Why change projects fail (and what we need to do to succeed)

Why Change Projects Fail (and what we need to do to succeed)

Stephen Carver FAPM FIRM School of Management Cranfield University

Sir John Harvey Jones CEO ICI

“not to change is a sure sign of imminent extinction”

Types of Change Want to do

Don’t want to do

Adventures

Strategic Projects

Crisis

Compliance Projects

Unplanned

Planned

Change Project Failure Rate?

Most projects and programmes are doomed to fail....

Planning “People don’t like to plan - Planning is unnatural - it is much more fun just to do.

And the nice thing about just doing is that failure comes as a complete surprise.

Whereas if you have planned, the failure is preceded by a long period of despair and worry�

Sir John Harvey Jones

Projects are about Change Projects take you on a journey.. they take you from where you are‌ to where you want to be

Chaos Complex or Complicated?

What is Complexity?

• ‘Complicated’ e.g. a Swiss watch. Linear & predictable • ‘Complex’: from the Latin ‘complexus’ (braided together). Nonlinear & unpredictable.

• Like quality – it is hard to quantify • is something that is experienced.

What is Complexity?

Structural Complexity Socio-political Complexity Emergent Complexity

A desk is a very dangerous place from which to view the World John Le Carre

Guinness PLC

“Strategy will involve change and change is something that is here to stay.

Managers throughout the business and at all levels have got to recognize the management of change as a core skill so opportunities as leaders of change projects will become a key building block of experience in many people’s careers”.

Sir Tony Greener Former CEO, Guinness, Diageo

PPM – Maturity Levels

5

4 3 2 1

World Class Continuous process improvement , success is normal Competitive Controlled and measured processes, results more in line with plans

Compliant Standardised, more predictable Minimal Some process, inconsistent success

Ad Hoc Disorganised, accidental success

PPM – Strategic Advantage

Strategic Contribution

Limit of process based approach

5

4 3 2 1

World-class: redefines delivery in the industry, automatically improving, very hard to imitate by competitors, drives business strategy.

Competitive: provides source of competitive advantage, focused, metrics determine areas for improvement, supports business strategy.

Compliant: follows industry-accepted norms, improvements sporadic, process-focused, cost of failure significant, little strategic contribution Minimal: tasked with ‘not messing up’, some use of standards, reactive, high cost of failure, negative strategic contribution.

Ad hoc: unreliable delivery, very high cost of failure, strongly negative strategic contribution

Leading Change Projects

Niccolo Machiavelli “There is nothing more difficult to arrange, more doubtful of success and more dangerous to carry through, than leading change.

The change leader makes enemies of all those who prospered under the old order and only lukewarm support is forthcoming from those who would prosper under the new.

Stakeholder Support

level of support

•Championing •Support •Approval: “yes” •Commitment •Co-operation •Compliance •Neutrality •Inertia •Obstruction •Antagonism •Opposition •Rejection: “no” •Mutiny •Sabotage

Leading Change George Bernard Shaw

The reasonable man changes himself to the world.

The unreasonable man persists in trying to change the world to himself.

Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.