breakout session overview
Implementing most organizational improvements, whether new processes, better tools, or advanced techniques, necessarily impacts the abilities and attitudes of those affected. Preparing and guiding various groups to successfully adopt and apply such changes is one of the most underestimated yet debilitating risks to achieving expected results.
Whenever implementing organizational improvements, multiple stakeholder groups become engaged to varying degrees and at different points along the timeline. And, whether they are the project team, executives, managers, staff or customers, all will exhibit shifts in the key characteristics of competency and commitment as the cycle of change proceeds. Although competency and commitment levels may vary widely, such changes are often predictable, and therefore controllable, as each group makes their transition toward assimilating new operational norms.
For example, at the onset of a significant new change initiative, the sponsors and project team may exhibit a great deal of optimism and perhaps even an unreasonable level of hope for its success – these emotions are the trademarks of a high level of commitment but relatively low levels of actual competency with the endeavor. Conversely, midway though developing a complex change, although team members may have gained enough experience and understanding of the change to improve their competence, growing questions about reaching a successful outcome may trigger periods of pessimism or frustration, which are symptomatic of flagging commitment.
Organizations can improve change management capabilities by learning to recognize anticipate such patterns, and then advance levels of competency and commitment by applying appropriate situational leadership techniques.
With 28 years of experience, Terry Doerscher is the principal for the Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) Practice at BOT International. Mr. Doerscher is a recognized expert in developing business practices aligned to the challenges of modern organizations and his thought leadership is considered a catalyst for redefining the role of the modern corporate PMO. He is the co-author of Taming Change with Portfolio Management (Durbin & Doerscher, 2010, Greenleaf Book Group), and is a contributing author to several other books, including Mark Price Perry’s Business Driven series and the PMI PMOSIG Program Management Handbook.
Terry is a member of PMI and the Program Management Office Community of Practice; is ITIL v.3 Foundation certified; and is a Certified Process Design Engineer (CPDE). In addition to his work with BOT, Terry is retained as an Expert-In-Residence by Planview Inc. He is a founding director of the Enterprise Management Association – International.
