Articles

Three Must-Read Tips to Make Your Change Efforts More Sustainable

by Cassandra Worthy
Originally posted on July 21, 2024 on projectmanagement.com  

As a project management professional, you’ve undoubtedly faced the frustration of seeing your change efforts spark initial enthusiasm, only to watch results gradually drift back to the status quo. It feels like you’re constantly pushing and pushing, with progress slipping away the moment you ease up. Sound familiar? Let’s explore how to make your change efforts stick for the long haul.  

Key takeaways

Sustained Change Happens Through Sustained Beliefs

To achieve lasting change, we must focus on the beliefs that underpin our actions. When people truly believe in the necessity and benefits of change, their actions will reflect those beliefs consistently, even in your absence. Here are three tips to help your next change initiative become stickier.

Three "Sticky" Tips to Help You Sustain Change Adoption 

Sticky Tip #1: Define Beliefs or Thoughts Required to Sustain the Change

Start by identifying the core beliefs necessary to support the change. These beliefs should tie into your organization’s existing value system to ensure they resonate deeply.

For example, if you’re implementing new software aimed at boosting efficiency, nurture the belief that “this software will enable higher efficiency.” Provide concrete evidence to back this up—share case studies, success stories from other departments, and data showing time saved or errors reduced.

Sticky Tip #2: Define the Actions Those Thoughts Manifest and Role-Model Them

Beliefs drive actions. Once you’ve defined the necessary beliefs, outline the specific actions that will manifest from these thoughts. Then, role-model these actions consistently.

If the belief is that new software increases efficiency, the actions might include regularly using the software, sharing tips on how to use it effectively, and celebrating small wins achieved through its use.

Example: As a leader, demonstrate your commitment by using the software yourself and sharing your experiences. Encourage team members to do the same and highlight their successes in team meetings.

Sticky Tip #3: Never Underestimate the Power of Consistency

Consistency is crucial in moving from transition to steady-state. It’s not enough to push for change initially; you must reinforce the new behaviors until they become the norm. Brands build their identity through consistent messaging and actions—your change efforts should follow the same principle.

Example: Think of a brand like Coca-Cola, which consistently reinforces its message of happiness and refreshment through every touchpoint. Similarly, ensure that every communication, action, and decision aligns with the new way of working. Over time, this consistency will solidify the change in your organization’s culture.

Conclusion

Making change stick requires more than just initial enthusiasm—it demands a strategic focus on sustaining the beliefs that drive new behaviors. By defining and nurturing the necessary beliefs, role-modeling the resulting actions, and maintaining unwavering consistency, you can transform fleeting wins into lasting success.

Remember, sustained change happens through sustained beliefs. Let’s make your change efforts stickier and more impactful.

By following these tips, you can enhance the longevity and effectiveness of your change initiatives, ensuring that your hard work leads to lasting improvements within your organization.

Learning to Adapt

As the number of ways of delivering projects expands, project managers must get comfortable with switching between different approaches. But when the overall approach to project management changes from one project to the next, it can be harder to adapt. 

PMI Picks recently covered adaptation and offers the following tips to make the process easier to move from project to project: 

Consciously reset. If you have been a project manager for some time, it’s natural to go into the next project almost on autopilot. You know what you must do, so you just get on with it. But when the approach changes — even if only from one type of hybrid to another — you need to consciously stop and think about how you are going to move forward. 

Engage with the team. You have an idea of how to manage the project, but so does the team. Work with them to think about how different aspects will be carried out. This is one of the best ways to get them on your side from the start. 

Conduct an appropriateness test. Stakeholders, team members, and even project managers will have a preferred style of management or a preferred methodology. But answering the question “Is this the best approach for this project?” will help to ensure that the most appropriate methodology or variation is used for every initiative. 

Be prepared to adjust. The reason hybrid is growing in popularity is because teams are realizing that sometimes a particular approach will work better for one aspect of a project. Even if a project starts out as purely predictive, there may be some aspects of delivery that would be better served using adaptive techniques. Making that shift will help with the overall success. 

Project managers should also consider how their teams can adapt to different methods. Most team members will have a preferred approach, and they won’t always be the same. As a result, some individuals are likely to feel more or less comfortable with how they have to work than their colleagues.  

Project managers must ensure that the team understands why the decision was taken to use a particular approach and must provide all team members with the support they need to succeed. It may be appropriate to allow some team members to work differently, but only if it still enables the project to succeed. The ability to deliver the business benefits outweighs any personal preference of working style. 

With individuals who are new to a particular working method, the project manager must ensure that team members are receiving the support and guidance they need, but that they are also given the freedom to develop their own experience and confidence. That way they will be better equipped for the next project they are assigned to. 

The reality today is that project managers must be comfortable working with many different approaches, whether those are significantly different or simply different flavors. The skills that make a project manager successful allow those adjustments to be made relatively easily, but they still require conscious adjustments and resetting with each initiative. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Adjusting to different ways of working is an inevitable part of project management today. 
• Consciously resetting and thinking about how each project approach is different helps with the adjustment. 

• Team members also must adapt and may need help doing so.