Business Change Management: How To Get Middle Managers Included In Your Change Endeavors

There’s significant value in having the ability to turn middle manager change resistance into support. One method for accomplishing this goal is by way of the Quad A system. There remains a different aspect to the picture that should be kept in mind. Part of good business change management is an awareness of what to avoid. If you would like to call down the wrath of middle managers in your organization, feel free to stop reading. If you would like to minimize friction in that area, here are some things it would be best to avoid during change development.

Excluding middle managers from participation in the change planning will only make them dig their heels in when implementation comes around. Including them usually results in less problematic plans. It is an effective means to engender their support. People are more protective and supportive of things they helped design. Also, while this is going on, do not treat them like they are the bad guys. Be cognizant of the fact that the change is going to increase their workload during the transition. The objections they have are primarily related to their firsthand experience with run the business.

When they resist the business change management initiative, do not presume it is a personal issue. No one is trying to get out of their jobs, quite the opposite in fact. There is a high probability that there are no personal issues involved. Therefore, try to not brush aside their issues as though they were madmen. They represent your closest connection to the actual daily work. They have valuable information and their objections should be written down and treated seriously. Treat it like a punch list. For a free video tutorial on dealing with middle managers, please see our website: Business Change Management blog

Do not act as though middle management don’t have busy schedules. It’s true that not every person in the room is going to be struggling to keep their head above water. Many middle managers are doing just that though. They will have very little tolerance for business change management efforts that look as though they will result in wasted time. It is to your benefit to assume that they are just as busy as you are on a day-to-day basis.

In terms of the bigger picture, here are two things to try to steer clear of to protect the business change management effort. Avoid project stalling at all costs. While analysis may be part of the process, it should never lead you down the road to paralysis. The change isn’t a choice to be made; it’s an obligation. The project has to move to see fruition. The other thing you should avoid is rejecting fast workaround solutions. They may not be perfect and they don’t need to be. There’s no reason why the workaround cannot be replaced later. While you wait for the better solution, use the inelegant one to enable project movement. That’s the whole point.

For more information, including extensive online video tutorials, please see our website: Business Change Management blog

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