The three core elements of implementation management
Successful implementation management is, among other things, a balancing act between purpose, power and fear. In German companies, I often notice that even experienced managers unperturbedly believe that they only have to explain the goal and content of the change to their team (meaning) and then things will work out. In the case of my US clients, power (money, resources etc.) is handed out together with the request: And now let’s go! The managers give in to the belief that everything will work out in their favor. And in Japanese companies, the dimension of fear is very pronounced among managers: if success does not materialize, they are “beheaded”. Such extremes cannot lead to high-performance implementations. All the factors – meaning, power and fear – must be carefully considered and applied to varying degrees in the different phases of implementation. In my opinion, you have no choice but to bring the fear or pressure factor into play, because: Where nothing happens, if nothing happens, nothing happens.
Once the expectations of those involved have been clearly communicated, you need to give the individuals (not the team, mind you!) the power or opportunities, i.e. the resources, the time and the means to fulfill the requirements (fear/pressure). Once you have aligned the interests of the key individuals with the implementation goals, you should consider how you can use the triad of purpose, power and fear to give these individuals the necessary momentum to carry out the implementation highly productively and at high speed. (see Fig. 2).
People, and therefore organizations, only change if they understand why something should be done, feel the consequences of inaction first-hand and see the realistic chance that they have the options at hand to be successful – so there is no reason to resign. The timing, intensity and weight placed on the respective “levers” (dimensions) of purpose, power and fear vary depending on the organization and situation.
Time and again, I notice that the managers responsible for implementation fall back on their usual program. One only explains, the other delegates and gives all the freedom and the third constantly cracks the whip because he has learned no other way. Regularly reflect on your own behavior/management patterns. The process is much easier, less stressful and quicker if you think about when, how and with what intensity you use these three levers. The type of use depends on the respective project (strategy, optimization, “new territory”) and also on the respective implementation phase (see Fig. 3).
In the conception phase of a strategy project, the meaning dimension must be addressed first and foremost. Those involved need a very clear idea of what is behind the new strategy of the division or company and what exactly the desired strategic position looks like. The conception must always take place under high pressure (fear) so that everyone can concentrate on the essential topics. Always set sporting targets here. If this is not done, there is a risk that the conception team will become increasingly lost in the details and find all kinds of reasons why the strategy cannot be implemented in this way. The power dimension is hardly ever addressed, because good strategy concepts do not require large resources (money, manpower).
The situation is completely different when it comes to execution. Here, it is no longer necessary to explain to everyone why, wherefore or how the strategy is being implemented and executed in exactly the same way. It is much more important to keep the pressure or fear high so that execution does not fall asleep and at the same time to provide those involved with the relevant opportunities (power) so that they can do their job successfully. As this is where the greatest resistance is to be expected, consistent pressure is crucial. With this attitude, the implementation manager focuses on what the implementation team really needs in order to be able to work successfully.
If you are moving into uncharted territory with your project type, as you want to launch a new product on the market or have to manage a new system implementation, you also need to work intensively on meaning and fear in the conception phase. However, in contrast to strategy implementation, the power dimension also comes into play here. Without the appropriate skills, it is not possible to come up with the right ideas and approaches and develop the foresight to design something. In planning, the situation is different, the meaning is no longer decisive, it is primarily about transforming the developed concepts into meaningful planning.
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