Dr. TechComm, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Change

ManagementConnie Giordano & Al Martine

TechWhirl.com

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Starring

Connie Giordano Al Martine

• TechWhirl Executive Editor• Content Wiz• SWU Den Mother• Chief Cat Herder

• Previous Roles• Change Management Analyst• Information Designer• Business Analyst• Technical Writer / Editor• Communications Specialist• PR/Product Manager

• TechWhirl Bus Dev/Ops Director • Strategy Wonk• Sales Guy• Head of Janitorial Services

• Previous Roles• Change Management

Consultant• Head of Fundraising• Marketing Director• Event Manager

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Are you worrying?

• We have a Plan C– Tech Comm vs. Change Management– Why do Change Management?– Change Management Structure– Overlapping/Complimentary Skills

“The whole point of the doomsday machine...is lost if you keep it a secret!” -Dr. Strangelove

U change?

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Tech Comm Vs. Change Management

• Facilitating transition

• Reducing fear

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Tech Comm Vs. Change Management

• Facilitating change • Improving

experience

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Tech Comm Vs. Change Management Does Change Management = Tech Comm?

TC vs. CM: The Job

Technical Writer

Change Management Analyst

• Gather• Plan• Assess

• Communicate• Organize• Implement

Failure is an Option

90%

“it's beginning to look like General Ripper exceeded his authority.” - Gen Buck Turgidson

Communication

Emotion Logic Circumstance

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Structuring Change Management• Implementing the business case:

– Logic (Analytics) = Rider – Emotion = Elephant– Route = Path to the new world

Direct the Rider

Rational side looks for:• What’s working?• Navel Gazer / TBU• Clear goal/objectives

• Follow the bright spots• Script the critical moves• Point to the destination

Ambiguity is the enemy. Any successful change requires a translation of ambiguous goals into concrete behaviors. -Chip & Dan Heath, Switch

Direct the Rider

Does this fit the TC skill set?

Motivate the Elephant

My boys will give you the best kind of start, 1400 megatons worth, and you sure as hell won't stop them now . -Gen. Buck Turgidson

• Emotion wins the day• Hard to direct /skittish • Unstoppable once in

motion

• Find the feeling• Shrink the change• Grow your people

Motivate the Elephant

Is this easy?

The Elephant has to believe that it’s capable of conquering the change -Chip and Dan Heath, Switch

Shape the Path

Changing the situation creates changes to behavior• Tweak the environment• Build Habits• Rally the Herd

Now, I'm going to give you THREE SIMPLE rules… -General Jack D. Ripper

Shape the Path

Is This the TC Sweet Spot?

Tweaking the environment is about making the right behaviors a little bit easier and the wrong behaviors a little bit harder Chip & Dan Heath, Switch

Changing: Eyes Open & Heads Up

Meetings: the real doomsday machine

Train wrecks and terrorists

Well, I, uh, don't think it's quite fair to condemn a whole program because of a single slip-up, sir. -Gen. Buck Turgidson

Essential for Success

• The hot line is always open• Someone has the Recall Code

Based on the findings of the report, my conclusion was that this idea was not a practical deterrent for reasons which at this moment must be all too obvious. -Dr. Strangelove

• Top Down Executive Alignment

• Executive Support• Effectively directing the

Rider, motivating the Elephant and shaping the path

• What else?

Change Management Survival Pack• Resources

– Heath, Chip and Heath, Dan. Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. 2010, Broadway Books, New York

– Heath, Chip and Heath, Dan. Switch Your Organization: A workbook www.switchthebook.com/resources

– Kotter, John and Cohen, Dan. The Heart of Change. 2002 Harvard Business Review Press, Boston

– Kotter, John and Cohen, Dan. The Heart of Change Field Guide. 2005 Harvard Business Review Press, Boston

– Haidt, Jonathan, The Happiness Hypothesis. 2006. Basic Books, New York– Thaler, Richard, and Sunstein, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth,

and Happiness, 2008. Yale University Press, Princeton– Kelman, Steve. Unleashing Change. 2005 Brookings Institution Press, Washington,

DC• LinkedIn Groups

– Change Consulting & Change Management– Change Management Network– Innovative Leadership & Change Management Expert Innovators...

Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff. -Maj. T.J. “King” Kong

Extend Your Influence

• Build winning business cases• Implement by:

– Directing the Rider– Motivating the Elephant– Shaping the Path

• Recognize existing CM skill sets

• Network with change agents• Develop needed CM skill sets