Why Improving IT Asset Management Requires Dealing With Grief Process

According to an old joke, change is hard only when it encounters human nature, which tends to resist most changes. In other words, change of any sort is hard.

That often goes double in the workplace, of course, where the natural tendency is for people to cling to the infamous way we've always done things around here. In our work, we often run into this mindset as we coach clients on how to implement more mature processes for managing their IT assets. And since the best ITAM processes involve a mix of new policies, processes and tools, the potential for resistance among the staff is great.

I liken it to the grieving process over the prospect of one's death. You've probably heard of the famous grieving process developed by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. You know, the one with the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and, finally, acceptance. But you're probably less aware of how the very same model relates to managing necessary changes in your workplace.

The key for managers is to help get their people to more quickly pass through the earlier stages, in which they're actively resisting necessary changes, so that they can get to the understanding and acceptance stages, where all the good stuff happens. At the same time, it's generally not such a good idea to make too many changes too quickly, since people need time to absorb the changes and adjust to their new roles in the improved system.

Managers can cope with the expected resistance by listening to their employees, and frankly addressing their concerns about changes in as many face-to-face sessions as are needed. I also encourage them to use multiple communications channels, including informal paths to connect with people, to get the message across that things really will be all right. Then they need to communicate timelines for the project, and repeat and reinforce their objectives, as well as the larger organizational strategy. That way, the leader can build greater buy-in from everyone. Finally, they'll need to reward positive behavioral changes, so as to encourage change in others.

Changing your employees' work processes so as to improve organizational outcomes doesn't have to be painful, and obviously it's not as serious an issue as grappling with the prospect of one's death. Still, it pays to plan for the worst, even as you hope for the best, remembering that change is hard for everyone, including yourself. But we all need to do it, and the smart manager attacks the project with a smart plan, and sometimes with an experienced outsourcing partner, who can help through the whole process.