Last time, we took a look at the kind of change our stakeholders may be most naturally comfortable with. We looked at Tinkerers and Overhaulers – Tinkerers generally believe we just need to tweak where we are, Overhaulers that we need to completely refresh everything.
But that’s not the only dimension of how a person will handle change. As well as the objective, the size of goal they are happiest with, there is also how we get there. Again, we have two mindsets, and people may be in a different one from project to project, but will have one they naturally gravitate to.
The Planning approach supposes the future can be predicted and thus controlled
Planners believe that by gathering enough information, verifying its accuracy, and estimating unknowns correctly, the results of any actions taken can be predicted. In times of ambiguity and uncertainty, this tends to lead to inflexibility and a small number of possible decisions.
This approach can be useful in a variety of circumstances. When consequences can be extreme, and the broad picture can be predicted with relative accuracy, this approach can excel. e.g. Standard Operating Procedures for firefighters, police, military, etc.
The Improvising approach supposes the future is unknowable and thus can only be reacted to
Improvisers accept the ambiguity and uncertainty in the world, and decide that the only reasonable response is to react to the environment. They seek to observe what is happening, identify successful strategies employed by others, and then decide on a course of action. They strongly lean into experience and instinct, rather than theory or logic.
Improvisers are good at spotting new opportunities, reacting to unforeseen events, and innovating. There is a tendency to react and pivot repeatedly, with a danger of steadily moving direction away from the organisations goals.
Now, I’m going to go out on a limb here, and suggest that a lot of Project Managers are more likely to be a Planner than an Improviser – at least up to a point. It’s all well and good to have a clear plan to get to where we want to, but I’m sure you have also had to improvise and adapt when an unforeseen issue arose!
Again, think back to your stakeholders, and try to place them as having more affinity with one of these approaches than the other. This will help you when you need to bring them into your coalition, and assist you in finding the right way to approach them.
Trevor Roberts is a programme and project management consultant and the founder of Dull Industries – a consultancy focused on project turnaround, AI implementation, and digital strategy.