Don’t try to change anyone and eight other ways to lead global organizational development Bob Tobin W e humans are a strange bunch when it comes to global organizational development (OD). We expect others in an organization to change, but we are often very reluctant to change ourselves. We advocate organizational learning and development, but are sometimes slow to learn and develop ourselves. Some of the smartest people are the most reluctant to learn (Argyris, 1991). Top athletes like Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova and Andy Murray continuously learn new techniques and employ coaches to improve their skill. Yet, some executives run the other way when the idea of employing a coach is suggested for them. Are they really at the top of their game? We know intellectually that global OD is tough and takes time, but that doesn’t stop us from rushing to implement new programs. Too often, we rush through the phase of assessing readiness which is so important to any OD effort. Last week, before I went in to speak with executives at a regional bank, a marketing vice-president complained to me, ‘‘They just do not understand that they have to change to keep up with changes in the marketplace’’. I asked how he’d feel if he were in the same position. He said, ‘‘No problem. I’m different, I love change.’’ Really? I wonder. How many people really love to change? No doubt, some do but why do most of us encounter so many problems when we lead change and development efforts? There are many articles written about resistance to change, so what can we do as leaders to make success more likely? In particular, how can we better prepare people to make it easier to lead global OD in our organizations? These are questions I think about a lot. I struggle with these issues too, personally and professionally. In 25 years of consulting, coaching and speaking to global organizations, I’ve seen OD programs that really stuck and made a difference in organizations and people’s lives. I’ve also seen so many expensive initiatives that did little more than waste money and drive people nuts. I’ve come up with nine rules for leading global OD which I hope will help you and your organizational leaders be more successful in what you are doing. Be authentic not corporate. I put this one first because it’s at the heart of leading OD. No one wants to follow a phony. Be real, be honest. If there are likely to be layoffs, let people know. If there is going to be expansion of the research centres in Amsterdam, let people know. The most effective leaders I’ve worked with remind me of Nelson Mandela. ‘‘Call me Nelson’’, he tells people. And he’s not afraid to dance on the stage either. Show your humanity – do not hide behind rules or flaunt your position. Connect people. Bring people of all countries together, either in person or on-line. Get people working together on global teams; help them get to know each other and you. Learn words and expressions in many languages and learn about.

1. Don’t try to change anyone and eight other
ways to lead global organizational
development
Bob Tobin
W
e humans are a strange bunch when it comes to global
organizational
development (OD). We expect others in an organization to
change, but we are
often very reluctant to change ourselves. We advocate
organizational learning and
development, but are sometimes slow to learn and develop
ourselves. Some of the smartest
people are the most reluctant to learn (Argyris, 1991).
Top athletes like Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova and Andy
Murray continuously learn new
techniques and employ coaches to improve their skill. Yet, some
executives run the other
way when the idea of employing a coach is suggested for them.
Are they really at the top of
their game?
We know intellectually that global OD is tough and takes time,
but that doesn’t stop us from
rushing to implement new programs. Too often, we rush through
the phase of assessing
readiness which is so important to any OD effort.

2. Last week, before I went in to speak with executives at a
regional bank, a marketing
vice-president complained to me, ‘‘They just do not understand
that they have to change to
keep up with changes in the marketplace’’. I asked how he’d
feel if he were in the same
position. He said, ‘‘No problem. I’m different, I love change.’’
Really? I wonder. How many people really love to change? No
doubt, some do but why do
most of us encounter so many problems when we lead change
and development efforts?
There are many articles written about resistance to change, so
what can we do as leaders to
make success more likely? In particular, how can we better
prepare people to make it easier
to lead global OD in our organizations?
These are questions I think about a lot. I struggle with these
issues too, personally and
professionally. In 25 years of consulting, coaching and speaking
to global organizations, I’ve
seen OD programs that really stuck and made a difference in
organizations and people’s
lives. I’ve also seen so many expensive initiatives that did little
more than waste money and
drive people nuts. I’ve come up with nine rules for leading
global OD which I hope will help
you and your organizational leaders be more successful in what
you are doing.
Be authentic not corporate. I put this one first because it’s at
the heart of leading OD. No one
wants to follow a phony. Be real, be honest. If there are likely
to be layoffs, let people know. If
there is going to be expansion of the research centres in

3. Amsterdam, let people know. The
most effective leaders I’ve worked with remind me of Nelson
Mandela. ‘‘Call me Nelson’’, he
tells people. And he’s not afraid to dance on the stage either.
Show your humanity – do not
hide behind rules or flaunt your position.
Connect people. Bring people of all countries together, either in
person or on-line. Get
people working together on global teams; help them get to know
each other and you. Learn
words and expressions in many languages and learn about
different cultures. Have global
meetings all over the world, not just at headquarters. Most
people want a human connection
in the work they do.
PAGE 10 j DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN
ORGANIZATIONS j VOL. 27 NO. 6 2013, pp. 10-12, Q
Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1477-7282 DOI
10.1108/DLO-08-2013-0058
Bob Tobin is Professor
Emeritus, based at Keio
University, Tokyo, Japan.
Slow beats fast. There may be an urgent need to change and
develop, but that does not
mean you have to rush to start. Go too fast, and you’ll spend
time clarifying what you meant
and re-directing others. People will waste time zig-zagging
through their days, not sure

4. where they are heading. I know it’s counter-intuitive, but going
slow actually is the way to go
fast. Involve everyone in figuring out how to get there. Spend
time assessing readiness and
helping people get ready for change. Recognize that the idea of
organizational development
may start and ‘‘stick’’ at different rates in different countries.
Country A’s team may be a
start-up and ready for something new today, Country B may be
at a more mature stage of
organizational growth and it may be tougher for the people to
move forward. And even if you
have an official organizational language, such as English,
recognize that the pace will be
slower in countries where that language is not people’s native
tongue.
Watch what you say. There is no benefit in referring to anyone
in a group or another country
as them or they. I see it as a flashing yellow signal when I hear
this pronoun used. It’s got to
be we, or the OD effort is not going to work. Leaders sometimes
unwittingly create
subgroups when they refer to others as they. And while we’re
talking about vocabulary, stop
using words like skill inventory and competencies that can
dehumanize us. No one wants to
be seen as a list of competencies. Instead, use words like
excitement, success,
collaboration, enjoyment and learning. And while you’re at it,
do not scare people with
measurement of the OD effort. I know there’s a big push for
measurement and evaluation.
But take a look at companies like Zappos (Hsieh, 2012) which
trust and value employees
without continuous monitoring and measurement.

5. Make sure the right people are getting coached. I’ve seen global
CEOS hire coaches to help
country presidents implement global OD programs. Matter of
fact, I’ve been one of those
coaches working with country CEOs. However, no sooner do I
start my assignment that I
recognize that the global CEO who hired me needs some
coaching too. I need to work with
both of them. They both need some assistance in communicating
more clearly with each
other. Too often, when I suggest this to the Global CEO or the
Global Head of OD, the answer
is usually, ‘‘Forget about it. It’s not going to happen’’.
Everyone needs some assistance in
organizational and individual development. That goes for global
OD leaders too. My most
successful coaching assignments have involved coaching two
people, separately and
together.
Remember that dreams trump objectives. When you are leading
global OD, talk about
dreams, yours and others. Know your own dream and know what
others want for their lives at
work and the organization. Dreams are bigger than objectives.
Dreams keep us going when
we encounter obstacles. Reaching the objective of selling 5,000
gallons of paint thinner
might get someone a raise and a good performance review, but
is it anyone’s dream? Help
people achieve their dreams at work.
Don’t fall in love with a model. There’s no such thing as the
perfect OD model that will work in
every country or every division. That doesn’t stop some people

6. from trying to come up with
‘‘the model’’ that they want (others) to implement worldwide.
Recognize that even though a
model worked in Bakersfield, it may not work in Bangkok or
Berlin. In some locations, the
model will have to be totally scrapped. I’ve seen organizations
come close to killing a
successful business in order to drive change with a model that
just didn’t fit.
Don’t expect fish to fly. Culture has a big impact on OD. For
instance, in some cultures where
conflict is always avoided, it won’t be easy for people to give
feedback about development
needs. At a recent luncheon, one manager in Japan told me she
fired her second in
command because ‘‘she would not fire someone’’. I was
surprised that she didn’t recognize
the irony of firing someone for not firing someone. In Japan
where lifetime employment has
been the usual employment pattern for many years, firing
someone is a very high hurdle for
local managers. It may have been smarter to do the layoffs
herself or jointly with the local
manager. You can find people in every country who will violate
cultural norms, but they may
be the outliers that others will not follow.
‘‘ How many people really love to change? ’’
VOL. 27 NO. 6 2013 jDEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN
ORGANIZATIONSj PAGE 11
Don’t try to change anyone. I’ve worked with leaders who tell

7. me of people on their teams
who are too old to change or cannot learn because of cultural
differences. The leader resorts
to trying to change the person with an authoritarian approach:
‘‘you have to change’’. If you
focus on changing individuals, you’re bound to fail. The truth is
you cannot change anyone.
What you can do is change what they do. You can provide
opportunities for them to develop.
You can change yourself and they will change their behaviour
towards you. You can increase
awareness of the need to develop. You can show the benefits of
development. And you can
change the work conditions and the corporate culture to make
development more likely.
People do not change and develop just because you want them
to.
Global OD is not easy. The more countries involved, the more
complicated it becomes. It’s
often messy so do not try to make it neat. Enjoy the messiness.
Understand that’s how things
work. There are highs and lows. But it’s fun too. Let me know
what you think about these rules
as well as any others that work for you. Your comments and
questions are most welcome.
Keywords:
Leadership,
Globalization,
Coaching,
Change readiness,
Global organizational
development,
Individual change

8. References
Argyris, C. (1991), ‘‘Teaching smart people how to learn’’,
Harvard Business Review, Vol. 69 No. 3,
pp. 99-109.
Hsieh, T. (2012), Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits,
Passion and Purpose, Round Table,
Mundelein, IL.
About the author
Dr Bob Tobin is a Conference Speaker, Author and Consultant
on global organizational
development. He has spoken at TED in Tokyo and consulted to
more than 100 organizations
including IBM, Louis Vuitton, UBS, Intercontinental Hotels,
The World Bank and NEC. His
forthcoming book, What Do I Want To Create Today?, will be
published in September 2014
by BenBella Books. Originally from Boston, he received his
doctorate from Boston University
in Human and organizational Development. He has spoken at
conferences throughout North
America and Asia and has lectured at universities in six
countries and is Professor, Emeritus
at Keio University Faculty of Business. Dr Bob Tobin can be
contacted at: [email protected]
‘‘ There’s no such thing as the perfect OD model that will work
in every country or every division. ’’
PAGE 12jDEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING IN
ORGANIZATIONSj VOL. 27 NO. 6 2013

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