Investigating Team Dynamics: Uncovering Insights for Developing an OCM Plan
Our Execute Stage comes to life in a “scenario-based” guided tour that provides a contextual framework for DX Plan Execution. Ushering a fictional company through the process will help CXOs visualize steps in the process and identify potential challenges and opportunities on their way to plan launch.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Launching Project Pulsar: Dreams, Doubts, and Digital Transformation
Introduction
In our last installment, anticipation rises during a project kickoff meeting at Galactic Gravity Inc., a virtual headset manufacturer experiencing rapid growth and the scalability issues that come with it. ‘Project Pulsar’ is a meticulously planned initiative aimed at revolutionizing the company’s operational efficiency. As Lucy witnesses the project sponsor passionately outlining the ambitious goals—enhancing demand forecasting accuracy, slashing delivery times, and boosting inventory availability—her cautious optimism is ignited, reflecting her desire for meaningful change after a year of unheeded concerns. With the support of project manager Jared and an enthusiastic kickoff event, the stage is set for a transformative journey, though Lucy remains protective of her team’s interests.
Now we turn our attention to Erin Torres, GGI’s Organizational Change Management (OCM) Lead, tasked with putting together a cohesive change management plan to best utilize the Project Pulsar team. In the wake of a successful project kickoff meeting, Erin organizes one-on-one meetings to help gather information to be used in building out a tactical change management plan that will mobilize change agents, monitor concerns, and empower the team to come together and work to achieve the project goals.
The Art of Observation: A Facial Expression is Worth a Thousand Words
Paying attention to what people don’t say can sometimes be more effective than listening to what they do say. Erin Torres, the OCM lead on ‘Project Pulsar’, earned her title not only through her winning inter-personal skills and change management know-how, but also her astute observational skills.
Today, she had put those skills to use in individual interviews with the Project Pulsar steering committee members and key team leaders; seven people in total. This stage of the project always invigorated her. It was like a game of Clue: who would be a good sponsor, and who had concerns lurking beneath the surface? What tools would be needed to get the job done? And how could she engineer an OCM plan to combat those unspoken fears and leverage each change agent to their full potential?
Despite the long day of interviews already behind her, Erin grabbed a sponsor assessment diagram, her stack of notes, and a pen, ready to make some progress while the memories of the day’s interactions were fresh in her mind.
Reflections on Individual Interviews: Feeling Out Favorability Toward Project Objectives
“Thanks for meeting with me today,” Erin began each one-on-one interview with a warm smile. “Let’s start with the business objectives.” She leaned forward to consult her notes. “The Project Charter says that Project Pulsar’s objectives are to improve accuracy of demand forecasting by 20% over 12 months, reduce average delivery time by 25% over the next fiscal year, and ensure 30% increase in promised inventory availability over the next fiscal year. Are these objectives clear, and do you agree that they are the right objectives for GGI?”
Marcus Brenner, the VP of Business Strategy and project stakeholder, showed a positive response in his interview.
“Oh, absolutely!” Marcus nodded. The executive leaned forward in his seat across from Erin’s desk and smiled. “I believe these objectives for ‘Project Pulsar’ are the right ones to focus on in order for GGI to scale and grow internationally.”
Doug Pallegio, the VP of Sales and project stakeholder, demonstrated palpable impatience.
The heavy-set VP of sales tapped his fingers impatiently on the arm of the office chair across from Erin’s desk. “Of course they’re the right objectives,” Doug said. “Everyone knows our forecasting is next to useless. And I’ve been saying for months we need to increase our inventory availability if we want to continue watching our sales go up. What I don’t understand is what’s taken so long to get this project going; hasn’t there been talk of it for months now?”
Erin nodded. “It’s been in the works for four months now, yes. A few key project leaders have spent the last few months reviewing business processes, assessing areas that are experiencing problems, and researching what is necessary for GGI to grow and scale effectively. The time taken to clarify objectives, free up resources, and establish a project plan will ensure our efforts are as effective as possible.”
Doug peered at her from beneath bushy brows. “Why does everyone just want to talk about making changes without actually doing them? Have they ever heard the phrase, ‘actions speak louder than words’?”
In her interview, Lucy Wilson, the Procurement Manager and BPO, exhibited some reservations.
“The objectives themselves sound great,” Lucy nodded. “Exactly what this company needs.” Lucy closed her mouth, but not before the corner of it quirked in an unspoken comment.
“But…?” Erin prompted. “You don’t sound very convinced.”
“No, I’m completely on board with the objectives,” Lucy insisted. “I’m just not convinced they’re… realistic.”
Painting a Picture of Past Initiatives Through Private Conversations
“Let’s talk about past initiatives for a moment,” Erin continued, flipping through her notes. “I see you were involved in an ERP implementation a couple of years back. Could you share your experience? Was it positive or negative? What lessons did you take away from it?”
Maggie Susilo – VP of Operations and Project Sponsor reflects on her previous experience with an ERP implementation.
“Yes, the ERP implementation,” Maggie chuckled. “It was a rollercoaster, that’s for sure! I’d say overall it went… okay. There were definitely challenges with scope creep and confusion around requirements, but we eventually made it.”
Jane Maxwell, VP of Account Management and project stakeholder, wasted no time sharing her opinion on the past ERP implementation during her interview.
“It was a disaster.” The older woman grimaced, as if the memory alone had reopened an old wound. “That project had the most issues post Go-Live that I’ve ever seen.”
Maggie’s interview continued.
“As far as lessons learned…” The project sponsor tugged on a strand of curly hair as she weighed her words. “I learned that projects can go sideways pretty quickly, and that alignment on business objectives is critical, which is why Jared and I built clear, SMART goals for Project Pulsar’s objectives: smart, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. I’m optimistic that the extra work we did to build those objectives will help drive the project forward and serve as a helpful compass to re-orient our team when we get further into the project details.”
Marcus, VP of Business Strategy, shared his unique perspective on the role of OCM in future change initiatives.
“Sure, past changes have had their challenges, and that ERP implementation is no exception. But I’ve learned that OCM is crucial to success. I’m very excited for this initiative and that we finally get to do it the right way, thanks to all your work,” Marcus gestured to Erin and smiled. “I can see great potential for approaching digital transformation this way that extends beyond just this one project. I think what we’re doing today will benefit the future of the entire company.”
Jane, VP of Account Management, aired out frustrations regarding past mistakes.
“Takeaways?” The woman echoed Erin’s question and sighed. “Where do I begin? That project was the epitome of what not to do. But top of the list would have to be testing. There wasn’t a solid testing plan, which led to a slew of unnecessary issues. The data migration plan left a lot to be desired, as well, which impacted our timeline and forced us to rush later activities.”
Erin jotted down notes as the woman paused to think.
“Lastly, proper requirements management and clarity around objectives is absolutely crucial to prevent scope creep. I’m glad the project objectives are so specific for this initiative,” Jane added, raising her eyebrows. “I hope it will reduce the amount of confusion this time around, if Maggie can stick to them.”
“Speaking of Maggie,” Erin pressed carefully. “How do you think she will perform in her role as project sponsor in this initiative?”
“Maggie is a highly respected person in the company, no-one can dispute that,” Jane began. “Her ability to get results is commendable… When she’s on-task.” Jane sighed. “I sense that she often takes on more than she can handle and gets pulled in multiple directions simultaneously. As a result, she sometimes loses focus on our objectives and the reasons behind them, which can contribute to confusion within her team.”
Lucy, the Procurement Manager, opened up during her private interview
“Maggie?” Lucy repeated, seemingly caught off-guard. “I love Maggie, she’s a gem.”
Erin smiled and nodded, but let silence fill the space as Lucy shifted in her seat.
“She’s great at what she does,” Lucy insisted. “Sometimes, though…” she hesitated. “It just seems like it’s hard for her to stay focused. Like she gets caught up in the next new thing and has a hard time steering things to completion.”
“I see,” Erin nodded. “I appreciate your candor. This information will help us assist Maggie and offer support where needed.”
Identifying Potentially Problematic Project Team Dynamics
As each interviewee grew more and more comfortable during their one-on-one conversation, Erin broached a touchy subject. “As part of the project team, do you have any concerns with any of the other people assigned to the project being able to perform their assigned job duties? And remember,” Erin adds with a smile. “This information is entirely confidential and will not leave my office.”
Lucy, the Procurement Manager, displayed concerns with the selected solution architect.
“Well,” Lucy hesitated. “Aside from what we’ve already discussed about Maggie, I do wonder if Jesse is the right fit for this team.”
“Can you expand a little bit more on that thought?” Erin prodded gently.
“He’s a talented solution architect, that’s for sure, but he can be somewhat… challenging to work with if he doesn’t agree with you.”
Jonathon, the Production Manager, unknowingly corroborated Lucy’s concerns.
“The only concern I have is with Jesse,” Jonathon admitted, frowning slightly. “He doesn’t believe he needs to listen to anyone, even those of us who live and breathe these processes every day.”
Lucy spoke plainly about her colleague
“Jesse and I don’t really get along,” Lucy confessed.
Jonathon’s interview left little to the imagination.
“I’m not sure we’ll be able to work well together,” Jonathon concluded.
During Jesse Bowman’s one-on-one, the Solution Architect appeared unaware of the rocky relationships between his colleagues and himself.
The young man shook his head slowly. “No, no concerns that I can think of.”
Erin smiled and jotted down a note. “Thanks for your time, Jesse.”
The Aftermath: Organizing the Assessment
When she’d reached the end of her notes, Erin leaned back in her chair and heaved a sigh as she surveyed the sponsor assessment diagram. To her satisfaction, the “Low Support/Low Competency” was empty, but there were still some concerns to keep an eye on.
She pulled up a document on her computer and began typing up a summary to be able to share with Maggie and Jared when they would begin building out the OCM plan.
Overall, it had been a productive day of one-on-one interviews, and she looked forward to working with her team to address the concerns and support their success in this project. She knew that with open communication, strong leadership, and effective change management strategies, they could overcome any challenges that may arise.
The success of the project ultimately depended on the collaboration and cohesion of the team, and Erin was determined to ensure everyone had the support and resources they needed to achieve their goals. As she saved her notes and shut down her computer, she couldn’t help but feel confident in the team’s ability to drive this project to success. The end result would not only benefit them individually, but also contribute to the growth and success of the company as a whole, and it all started with OCM.
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Conclusion
In this chapter, we saw how assessing stakeholders and examining team dynamics can provide insights necessary for building an OCM plan that prioritizes proactive communication and strong leadership to navigate potential obstacles. As Project Pulsar moves forward, it will be essential for Erin to maintain engagement and ensure that all voices are heard to drive successful outcomes.
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