Winning with Change

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested.

LESSON 1

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day.

A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?”The crow answered: "Sure, why not.”

All of a sudden, a fox appeared,

Jumped on the rabbit... and ate it.

Moral of the story is….

To be sitting and doing nothingyou must be sitting very, very high up.

Producing change80 percent leadership -

establishing direction, aligning, motivating, and inspiring people –

20 percent management - planning, budgeting, organizing, and problem solving

Unfortunately, in most of the change efforts, these percentages are reversed

The Change Monster by Jeanie Daniel Duck, Crown Business, 2001 (Illustration by Gene Mackles)

The nature of change unfolds in a series of dynamic but manageable phases that require preparation.

The Change Road Map

“The road ahead is full of landmines.”

Lessons to be Learned

•Fraternity can’t die – IOOF•The American Carmakers – Edward Demming•Sony Walkman (1979) – Every 3 weeks for 19 years•Microsoft – 10 new products daily

Eight Steps to Change

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything” - George Bernard Shaw

1. Establish a Sense of Urgency

Examine external realities Identify and discuss crises, potential crises, or

major opportunitiesdissatisfaction with the status quo

2. Realize the Future Potential

Create a picture of the future desired to help direct the change effort

Identify the Gap between Now and ThenDon’t sugar coat Now

Develop strategies for achieving that futureKeep it manageable and realistic

Alice: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to walk from here?”

Cheshire Cat: “That depends a good deal on whereyou want to get to.”

Alice: “I don’t much care where.”

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you walk,” said the cat.

“…so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.

“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

3. Form a Powerful Guiding Coalition

Assemble a group with enough influence to lead the change effort

Encourage the group to work as a teamRewards or incentives exist for participants

4. Communicate the Potential Future and the GapUse everything possible to communicate the new

future and strategiesTeach new behaviors by examples of leadersMost leaders under communicate their future gapLeading by example - People watch their leaders

very closely Inconsistent behavior by a leader fuel cynicism and

frustrationResist the past or present sucesses

5. Empower Others to Act on the Gap

Get rid of obstacles to change Change systems or structures that

seriously undermine the future state Encourage risk taking and

nontraditional ideas, activities, and actions

Leadership takes the blame for all failures, others get the credit

Develop action plans for all stakeholder groups that are not sufficiently committed.

6. Plan for and Create Short-Term Wins

Plan for visible performance improvements Create those improvements Recognize and reward members involved in the

improvements Build consistency with newer members

Manage both timelines – old and new

7. Consolidate Improvements and Produce Still More Change

Use increased credibility to change systems, structures, and policies that don't fit the future

Promote and develop members who can implement the future

Reinvigorate the process with new projects, themes, and change agents

8. Institutionalize New Approaches

Articulate the connections between the new behaviors and organizational success

Develop the means to ensure leadership development and succession

Some Simple Realities

Confronting opposition and opponents is a painful necessary

If obstructive ringleaders will not reform, they will have to leave

People generally cannot get motivated by a discussion of the past or even the present

The Truth About Coping With Change

“Every project has three phases: It will never succeed; It will cost to much; and I thought it was a good idea all along” - Anon

Resistance to Change: Organizations

Organizations are conservative – actively resist change through structural and group inertia and threats to member expertise, power relationships and established resource allocations (this includes real and perceived reward mechanisms)

Resistance to Change: Organizations

Organizations have built-in mechanisms to produce stability – they systematically select certain people in and certain people out. People are chosen for and then shaped and directed to behave in certain ways

When the organization is confronted with change this structural inertia acts as a counter balance to sustain stability

Resistance to Change: Organizations

Even if individuals want to change their behaviour, group norms act as a constraint

Any redistribution of decision-making as the result of change threatens the long-established power relationships

Groups in the organization that control sizeable resources often see change as a threat, those that benefit from current allocation of resources feel threatened by changes that may effect future allocations

Resistance To Change

Can be overt, implicit, immediate, or deferredEasier to deal with when overt and immediatePositive since it provides a degree of stability and

predictability to behaviourWithout resistance organizational behaviour will

lead to chaotic randomness

You Can Teach Old Dog New Tricks

“Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Resistance to Change : Individuals

Sources of resistance:Habit - Programmed responses to cope with

complexities of lifeSecurity – Those with a need for security resist as

it threatens their sense of insecurity. Fear that they cannot perform new tasks or routines

Fear of the unknown –You trade known for the unknown and the fear that goes with it

Challenge: Status Quo Guardians

“We have always done it this way.”-Misunderstand or don’t know history

“We have never done it this way.” -Likely not doing anything

Listen to the “old timers” Don’t be intimidated; it’s your decisionDon’t be manipulated to name someone to a

committee just because he always did the task before.

101% Principle“I’ll believe it when I see it,” vs. “I’ll see it when I

believe it.”Tradition – Habit - Bullflop

Dealing with “That Guy”

• Characteristics•Is a problem carrier•Is a program finder•Is a problem creator•Is a problem receiver

• Handling•Respond with a positive comment•Show your concern with someone being criticized•Encourage steps for a resolution•Ask him to think before speaking•Keep him away from others

• Are You that Guy?•Do you experience conflict almost daily?•Do people rub you the wrong way?•Do bad things happen to me?•Do I always seem to say the wrong thing?

Participation

Having members participate in decisions that affect them is no panacea

A potent force for combating resistance to changeMust have adequate time to participate Must have the ability to participateParticipation can reduce resistance, obtain

commitment and increase the quality of the change decision

Additional Resources

Drucker, Peter. Managing the Non-Profit Organization. Harper Paperbacks, 2006.

Drucker, Peter. Managing in a Time of Great Change. Harvard Business Press, 2008.

“Managing Change and Getting People on Your Side.” The Center for Leadership Excellence, Baltimore, 1998.

Senge, Peter. The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Broadway Business, 2006.

Questions?

“Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail, sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it – but sail we must, and not drift, nor lie at anchor” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Thank You!

John Dornerjohn@ilorlibrary.org