Mid-level project managers and CEOs alike want their teams to be able to handle change well. From corporate initiatives to adjustments in client needs, change is a part of the modern workplace. However, without stability and established processes, executives have no hope of leading flexible agile teams. This may seem contradictory, but the principles are deeply rooted in our behavior as humans. 

Discover the connection between strong processes in project management and change flexibility – and the role projects managers play in supporting the two. 

A Solid Structure is Needed to Increase Flexibility

The idea that companies need solid foundations and structure if they want to be more flexible or agile is part of what industrial and organizational psychologist Marla Gottschalk refers to as the stability paradox. She has worked with companies of all sizes and has found that small companies face the same issues as large organizations, just on a different scale. Brands want to grow but lack stable forms of communication, aligned goals and set processes to do so. In order to enter the modern economy and maintain flexibility, they need stability first and foremost. 

However, most executives don’t see this. They consider structure to be the enemy of flexibility and instead focus on trying to make their teams more dynamic and detached from processes. 

“One of the objections to [business process management] that a lot of stakeholders have is that they envisage a set of strict and stringent processes that need to be followed to the letter,” writes the team at digital workplace software provider Claromentis. “The core principle behind streamlined processes, though, is that they are flexible. They can be changed and amended according to specific needs.” 

Strict processes don’t eliminate or hinder change, but rather create safe conditions to introduce change and monitor its impact.   

Small Continuous Changes Prepare Employees for Bigger Ones

The need for structure and stability doesn’t mean that employees shouldn’t be exposed to change. On the contrary, processes like lean six sigma are built on the idea of continuous improvement and creating a culture of change. However, these changes are executed in a controlled setting and in a manner that employees are used to.

These business processes create opportunities for smaller changes and continuous improvement, says Nicholas Price at Diligent Corporation. Employees are able to accept change as the new normal when teams work together to improve how business gets done. This means that when bigger changes come along, teams can jump into action because they aren’t stuck in their own way of doing things. 

Maulik Patel, owner of digital marketing agency Clickmatix, writes that project management “eliminates the random work process of the company.” In other words, a project management system gives teams guidance for what they do and when. It provides context for quality control and shows teams what their future roadmap looks like.

These processes provide clarity in even the most uncertain times, with projects following the same basic process. Once a company needs to enact a major change, it can use a similar model as used for the small, continuous improvements.

Without Structure, Employees Experience Change Fatigue

Investing in solid company processes is essential for companies that want to grow through change. Without process frameworks in place, teams risk falling into change fatigue where they push back or ignore new ideas. 

“Business leaders and employees have never had to deal with change at the unrelenting pace we see today,” Tyler Durham, partner at management consulting firm Prophet, says. “Leadership behaviors, corporate cultures and organizations’ operating systems are going to have to adapt and become more liquid to address the new reality and seize competitive advantage or they will break under the strain.” 

The challenge is that there is no specific formula to measure change fatigue or to track whether is at acceptable levels, writes Paola Taylor, solutions delivery director at Blueprint Technologies. However, she points to a company’s history as a main indicator of change fatigue. New staff members will embrace change and feel hopeful that it will be for the better. However, after a few periods of change, they may not be excited about new ideas if they mean instability or negative consequences. 

Teams need a history of positive changes (even if they are small and come from continuous process improvements) in order for leaders to have the credibility and political power to launch a major improvement.

“When companies try doing too much too quickly, employees often wait to see which initiative has the most staying power before investing the energy to alter their behaviors,” Micah Alpern, partner at EY, tells Workforce Software. They essentially choose the safest bet in order to maximize the chances that this change will stick and they won’t have to change again in the future.  

If you want employee buy in, then you need project frameworks in place that can help you enact change and measure its results clearly.

Structural Principles That Make Change Easier

As change becomes more of a constant in your organization, your project management team and executive leadership will need to evaluate the stability of your existing processes and company principles before introducing their change plans to the rest of the staff.

Andrew Horlick, change leadership consultant at Navigo, encourages companies to take a structured approach for their high-risk change initiatives. A set process means that management will allot the required time and resources to implement and track change within the company. As a result, teams won’t get stuck managing change “off the side of their desks” and won’t feel like they have to juggle more than they can handle with their existing workload and new initiatives.

The reason companies need to scale up their support for employees during major changes has to do with the employee psyche. Neuroscientist David Rock, cofounder and executive director of the NeuroLeadership Institute, says the brain turns to five traits to determine how much of a threat change is, which can be summarized in the acronym SCARF: status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness. 

Essentially, when one of these traits is threatened, then the dangers of change seem more intimidating. For example, an employee might wonder whether a change will eliminate their job, reducing certainty. It could also create more oversight, reducing their perceived fairness and status because they feel micromanaged. Even smoothe change transitions can affect employees because of their mental psyche. 

Companies need to reflect their core values in their set processes and work frameworks if they want to create a healthy change environment for team members. There are a few ways this can be done in practice.  

Establish Communication Strategies

Regardless of your industry or company size, you can always improve your process for internal employee communication. 

Clinical psychologist Natalie Baumgartner says most companies don’t do a great job of communicating good news, let alone bad news or important changes that could impact employees. However, employees need regular communication and connection with management during times of great insecurity.

Establishing processes and channels for communication during stable times is essential. Processes that seem small, like determining when and how you communicate with your team, will be heavily relied upon when your entire system is under duress.

Create Stability Through Transparency

Adam Hickman, Ph.D. and Tonya Fredstrom at Gallup explain that stability is one of the top four qualities that people value in leaders, alongside trust, compassion and hope. Both point to transparency as a source of stability for employees – and particularly remote workers. 

When employees have access to information, they can fact check statements and come to their own conclusions. They aren’t reliant on management to tell them what they need to know. Additionally, employees in transparent organizations don’t feel like information is hidden from them or that management is making changes without their input. This creates confidence and security in any changes that are introduced. 

Develop Channels for Employee Input

Throughout your workflows, create opportunities for employees to share ideas and bring up concerns.

The team at Panorama Consulting encourages companies to get further employee buy-in by inviting them into the change process. By giving employees the chance to address what concerns them and their ideas for improvement, they are more likely to embrace changes. 

Employee empowerment creates a less authoritative top-down approach and teaches team members to speak up. This is another example of when having a culture of continuous process improvement can empower employees on a small day-to-day scale so they feel comfortable when larger problems arise.  

“Employees who understand the what, why and how of a new policy are much more likely to comply with it,” Mike Raia writes at Integrify when offering advice for implementing successful policy changes. Employee trust increases, making team members more likely to invest in the change expected of them.  

Look for Cross-Work Opportunities

Establishing processes for continuous change can also help teams work better together. Tiffany Chepul, consultant at Rhythm Software, emphasizes that most processes touch multiple departments. It’s rare that an internal change would affect just one team, especially when that change drives significant results. By getting input from those affected across multiple teams, inter-departmental relations can improve and processes can run smoother.

Through these steps, you can see how company core values like communication and transparency turn into processes that managers and employees can follow. Ideas turn into actions. 

“Improving your processes allows you to effectively scale your business while staying consistent in your business model,” Ben Mulholland writes at Process Street. “The time, money and manpower you save by improving your processes can, in turn, be directed towards more important tasks. In other words, every process you improve will benefit your entire business model.”

Investing in business processes and stability is one of the best ways to build a flexible, resilient team. Your employees will feel more confident and will be more likely to try new ideas and take risks when they are asked to. 

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