Handing the Reins to the Change Makers

In the past, organizations looked to change agents to move projects and progress ahead. Today, in the new world of work, change makers are the ones equipped for the job.

There is an old adage that says, “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” When you look at the most successful organizations today, it’s clear that this sentiment is correct. These organizations have flexed, innovated, and changed in response to external and internal stimuli, boosting revenue, customer satisfaction, and employee loyalty. The driving force behind that change: Employees with both passion and project management skills who can turn ideas into reality.

Research bears this out. A recent report from Project Management Institute – Pulse of the Profession® 2020 – found that more than half (53 percent) of organizations surveyed say they “place a high priority on building a culture receptive to change.” However, with the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations are being asked to work and collaborate in new ways, leaning heavily on employees and asking them to transcend culture and create change while working remotely. Six months ago, this would have been unthinkable. Now, it’s happening and with varying success. One expert says this can only happen when employees truly embrace collaborative processes.

“Think of projects as sets of work that lead to meaningful outcomes,” says Dave Garrett, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer of Project Management Institute (PMI). “At PMI, we see exponential growth in projects and the world being shaped by what we call The Project Economy – a state of near constant change driven by projects. Megatrends are driving an accelerated pace of change, punctuated by COVID-19, that is affecting individuals, organizations, and the world as a whole. As project managers, we have an important role helping people collaboratively drive change versus simply react to it.”

Overwhelmingly, Garrett says, project managers naturally lead the charge in creating real change in an organization. Project management as a skill focuses on achieving outcomes and understanding the many ways of working that will help you achieve your  goal. While masters of execution – who deeply understand technical approaches, ways of working, leadership, and have the business acumen to make things happen – project managers help drive substantial and innovative change that can have a positive impact on businesses, governments, and society overall. One PMI report – Tomorrow’s Teams Today – explains it more succinctly: “The project portfolio drives disruption, innovation and expansion. And those projects are led by teams comprised of people with a variety of titles, tapping into a variety of approaches to deliver financial and societal value.” 

Change Agent Versus Change Maker – What’s the Distinction?

According to a Brightline report, Strategic Transformation: Mastering Strategy Implementation in Transformative Times, there are specific organizational characteristics that align with company success, including having sufficient resources, an existing talent pool with the appropriate skill sets, efficient processes to guide strategy, and executive teams that are aligned on priorities. 

Indeed, while the most successful organizations implement processes and foster a culture of change, it’s project professionals who are there making those changes happen. In the past, most organizations looked for change agents to help push a project’s agenda. Change agents are people who are tasked with supporting or influencing change. “The change agent is someone you can convince to come along for the ride, that can then become an advocate for you and your organization,” says Garrett.

While a change agent is a helpful role to have on a team, it’s far better to look for and develop change makers within your organization. Change makers are the ones who look to proactively drive change, many of whom will also be project managers, says Garrett.

“If you want to establish large-scale change in your organization, you need to find your worst detractors and convert them into change agents,” Garrett explains. “Change makers are a bit different, however, as they personally feel inspired to drive change, are excited about driving it forward, and are all around a positive force for driving that change. Change makers are necessary in normal times, and indispensable in times like these.”

Making the Right Moves

There are several strategies that can help companies weather the intense changes that we are all facing today. First, companies must prepare employees to be change makers. This means making sure that teams begin a project with the end result in mind. In an Agile world, this is called the definition of done. Projects and the employees that work on them must focus on outcome-driven work groupings.

“It’s important to not be focused on outputs and deadlines. What truly matters is the outcome,” adds Garrett. “What is it that you want to happen? How should the customer receive the product you’re creating? What does that outcome look like? By having this clear vision, you and your team can drive towards your desired outcome in an aligned, focused way that ensures success.”

Of course, there’s more to success than simply discussing and acknowledging goals and outcomes. Companies, led by project managers or teams, must outline how they are going to execute their plans. This isn’t a one-and-done process. Instead, teams must work iteratively, assessing what works and what doesn’t during the different phases of their project. A big part of this is channeling the customer. The customer – whether internal or external – must be at the center of every discussion so the team can integrate any feedback. This ensures the outcome you are driving towards will create value for the customer as well as the team and the business. It also helps you improve your success rate and boost productivity. “A deep understanding of customer needs ensures you are driving toward the right outcome,” adds Garrett.

Garrett says that teams that can proverbially stand in a customer’s shoes, as well as include them in the process so they can help make decisions about what’s being produced, will have a more successful outcome. “How do you have empathy for the voice of the customer – something we call a power skill. Proactively driving toward an outcome shaped by empathy for the voice of the customer makes a positive result far more likely.”

In a world that’s seemingly changing on a daily basis, it will be crucial for project management leaders to make sure that everyone on a team understands that they have the opportunity and responsibility to become a change maker. One way PMI is helping both teams and individuals become change makers is through their recently launched upskilling courses, including Basics of Disciplined Agile, which introduces professionals to the Disciplined Agile Toolkit, so they can learn to navigate hundreds of agile frameworks, practices, and techniques to choose the approach that is best suited for the project at-hand. 

Additionally, teams must understand that in a successful project, there’s not just one leader, but different leaders applying project management skills in different ways at different times to get things done. This allows every team member to shine using their own unique skills. “There may be someone who’s highly technical in the group, someone with an abundance of industry knowledge or someone with knowledge regarding competitors, and each individual will step up and say, ‘Here’s what I have to offer,’” explains Garrett. This strategy works especially well in today’s business climate as Millennials and Generation Z move into the workforce, he adds, as younger generations particularly look to make a direct impact on the world.

“You can create more good as a team than you can as an individual. As a collective, you can do remarkable things and the outcomes can be amazing,” says Garrett. “Skills critical to successful project management are indispensable for achieving positive business results, even more so today as businesses reboot and recover. PMI is here to empower project managers and help them master these important skills and capabilities, which in turn, not only benefit their own career journeys but also contribute to the success of their organizations and society at large.”