{"id":18483,"date":"2021-01-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-07T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/3-things-2020-taught-us-about-managing-change\/"},"modified":"2021-01-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T06:00:00","slug":"3-things-2020-taught-us-about-managing-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/3-things-2020-taught-us-about-managing-change\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Things 2020 Taught Us About Managing Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

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2020 has been a year like no other.<\/p>\n

Organizations worldwide and in every industry made things happen practically overnight that would otherwise take years (if they were possible at all).<\/p>\n

So, after a year that saw more change than ever before, we thought we’d recap some of the most important lessons 2020 has taught us all about change management.<\/p>\n

\"3<\/p>\n

Lesson #1: Massive Change Can Happen FAST<\/u><\/h3>\n

Digital transformation initiatives have played a central role for many organizations over the past 4-5 years. Given the level of change required, it could take multiple years to complete just one of many digital initiatives.<\/p>\n

But here’s the thing. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that initiatives originally planned over years can be completed in weeks – sometimes days – when there is no other choice. In a lot of cases, initiatives that were considered ‘impossible’ for an organization became essential almost overnight… and then became a reality within an almost unbelievably short period of time.<\/p>\n

Imagine walking into a meeting this time last year and setting out a plan to enable an entirely remote workforce… from scratch… in two weeks. You’d have been laughed out of the room. Anybody would. But that’s exactly what organizations all over the world achieved earlier this year.<\/p>\n

In 2020 we all got really good at implementing change really fast. And we managed it because we had these three essential change drivers:<\/p>\n

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  1. A clear burning platform.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. A collective cause.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. A complete lack of alternatives.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What can we learn from this? Under the right circumstances, what we think of as ‘impossible’ is often nothing of the sort. Clear priorities and laser focus can yield astonishing results.<\/p>\n

    Lesson #2: Massive Change Comes at a Cost<\/h3>\n

    Of course, these huge leaps forward don’t come for free. Aside from the financial cost, which has undoubtedly been significant, there has also been a human cost: change fatigue.<\/p>\n

    And this time, we aren’t talking about a general sense of fatigue and apathy caused by one-too-many change initiatives. We’re talking about a serious, practically medical-grade exhaustion brought on by the onslaught of change this year has forced upon all of us. In a word: burnout<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    The non-profit group HelpGuide defines burnout as: “Emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

    Sound familiar? We recently surveyed over 500 global project management professionals and 64% said they had experienced some degree of burnout in the past six months. Beyond all the personal difficulties this can cause, burnout can also lead to:<\/p>\n