Gorodenkoff – shutterstock.com
Professional project and change management includes a risk analysis in advance of the project. The risks associated with a change project are recorded and assessed in terms of their probability and the business consequences of their occurrence – and, if necessary, preventive measures are then taken.
In everyday business life, risk analysis is often limited to operational risks of a structural nature. However, cultural factors, such as acceptance problems during restructuring, are neglected. The consequences of this can be serious – for example because friction losses occur and additional costs arise. And often the planned positive effects of the change appear late or not at all.
Changes always have a multidimensional effect. Therefore, the extent of change at different levels varies from project to project. However, projects can be classified according to the extent of the structural and cultural changes they cause. This makes it easier to identify the associated risks and derive appropriate change measures. Four different project types can be distinguished.
1. Routine projects
These are measures such as sales projects or sales campaigns. Although they have the character of projects in the sense of time limits and cross-departmental participation, they only change the structural and cultural foundations of the organization selectively. Typical for routine projects are review workshops at the end, which aim to structurally optimize the process (standardization), professionalize collaboration (feedback culture) and thus reduce cultural risks.
2. Innovation projects
As a rule, they serve to further develop or renew organizational or technical structures within the existing strategic orientation. In such projects, the focus of the support is usually on establishing the factual competence of those affected (training courses). However, if, for example, the multipliers involved learn to understand resistance to new things as a typical behavioral pattern of those affected and to deal with it appropriately, then this reduces the risk of friction that arises from frustration.
3. Acceptance Project
Their design focus is on the cultural level and their success manifests itself as a real change in the behavior of those affected – for example, by understanding and actually using a target agreement or performance appraisal system as a binding structural framework for a fair dialogue between managers and employees. In such projects, it is important to take measures that create clarity at an early stage, enable permanent feedback opportunities from the organization and are suitable for winning influential allies as multipliers.
4. Transformation or change projects
This is the term used to describe profound change processes with noticeable effects at all levels, such as those that occur during mergers or the fundamental strategic realignment of a company. Such projects often involve existential questions on all levels. Therefore, a high level of complexity is to be expected when designing the change process. This should already be reflected in the composition of the project management team. Such projects require a real change manager who is aware of all facets of his task.
Character changes over the course of projects
The above classification of projects facilitates an integrated view of structural and cultural risks – regardless of whether a change process retains the characteristics of a project type over its course or its character changes (as is often the case) over the course of the individual phases.
A project can, for example, begin as an innovation project and, as it progresses, take on clear characteristics of an acceptance project because the implementation of a new technical infrastructure results in a reorganization of entire company areas. Or a sales offensive, which usually has the character of a standard project, becomes a change project because a new sales channel is also to be developed. It is therefore important to maintain an integrated view of the risks in the individual phases of change and to continually review all measures from a profitability perspective and adapt them if necessary.
