•  Without a strong case for change (pressure and urgency), there is likely to be no change.  
•  Without senior leadership support, there is likely to be little change.  
•  Without a future vision, there is likely to be confusion over where the change effort is going.
•  Without an action or war plan, there is likely to be false starts as efforts are launched, but not coordinated.
•  Without sustained communication, there is likely to be a loss of momentum, which can either drag out the change effort or lead to its abandonment.
•  Without the required training and skills, PSM stakeholders and participants will have anxiety over execution and are more likely to resist or make more mistakes, which lead to poor outcomes.
•  Without incentives to permanently change, there are likely to be temporary islands of change that will revert back to the old ways when local sponsors move on.
•  Without the time and budget resources to execute the change, there is likely to be frustration and slow progress because the change has to be implemented by personnel in their “spare” time.
•  Without test and validation of the new PSM practices, the implementation is likely to have unintended consequences.
•  Last, without a formal monitoring and refining process, which catches problems and shares lessons learned, change implementation is likely to lead to dead ends and repeated mistakes.

This picture shows the normal negative reaction of those who are subjected to change. The speed at which people move from shock to acceptance will vary considerably from person to person. Nick Obolensky says that resistance is a natural occurrence – to overcome it, one must motivate changes in people’s behaviour. 

Techniques to motivate change in behaviour 

• Bring resistance to the surface and continually gauge readiness for change
• Create and maintain dissatisfaction of the status quo. 
• Generate new training for new skills. 
• Allow participation in planning and implementing change. 
• Reward required behaviour and results in the transition and future states. 
• Provide time for people to disengage from the current state. 
• Use pilots and reposition the remainder. 
• Burn bridges and build ambassadors. 
• Actively manage in/out-placement in a firm, clear and sympathetic way.

SMART objectives 

• S Specific 
• M Measurable 
• A Achievable 
• R Results oriented 
• T Time specific

The culture change process 

• Use cross-functional project teams throughout the process. 
• Use workshops to build consensus, awareness, commitment and feedback. 
• Use facilitators widely to assist smooth implementation. 
• Employ training seminars to develop new skills and attributes. 
• Establish a team to act as a focal point of change and learning. 
• Use a values statement (ten commandments) to summarize needed behaviours. 
• Communicate – use a wide range of media, manage the communications process
• and remember: actions speak louder than words, so lead by example!

How to motivate your staff

• Direction – clear direction reduces uncertainty and gives meaning to people’s work. 
• Job clarity – clear and achievable goals. 
• Client focus – meeting clients’ needs creates a sense of purpose and is rewarding. 
• Competence – the skills and knowledge to do the job. 
• Resources – right resources to do the job. 
• Empowerment – sense of freedom to make choices and take control of environment. 
• Involvement – involvement engenders commitment. 
• Cooperation – relaxed and non-competitive working relationships. 
• Feedback – lets people know how they are doing and what they need to learn. 
• Recognition – the emotional side of feedback.