Delivering Running Cost Allowance reductions is going to mean one thing…a commitment to change.
And for everyone across the Health and Care sector, being great at change is going to be more important than ever.
What is it about change that creates such mixed responses from people?
At its heart, any change no matter how big or small, from moving desks to moving house to moving employer, generates a certain amount of anxiety. The trick is how you, and others around you, embrace this anxiety and use it to unlock conversations, relationships, networks, and solutions that may not have been readily apparent. As a leader or manager of people, it’s down to you to set the climate that either embraces the uncertainty and acknowledges the anxiety or shuts out the emotion and deals with the task at hand. Do you choose to focus on the ‘to-do list’ rather than the ‘to talk about’ list?
This is why most change programmes become victims of a Gantt chart or a detailed project plan; it’s far easier to manage the tasks than it is the conversations. And it’s certainly easier to tick off items on a to-do list than it is to explore new perspectives and emotions that can create greater uncertainty (but can, when done right, unlock huge potential, innovative solutions, and greater engagement).
So, at the outset of any change programme, it becomes important to recognise the differences between change management and project management. They both work in harmony with each other, but each has a specific purpose. Change management focuses on hearts and minds whereas project management focuses on delivering tangible results. While change management primarily deals with addressing the human aspects of change, such as employee engagement, communication, and cultural shifts; project management is concerned with the practical execution of tasks and achieving predetermined objectives within a defined scope, budget, and timeline.
That’s not to say both disciplines are independent of one another. Together, change management and project management form a cohesive partnership, ensuring a holistic approach to change initiatives that encompasses both the emotional and practical dimensions of the change journey. Good leaders recognise and appreciate this and harness the expertise of great change managers and project managers to help deliver sustainable change in their organisations.
Both disciplines can help to tackle the Running Cost Allowance reductions. Leaders have an opportunity to bring change and project management skills to bear on a truly wicked problem: how to best balance the financial demands of the system with truly exceptional patient and colleague care. Creating and delivering innovative approaches to meeting the Running Cost Allowance reductions will need widespread support from colleagues to embrace change, explore the opportunities, and get creative in developing solutions.
Compassionate leadership, innovation, authentic listening, and empathy will all be critically important leadership traits that enable success. Leaders that focus on the people and enable them to be the architects and catalysts for change will be more effective than those that focus on the task alone.
Change is not a project. Seek the support from great change managers and project managers alike, who recognise and embrace the value of both disciplines and can work together to deliver something truly spectacular.
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