Why change management is important for solving supranormal challenges
In high-tech organizations, some of the most complex project challenges are supranormal—they stem not from technical hurdles, but from organizational systems, power dynamics, or cultural inertia. These are problems no Gantt chart or sprint board can solve on its own.
Supranormal challenges occasionally need organisational change, not just project fixes
Supranormal challenges go beyond missed deadlines or underestimated budgets. They’re the kind of issues that point to deeper organizational friction or weakness—problems that cut across departments, roles, and even company culture. These include:
Projects slowed by entrenched cross-functional silos
Process gaps that affect all engineering teams, not just one
Cultural resistance to collaboration or quality standards
Political landmines where project priorities conflict with departmental agendas
Overloaded systems where everyone is busy but nothing moves forward
Blind spots in terms of challenges actually faced
Functional skill deficiencies or under capacity
Projects which do not make business sense
Technology leap targets, which have too high a risk in a single step
Suppliers with whom a streamlined interface has not yet been established
What makes these challenges so difficult is that they often operate beneath the surface. They don’t show up on Gantt charts or risk logs—but they quietly erode execution, delay progress, and create organizational fatigue. And no matter how talented the team or how well-structured the project plan, these underlying forces can grind momentum to a halt.
Super PMs recognize that these aren’t just project delivery issues—they’re symptoms of how the organization functions. In this context, the solution isn’t more detail in the schedule or tighter control of tasks. What’s needed is a shift in how people collaborate, how decisions are made, and how teams align.
That’s where change management principles come in. It provides the tools and mindset to influence systems, not just scopes. It allows PMs to engage stakeholders across levels, reshape ways of working, and address the root causes that undermine performance. In doing so, they don’t just navigate through supranormal challenges—they use the project as a platform for lasting organizational improvement.
What challenges lie beneath the defined project
Forces for and against change: how to map your landscape
One of the core techniques from the change management toolkit is force field analysis. It’s a way to visualize the landscape of support and resistance. This helps Super PMs understand not just what needs to change, but why it’s stuck.
Every meaningful change—whether it’s improving collaboration, introducing better review systems, or raising engineering maturity—creates both driving forces and restraining forces. These forces represent the real dynamics that determine whether a change will gain momentum or stall.
Driving forces might include:
Frustration with current inefficiencies
Enthusiasm from early adopters
Visible customer complaints or quality issues
Strategic pressure or sponsorship from leadership
External factors such as market competition or compliance requirements
Restraining forces often include:
Fear of the unknown and potential job disruption
Comfort with the status quo (“We’ve always done it this way”)
Perceived loss of control or autonomy
Lack of interest
Departmental “turf” protection and politics
Workload overload or lack of time to adapt
Mapping these forces gives PMs a realistic picture of the change landscape. It’s not about labelling people as blockers or supporters—it’s about understanding what’s driving their behaviour.
Once these forces are visible, Super PMs can develop targeted strategies to shift the balance:
Reinforce driving forces by highlighting pain points, using data to show urgency, and securing visible executive sponsorship.
Reduce restraining forces through empathy, active listening, transparent communication, and early involvement of key stakeholders.
In complex, supranormal environments, change rarely fails because the idea was wrong—it fails because the energy for change was never managed. Force field analysis gives PMs a way to manage that energy consciously. It turns vague resistance into tangible insight, allowing them to move from frustration (“Why is nothing changing?”) to informed strategy (“How can I shift the balance in our favour?”).
Resolution of such challenges ultimately requires the PM to be a super-communicator—the ability to reach out, persuade, influence and negotiate. Sometimes the PM needs to wage a “political campaign” in order to address deep-lying problems
The Super PM’s mindset: from manager to change agent
To navigate supranormal challenges, Super PMs must go beyond their project manager role. They become change agents—leaders who can influence systems, build coalitions, and move people.
That shift requires a different mindset:
From enforcing plans to shaping culture
From task coordination to influence and negotiation
From internal focus to organizational awareness
The Super PM understands that change doesn’t come from directives—it comes from involvement:
Identifying allies and early adopters
Building a coalition of stakeholders who believe in the change
Engaging the people affected by the change in shaping how it’s implemented
Research shows that one of the biggest barriers to successful change is lack of awareness and fear of the unknown. Super PMs anticipate this. They communicate early and often, not just about what will change, but why, how, and what success looks like. They involve people in implementation—not just to delegate, but to build ownership.
They know:
The message needs to come from the top
The enthusiasm needs to be visible
The objections need to be heard—not dismissed
The timing needs to allow for absorption and adaptation
By using structured communication, stakeholder engagement, and empathy—not just plans and meetings—Super PMs help teams and stakeholders to move through discomfort into clarity and commitment.
Conclusion
Supranormal challenges won’t yield to normal tools. When the barriers are cultural, political, or systemic, change management becomes the Super PM’s most strategic asset. It reframes the problem, aligns people across levels, and creates the conditions where projects can succeed—not just despite the system, but by improving it.
Because in high-stakes projects, solving the real problem often starts with changing the environment around it.
