Change Blueprints vs. Sticky Notes: To Plan or Not to Plan?

In “The Heart of Change” we talked about how some folks love feelings and others love flowcharts. But let's face it, change is messy. No matter how much you plan, things are gonna go sideways. So, do you need a detailed roadmap or a stack of sticky notes and a "let's figure this out as we go" attitude?

Prosci: The Prepared Planner

Prosci is all about planning, but not the dusty, never-gonna-change kind. They've got their three phases – Unfreeze, Change, Refreeze – to guide the journey. Unfreeze is about shaking things up, Change is the actual doing, and Refreeze is about making the change stick.

Prosci believes in creating detailed change management plans. Think timelines, actions, who's doing what. It's like having a GPS for your change initiative, even if that GPS occasionally needs a recalculation mid-route.

5M: The Agile Adjuster

5M takes more of an iterative approach – check in, assess the situation, make a plan, act, repeat. It's less about a grand master plan and more about a series of mini-sprints. This works well for smaller changes or situations where you're figuring things out on the fly.

Imagine you're trying to improve your customer service response time. 5M would say, let's analyze the current process, try a few tweaks, measure the results, and then adjust further. It's about continuous improvement, not a one-and-done plan.

The Verdict? It Depends...

Here's the thing: neither approach is perfect for every situation. Introducing a new coffee machine in the breakroom? Maybe some simple instructions and a 5M checklist is all you need.

But what about a complex merger? That's gonna need the structure and forethought of a Prosci-style plan, plus the flexibility to adjust when things inevitably get chaotic.

The Smart Leader's Secret

Knowing when to be structured and when to go with the flow is the real superpower of a change leader. It's about understanding the nature of the change and picking the right tool for the job.

Next time, we'll look at how Prosci and 5M think about the whole point of change – is it a one-time project or an ongoing way of life?