Sunday 24 August 2008

All change... and introducing change

As those of you who have been here awhile will know, I've been trying to get an ITSM Programme going at my organisation for some time.  I finally get the budget and the buy-in, and submit the mandate for approval to the board only for me to go and get another job.  My timing is impeccable.  I'm finding it quite difficult to let go as I still have this wonderful vision in my head that I want to make a reality.  Anyhow, as that isn't going to happen time to replace it with a new vision - but I digress.

Some months ago I was tasked with quickly introducing change control ahead of change management as part of the approved ITSM Implementation Programme.  As you can imagine, I wasn't keen on doing this as I wanted it to be done in a properly managed way - however the business need was and continues to be there so I threw something together (through workshop with other key managers).  They specificially didn't want a lot of documentation so two sides of A4 had to suffice.  As predicted, confusion reined for people failed to understand what it was all about, how and when to use it, etc.  What did they expect without allowing time for training or enough documentation to provide the detail required?

Anyhow, one of my tasks before I head off is to train the IT managers in the basics of change management and teach them how and when to use our revised new change management process (only covers normal and emergency changes in an initially small scope).  I spent today fleshing out the document with sufficient detail to address the questions they already have and those that will be asked and preparing some training packs and little laminated cards that they can stick by their PCs.  Tomorrow I aim to finish the presentation that will go with it all because I'm delivering it on Wednesday afternoon!  I'll let you know how it goes...

4 comments:

Ben Simonton said...

Most changes fail because management has created a toxic work environment by using the traditional top-down command and control approach to managing people.

In order to understand the right way and the wrong way to manage people, you might like to read the article "Leadership, Good or Bad" at
http://www.bensimonton.com/Leadership,%20Good%20or%20Bad.htm

Best regards, Ben
Author "Leading People to be Highly Motivated and Committed"

Ben Simonton said...

The link to the article should be "Leadership, Good or Bad"

Best regards, Ben

Gotya said...

"As you can imagine, I wasn't keen on doing this as I wanted it to be done in a properly managed way" ... Sorry to say this, but the battle already seems lost before the first bullet is fired or perhaps I missed something somewhere ...

Best Regards
Gautam Sarnaik

The ITIL Imp said...

Thanks for posting Ben and Gautam!

To Ben: Thanks for the link to your article. I may have been overly negative in my post as the fact that I'm one of the underlings who is being asked to drive this forward suggests that the organisations aren't relying on top-down command control. In my current role I certainly have no authority to do this and rely on influencing and negotiating techniques.

To Gautam: I should probably have qualified my statement that you quoted. What I'm not keen on is doing half-a-job. If we're going to do something (like introduce an ITIL-based process) then we should be doing it properly. In my personal view, the 'let's throw some documentation out there' approach is not doing it properly. These things need communication, input from all parties, ongoing management support and performance management to pick up where people try to flout the process. You get the idea ;)

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