The slides of my talk about organisational change, drama, and the responsibility process. At Agile Islands 2018 conference.

1. Image: pixabay
Ari Tanninen
Agile Islands 2018
September 25th 2018
“Your living is determined not so much
by what life brings you as by the
attitude you bring to life; not so much
by what happens to you as by the way
your mind looks at what happens."
— Lewis L. Dunnington
Responsibility:
from drama to
results

2. Types of organizational change
Incremental Strategic
Anticipatory Tuning Reorientation
Reactive Adaptation Re-creation
Organizational frame bending: types of change in the complex organization, Nadler & Tushman, 1988

3. My role and title changed!
My team changed!
This won’t work!
What’s going to happen?
I wasn’t involved!
Image: pixabay

4. Image: Wikipedia / Forbsey

5. Everyone is complaining!
Change resistance!
They don’t follow the new
organization structure!
Act like adults, stop the drama!
Image: pixabay
They don’t listen!

6. In an organisation change
• Many opportunities to get upset
• Lizard brains dominate
• Rational thinking, creativity, empathy flew out the window
• Getting upset follows a pattern…

7. The Responsibility Process
Denial
Lay Blame
Justify
Shame
Obligation
Responsibility
Quit
Upset or
problem

8. Things happen to me.
I am the victim of circumstance.
I make things happen.
I am the cause.
Denial
Lay Blame
Justify
Shame
Obligation
Responsibility
Quit

9. Drama
Results
Denial
Lay Blame
Justify
Shame
Obligation
Responsibility
Quit

10. Status quo, forever
Growth, change, learning
Denial
Lay Blame
Justify
Shame
Obligation
Responsibility
Quit

11. Automatic reflex, power saver
mode engaged
Working, thinking, energy
intensive
Denial
Lay Blame
Justify
Shame
Obligation
Responsibility
Quit

12. The Responsibility Process
• Mental states triggered automatically when we get upset
• Coping strategies / comfort zones to alleviate anxiety
• Key idea: push through them to get to true responsibility
• Based on 20+ years of studies by Bill McCarley and
Christopher Avery
• Natural and human

13. Step Symptoms Diagnosis (in your head) Remedy (how to feel better)
Responsibility
“I choose to”
Feeling powerful
Feeling ownership
Results that matter
The problem may be an effect of a larger issue
I am missing something from the big picture
Somehow I contributed to the issue
The problem is how my mind sees the problem
Face the pain
Look for truth & root issue
Solve the root issue for good
Quit
"Whatever", cynical comments
Denying you want it
Feeling incomplete, longing
No results
This is so painful I can’t take it
I can’t do anything
Give up
Disengage mentally
Chocolate ice-cream or red wine
Obligation
“We should”, “I must”
Procrastination, resentment
Minimal results
I have no choice
I am trapped
I have to but I don’t want to
Do the bare minimum and get it
over with
Shame
“I am so stupid”
Feeling guilt
It’s my fault and I deserve to suffer
I can’t do anything
I need to change
Justify
“That’s just how things are”
Venting
The situation is responsible
I can’t do anything
Situation needs to change
Lay Blame
“X is such a…”
Venting
X is responsible
I can’t do anything
X needs to change
Denial “Problem? What problem?”

14. {
“Shame on you!”
“You must apologize!”
Mental states endorsed by society
“How can you
be so stupid!”
“If you don’t clean your
room, mommy feels sad.”
“Give that cookie back to your brother!”
{
“Stop making excuses
and take responsibility!”
Mental states renounced by society
“No one likes a whiner!”
“Are you avoiding
responsibility?”
“Man up!”
Denial
Lay Blame
Justify
Shame
Obligation
Responsibility
Quit

16. How to drive people
“below the line” in an
organisation change?
Denial
Lay Blame
Justify
Shame
Obligation
Responsibility
Quit

17. “We must be agile.”
“We need a digital transformation!”
(or else… something terrible)
Start the change from
obligation and fear
Image: pixabay

18. Kuva: flickr / highwaysagency

19. Kuva: flickr / highwaysagency

20. Avoid involving people
Limit access to information, plans,
tools, decisions
Change people’s titles, jobs, teams
without hearing them
Image: pixabay
Plan the change in a
secret cabinet
Image: flickr / Wyatt Wellman

21. Image: pixabay
Monitor closely, control behaviour,
Judge noncompliance
Use fear and pressure
DEMAND responsibility
Use Management by
Perkele

22. Self-apply only
• Demand responsibility —> obligation, shame
• Demand responsibility of yourself —> obligation, shame
• One can only act from Responsibility if it’s their free choice
Image: Wikimedia Commons / National Nuclear Security Administration
“All leadership beginswith self-leadership.”— Christopher Avery

23. How to foster
responsibility in an
organisation change?
Denial
Lay Blame
Justify
Shame
Obligation
Responsibility
Quit

24. Use all your faculties, and your
management team’s
Problems become speed bumps
Energy is infectious!
Chooe to operate
from responsibility
Image: U.S. Air Force, Senior Airman Kristoffer Kaubisch

25. Set goals together
Foster autonomy
Communicate what’s going on
and why
Involve people in
designing their own future
Kuva: flickr / Sebastiaan ter Burg

26. Things happen to me.
I am the victim of circumstance.
I make things happen.
I am the cause.
Denial
Lay Blame
Justify
Shame
Obligation
Responsibility
Quit

27. Show genuine respect, interest,
vulnerability
Demonstrate responsibility
Be a human being first
and foremost
Image: flickr / Ben Francis

28. It takes two to tango
Denial
Lay Blame
Justify
Shame
Obligation
Responsibility
Quit
Denial
Lay Blame
Justify
Shame
Obligation
Responsibility
Quit

29. Three keys to Responsibility
• Intent to operate from responsibility when upset,
and to refuse to operate from lay blame, justify,
shame, or obligation
• Awareness of my mental states, myself, others,
and my environment
• Confront myself and reality to see what is true

30. Tools
• Intent: celebrating wins
• Awareness: diary, catch-it-quicker
game, observing others, reminders
from trusted friends
• Confront: force-field theory, The
Work
• meditation / mindfulness
• practice groups
Image: flickr / Andy Ciordia

31. Confronting questions
What happened?
What does it mean?
What else could it mean?
Do you know what you want in this situation?
Have you asked for it?
How did you contribute to the situation?

32. Diary
March 6th 2016
Dear diary, this week started with a
boring team meeting again. My boss sucks
all energy out of life. Why do I feel so
glum? I will look into this more.
March 10th 2016
Dear diary, today I almost got run over
by an Audi on the ring road. I guess I
must have blamed the driver quite a bit.
Applause to me, because a) I noticed I
was blaming and b) I did not honk, even
though I almost did. Asshole Audi!

33. “I have to…” “I choose to… because…”

34. Compassion
to yourself
and to others
Image: Wikimedia Commons

35. “Responsibility is owning your
power and ability to create,
choose, and attract your life.”
“Leadership is taking
responsibility for something - a
space, opportunity, problem, etc.
- and mobilizing people to help.”
— Christopher Avery

36. Thanks!
ari.tanninen@zulia.fi
@aritanninen