This document discusses the challenges of creating and managing change. It provides insights into how people perceive and respond to change, highlighting that change is an emotional process. It outlines key aspects of successfully leading change, including building commitment, communicating effectively, adapting and showing resilience. Tips are provided for overcoming resistance to change and motivating others through authentic leadership and modeling the desired behaviors. The overall message is that successful change requires understanding human dynamics and guiding people through the change process.
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Why isn’t anyone talking about how hard
it is to create change
The Challenge
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
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Some Bare Facts
Change Is Constant
Nowadays change is around every corner; in my day it was
only around the expected ones.
People feel it: When organizations change the pressure trickles down.
Each change can take a toll on employees and customers alike in
terms of focus, productivity, satisfaction, and loyalty.
Change or Die?
It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.
it means that the “burning platform” has limited effectiveness. It may
work for a short while, people may make changes, but when the fear
wears off (as it inevitably will), the old behaviors will return
All Change Is Personal and Emotional
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10
The Journey Through ChangeThe Journey Through Change
Looking
Back
Looking
Forward
Chaos
Stabilitystability
Looking
Forward
Looking
Back
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The Change Process
If you’re not Part of the problem,
You can’t be part of the solution.
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Your Brain on Change
People do not resist change … they resist being changed.
Think for a moment about something you are very
comfortable doing, say, driving. Now imagine visiting a
country that requires you to drive on the opposite side of the
road
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The Power of Knowing
There are four stages of acceptance:
(1)This is worthless nonsense
(2)This is interesting, but perverse
(3)This is true, but quite unimportant
(4)I always said so
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Science shows that willingness to adopt a change is based on
the answers to four important questions. Answers in our favor
result in commitment to the change; contrary answers result
in resistance.
Those questions are:
• Is there a relative advantage to me, personally?
• Is it clear to me what the results will be—clear enough that I could
explain them to someone else?
• Does this fit with my values, what I know to be true from
experience, and with my personal needs?
• Can I test or get a sense for how this will work for me personally
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Dynamics of Change
Change is not an event, it is a process
triggered by transitions. Some of these
transitions are voluntary, some are
imposed, and many just seem to happen.
Regardless of the origin, the process that
humans rely on to deal with them is what
we call “change.”
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Let us understand the Process
Idea
Launch
PlateauPlateauAccelerateAccelerate
Ingrained
Neutral Zone
New
Beginning
Ending
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Steps to reaccelerate from Plateau
Don’t allow the plateau to last too long—it threatens your success.
Do analyze the situation to identify critical barriers to progress;
Do decide on key actions that will build momentum for the initiative
again, and plan your orchestration.
Do announce a new stage in the process that is clearly linked to the
overall goals and process.
Do remember the concept of leverage: Small actions can sometimes
have as great an impact as big ones.
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If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to go to
the forest and gather wood, saw it, and nail the planks
together, but rather teach them to long for the endless
immensity of the sea.
They are people who are better able to sustain high levels of
performance under turbulent conditions. This “adaptability”
sets the tone for their people, helping them to increase their
own adaptability and resilience in the face of change.
They also know how to drive change. They accelerate the impact
of new strategies, initiatives, and priorities, because they
understand and manage risk. Most importantly, they really
understand the importance of commitment, and they know how to
build it in themselves and in others
Choose and train the best
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Adaptability and Resilience
Adaptability is the ability to flourish and sustain high performance
under challenging and changing situations
You’re far more likely to know people with moderate or even low
levels of adaptability:
However adaptability can be improved through conscious effort
and focus on three areas:
dealing more effectively with ambiguity,
understanding your inner voice, and
managing your energy.
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Building Commitment -Being Authentic
Authenticity makes you credible and builds commitment.
Some tips:
• Be aware of your personal style.
• Don’t be afraid to express doubts you’ve had and explain
how you overcame them.
• Don’t try to be “the expert.” That is an outmoded and
often ineffective leadership style.
• Be willing to say “I don’t know,” and provide assurance
by following with “I will find out.”
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Building Commitment - Communicating to Connect
Change is personal. So connecting with people on a personal level is
necessary during change
Some tips for connecting:
• Stop, look, and listen—take the time to observe and listen for both
the issues and information as well as the feelings.
• Recognize and acknowledge these feelings as you communicate.
• When you communicate, focus fully on the other person. Don’t
allow yourself to be distracted.
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Building Commitment - Communicating to Connect
•Instead of quickly giving the “answer,” ask questions to explore
and
ensure that you are addressing the real issue. Often, it’s the unsaid
that’s the most important.
• Engage the other person in providing answers and suggestions—
often they know, but need someone to share feelings with.
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Building Commitment: Motivating Through
Modeling
Leaders exercise their influence in two principal, though
contrasting ways:
through the stories or messages they communicate, and
through the traits that they embody.
Focus on doing the right things. People watch what you do.
In fact, in all your communication, only 7 percent of the message is
carried by your words.
The rest people get from your tone of voice and your body
language. Beyond that they will do as you do, more often than
they’ll do what you say.
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All change requires difficult conversations.
And talking about the REAL issues
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Objection Meaning Response
There are no
resources
It’s not a priority Explore importance,
acknowledge
How will THIS affect
THAT in future?
Desire for certainty What is known. What
can be learned.
Discomfort of
unknowables
Where’s the ROI? How will we know it’s
working?
Create measures
Let’s develop some
consensus on this
Uncertain of its merits
What
What would it take for
you to see value?
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Be kind and thoughtful: Safety
Call BS and be called on BS: Authenticity
Invite cognitive diversity: Creativity
Have a strong backbone & gentle heart: Empathy
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It is good to have an end to
journey towards; but it is the
journey that matters, in the end.
—
Thanks for your
patience
Editor's Notes
In many ways this is the wrong place to start:-
we need to ask what is the future for organisations in which people will work and what contextual pressures will determine whether they will be successful?
Then we can consider how best to lead and manage people (or help them to self-organise). We can also consider which people are “in” the system we are interested in; e.g. employees, contractors, customers, suppliers, investors, etc..