Dealing with an autocratic change agent

Dear Bob …

I would appreciate your thoughts on the following situation.

Our company recently started a program to implement “radical change” in a particular business area. They hired an external contractor to create the program. This person (let’s call him Dick) has now been hired as the overall Project Manager (still a contractor). I am a Systems Consultant (company employee) on this project – my role is to develop the overall IT solutions. Dick has made it clear that he is “in charge”. To wit:

* He doesn’t believe in stakeholder, consensus, or any consensus for that matter. He believes in imposing change (he has said exactly this).

* He will not hesitate to “throw out” systems methodology if it impedes the speed at which “he” can deliver. He has demonstrated often that he’s not sure what systems methodology is and thinks all methodology is waterfall, despite efforts to educate him to the contrary.

* He does not believe in moving IT closer to the business – our role is to “deliver working software”, not be partners in business change.

* His behavior demonstrates an “ends justify the means” approach to getting things done.

* He claims Senior Management has given him carte blanche to cut “whatever corners are necessary” to implement this program.

In spite of the above, I recognize he has a lot of knowledge in his area of expertise (change agent) and I believe his business plan is a good one.

How do I work with this guy? I report to the IT project manager (excellent manager), but have a functional reporting relationship to Dick – I want to work effectively with him. I believe in partnering with the business (which he doesn’t). I fully endorse changing our processes when it makes logical sense to do so but we do have some rigor we CANNOT escape, e.g. SOX, and some we SHOULD NOT bypass in order to ensure quality and maintainability. Our dynamic is weird – Dick tends to speak to me in either a condescending manner as if I need his “wise guidance”, or in a conspiratorial “it’s just you and me” tone (I’m a younger female). I feel I’m being “played” much of the time. He also has claimed responsibility for my recent promotion, which is inaccurate. I want to be effective on this project, but I’m not sure how to approach this.

– Working for an egomaniac

Dear Working …

Well, clearly the right course of action is to backstab him until he’s thrown out, then bring in our consulting company to rescue the situation.

I’ll even pay you a commission!

Okay, that isn’t such a great solution. Among the many disadvantages is that we might get caught. Let’s go for Plan B: Keep your head down and your nose clean.

Here’s what’s going to happen. Dick hasn’t figured out the difference between being right and helping the organization be right enough. He also hasn’t figured out the difference between being certain and being right. This will work out fine for him, right up until the time he overplays his hand. When he does, it will get ugly fast. He won’t have to make very much of a slip for it to trigger the pent-up resentment he’s certainly causing.

So do your best to keep yourself clean, wait it out, and let someone else start the blow-up process. My best advice is for you and the IT project manager to accept Dick’s methodology, at least to the extent that you accept that your scope is limited to building software that fits the specs. To that end, document the specs as precisely as you can and insist that you get proper sign-off on the specs from Dick before anyone starts the coding process. That he thinks all methodologies are waterfall will work to your benefit here: This is how waterfall methodologies work.

If Dick refuses to sign off on the specs, that sounds like a great opportunity for you and the IT project manager to say something like, “We don’t understand. If they’re right, you would sign off on them, of course, so if you won’t, that has to mean something is wrong with the specs. We sure don’t want to start the coding process until they’re fixed.”

Or, you and the IT project manager might consider bringing in internal audit around then if you’re boxed in and think that might help. But that’s a last resort. As I say, try to wait it out and let someone else start the party.

BTW: In my book, what you describe indicates that Dick might be an excellent project manager, but as an agent of change he’s a fool. Being a competent change agent means more than telling everyone what’s supposed to happen and then blaming them when it doesn’t. It means taking the steps necessary to move the organization forward.

By definition.

– Bob