipline. Is change management a science or an art?
On paper, change management really isn’t hard. Creating a case for change, a stakeholder assessment, a readiness assessment, a communication plan, and a training plan (I could go on with deliverables), isn’t all that hard. We have methodologies, approaches and instructions on how to do this. Generally speaking within the project worlds where most of our work takes place, there’s a common understanding of these artifacts and how they’re created. Arguably, most anyone can build them. It’s straightforward and explainable. It’s science.
However, artifacts in themselves don’t get the job done! The art is taking those deliverables and applying them to a situation to make change happen. That situation involves dynamic people, culture, and even the project conditions themselves. Each and every situation is unique. How we use those artifacts will make the difference between project success and failure. Not everyone can do that, and that’s the value of a seasoned change management practitioner. It’s art.
I often get asked if I can ship to a client (or even an internal project team) the “playbook” for a change management effort. Sure, I can send you guidelines of how to do a stakeholder assessment or build a communication plan, but creating these deliverables often becomes checking a box on a project plan, “We did Change Management.” I’m not sure who gets more frustrated with these requests – me, because I know what they’re asking for is but a step in the process, and that they don’t have the right resources to truly enact change or them, because I try to explain this to them and why this is a bad idea. Why checking the box won’t work.
In answer to the question, science or art, the answer is obviously both. You can’t create the art without the backbone of the science. At the same time, you can’t change behavior without the art. The art is where the magic happens. There is no roadmap for great art. It takes an artist with a vision and creativity to create art. That’s where your experienced change management practitioner comes in.
Building a Case for Change – Science.
Creating a Case for Change that resonates with the soul of a key stakeholder – Art.
Building a Stakeholder Assessment – Science.
Creating a stakeholder relationships that ensure two-way communication and capture the dynamic and evolving nature of dispositions – Art.
Building a Communication Plan – Science.
Creating a communication strategy that sends the right messages to the right users at the right time in the right way – Art.
Building a Training Plan – Science.
Creating a training approach that is active and engaging, relevant, and custom to the situation – Art.
You get the point. Until others do, I’ll continue to write!