This is the sixth and final posting for a program manager who wants to save their job while scuttling their program. Who has been assigned implementation responsibility for "Goals 2010", a program designed to fundamentally transform their organization.
What if the program manager strongly disagrees with the program goals? How can a manager give the impression that they are trying to make it work, while carefully planting the seeds of destruction behind the scenes?
Challenging, but doable. Simply apply the following five principles with a proven track record for destroying change programs in countless organizations large and small.
Principle One: Set Unrealistic Deadlines
Principle Two: Never Admit Mistakes
Principle Three: Kill the Messenger
Principle Four: Don't Waste Time Talking to People
Principle Five: Continually Increase Scope
Principle Five: Continually Increase Scope
What if, heaven forbid, your organizations has a strong innovation-oriented culture where open and honest communication is encouraged and fostered? Where Principles Two through Four are difficult to apply? Take heart, Principle Five can still work. Take advantage of your communications-oriented culture and adopt all suggestions that can potentially increase project scope. No scope adjustment should be dismissed as too small for your attention, over time these will add up.
Your program team is a great source of ideas that can increase scope. And don't forget to ask consultants. Each new objective, however small, can cause additional resistance. More people unhappy with your program. More people vocally negative. More people implementing schemes to slow things down.
At the same time, the larger scope will create new problems that can be ignored by you and fueled by the opposition. Slick, but simple. Be sure to keep all deadlines fixed (Principle One).
Good luck!
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