The Human Side of Change Management

Intranet change management: As a developer, when I hear “change management” I instantly start thinking about source code management, Subversion, ticket tracking, etc.

However, in the intranet world, change management is not a technical process, but a human one. It’s not a process of changing source code, it’s a process of managing users and their attitudes about the change you’re proposing.

[…] intranet change management becomes an exercise in “selling” or communicating not only the reason and purpose for the change, but especially anticipating and directly addressing the spoken AND unspoken fears (or apathy) of employees.

[…] “People are more motivated by the avoidance of pain than the achievement of gain,” adds Harris. “Help people understand the “burning platform” (unspoken concerns) of why the change is necessary.”

In the end, you’re trying to drive adoption of the change, and minimize resistance to it.  There’s an art to this.