“Historical consciousness has a fullness of paradox that future imagination cannot match.”
David Brooks (2014, March 20. Going home again. New York Times). Brooks is an American conservative political and cultural commentator who writes for The New York Times.
Image by Edwin Lee
In 334 B.C., Alexander the Great began his world conquest. He broke the Persian Empire and continued his advance until he reached the Indus River. But his empire began to crumble the moment breath left his body, leaving only scattered fragments for his heirs to rule.
Fast forward a century some 3,500 miles to the east, Emperor Qin Shi Huang completed the annexation of his neighbors, yet the boundaries of his middle kingdom were extended in the dynasties following his demise. Two leaders, with similar visions achieved through military brilliance, but whose legacy was the most enduring? And why?
Today’s business world is awash with leaders’ visions for the future. Yet, so many fail to realize their dreams. A key factor in the collapse of Alexander’s empire was his impatience with the details of managing people and the bureaucracy necessary to hold a nation together. Similarly today, many executives have limited patience with the depth and quantity of communication and engagement required to shift their organizations. They are easily distracted by their next project conquest.
Qin Shi Huang, however, understood what was required for sustainability. He put processes and procedures in place to stabilize his conquests. Two in particular stood out – he standardized the written language (the basis of communications), and the currency (the unit of finances). The people of his enormous land could then communicate with each other and exchange goods with an ease that rivals today.
We live in different times than Alexander and Qin Shi Huang, but the need for structure and process to sustain strategy is still critical. A brilliant vision is great, but it’s critical to tether that direction to the people who need to execute and sustain it. As a vision becomes tangible through projects, embedding the principles and the discipline of change management into the project structure will help identify and mitigate risks, provide a platform for a more effective communication and engagement, and support the people most impacted by the changes.
As project manager or team leader, consider the following when integrating change management within project streams or processes:
As change leaders and agents, we build support and commitment by demonstrating how integrating project management and change management practices can deliver results. To achieve this, we need to: