“Why do you want to know what I do. Should I be worried about my job?”
Resistance to change is natural, especially if it’s imposed upon us.
There’s a perception that IT projects like CRM implementation, can result in job losses as part of the cost-saving “Digital Transformation Programme”.
Modernising, improving operational efficiency, gathering insight and intelligence – can sometimes get lumped under the “Computer and Robots are coming to take my job” myth.
When we are doing requirement gathering as a Consulting Partner, we need to be mindful, and aware that the participants may be feeling apprehensive about why we are there, and what it means for their job security.
A culture of transparency and integrity generally means that the participants are on board with the project, that they feel secure and excited about the change that is coming.
Political environments, where communication is poor, leading to rumours on the grapevine tend to create environments that is difficult for us to gather requirements for the project.
When we are in workshops, we need to be very mindful of that, and be careful of our approach.
I believe that people want to know they matter.
They want to be seen.
And they want to be heard.
To do that, I
– start by asking open question
– practice active listening
– don’t judge
– don’t assume
– keep my body language relaxed and open
I find that it helps to de-escalate situations.
When that happens, then the dialogue will flow.
#leadership
#activelistening
#requirementsgathering
#businessanalysis
#projectmanagement
#zenhaoprotip
#requirements
#ItsTheHumanElementThatCounts