Managing and leading change
- 1. Managing and Leading Change Warren Watson Arizona State University 2012
- 2. Why Do We Care About Change? • We’re living in a period where most organizations, including this newspaper, are undergoing significant organizational change. • Managers must learn to embrace, lead and manage change to survive and thrive. • This means adopting management styles that are open, flexible and decentralized. • Problem is: Most of us resist change even though it may lead to improvements.
- 3. What is Change: Textbook Definition? “Vast, titanic force hurtling us on a roller- coaster adventure of seething white-water chaos, threatening to grind us like roadkill!” --- Training Magazine
- 4. Ways to Promote Organizational Change • Establish a sense of urgency • Develop a vision and strategy • Communicate the change vision • Empower staffers to action • Generate short-term wins • Consolidate gains, then produce more change • Anchor new approaches in the culture --- Sources: John Kotter, “Leading Change;” Kathy Rutkowski
- 5. The Stages of Change As in death and divorce, those going through change reach various stages of experience: • 1) Denial • 2) Anger • 3) Bargaining • 4) Despair • 5) Acceptance
- 6. Challenges to Change • “We don’t have time • “This stuff isn’t for this stuff” relevant” • “The stuff isn’t • “We keep reinventing working” the wheel” • “Where are we going • “They never let us do with this” this stuff” • “We don’t have • “We’ve tried this enough help” before”
- 7. Why People Resist Change • No one has sold the reasons for change effectively enough • There is low tolerance for change • Parochial self interest gets in the way • There is misunderstanding and lack of trust “Most failures can be traced to a lack of commitment … Commitment is the glue that binds the people and goals behind change.” --- Tom Silvestri, Media General Inc.
- 8. Techniques in Managing Change • Create a strategy to help change, and communicate, communicate, communicate • Terminate the present • ID and explain new performance requirements • Allow some “learning” mistakes • Create apparatuses that reward desired new behavior more
- 9. More Techniques • Train to improve skills • Reinforce expectations • Give consistent and supportive feedback • Celebrate short-term victories • Continue to encourage innovation, creativity • Do things face to face!
- 10. 6 Ways of Dealing with Resistance 1) Education and Communication • When to use: Lack of information or facts • Advantage: Once persuaded, people will help
- 11. 6 Ways of Dealing with Resistance 2) Participation and involvement • When to use: Designers of change need information; others have power to resist • Advantage: Participants commit to change; new information is added
- 12. 6 Ways of Dealing with Resistance 3) Facilitation and support • When to use: Where people are resisting because of adjustment difficulties • Advantage: Although time consuming, this is the only road to counter adjustment problems
- 13. 6 Ways of Dealing with Resistance 4) Negotiation and agreement • When to use: When clear that an individual or group will clearly lose out • Advantage: An easy way to avoid major resistance
- 14. 6 Ways of Dealing with Resistance 5) Manipulation • When to use: Where other options are too expensive or won’t work • Advantage: Relatively quick and inexpensive
- 15. 6 Ways of Dealing with Resistance 6) Coercion • When to use: Where speed is essential • Advantage: A speedy way to combat resistance
- 16. Making it Permanent Making it permanent means the change is no longer viewed as tentative, is a matter of routine, and is now the norm. If you arrive at this stage, change becomes instinctual. This is ultimate level of commitment. --- Harvard Business Review
- 17. Managing Through Change; Managing Through a Distraction • Some lessons from Carly Fiorina, chairwoman and chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard Co. • Fiorina led a long and storied fight to win a merger with Compaq Computer Corp.
- 18. 5 Lessons Learned 1) Have a strategic vision and a peripheral vision, so you can look ahead and look around.
- 19. Lessons Learned 2) Be proactive in communicating constantly and thoroughly with your staff through face-to-face meetings, emails and voice mails.
- 20. Lessons Learned 3) Manage and act with flexibility. Stuff happens!
- 21. Lessons Learned 4) Build your team. Success is always derived from the right people and teamwork.
- 22. Fiorina’s Lessons 5) Trust that you know more about your business or specialty than outside observers and critics. Be confident.
- 23. ‘A Strong Internal Compass’ “Leadership requires a strong internal compass. You have to have a strong sense of what you will need and what you think is right, because there are a million things that can blow you off course (during change.” --- Carly Fiorina, Hewlett-Packard Co., as told to the Wall Street Journal
- 24. “Learn and Move On’ “The truth is I don’t spend a lot of time on hindsight. When you make a mistake, you have to learn from it and move on.” --- Carly Fiorina, Hewlett-Packard Co.
- 25. Change is a Process Jellison’s J-Curve: 1) Status quo 2) Taking the plunge 3) Bottoming out 4) Gaining ground 5) Success and mastery!
- 26. Another Process Three steps: 1) Preparation 2) Acceptance 3) Commitment Committed change: Employees own the change. They add enthusiasm and high-energy involvement. --- Tom Silvestri, Media General Co.
- 27. Change Style Indicator • This Discovery instrument captures your preferred style in approaching change • Identifies you as conserver, pragmatist or originator • Conservers prefer gradual and incremental change • Originators prefer a faster and more radical approach to change • Pragmatists prefer change that is functional and more reflective of the demands of a situation
- 28. Conservers • Appear disciplined, precise, methodical, cautious • Prefer solutions that are tested and proven • Accept conventional assumptions • Enjoy predictability • Prefer group problem-solving, decision-making • Improve efficiency, maximize continuity and stability • Sometimes confuse the means with the end
- 29. Originators • May appear undisciplined, disorganized, abstract and spontaneous • Prefer quick and expansive change • Challenge accepted assumptions • Enjoy risk-taking • Sometimes focus on individual contributions • Appear as visionary in their thinking • May treat accepted policies and procedures with little regard.
- 30. Pragmatists • May appear practical, agreeable and flexible • Are more focused on results than structure and organization • Serve as mediators and bridgers • See both sides of an argument • Explore accepted assumptions when appropriate • May take a more middle-of-the-road approach • Solve problems in ways that emphasize workable outcomes
- 31. Perceptions: Conservers v/v Originators Conservers see originators as: --- Disruptive --- Disrespectful of tradition and history --- Generators of turbulent work environments --- Insensitive to the feelings of others --- Wanting change for the sake of change
- 32. Perceptions: Originators v/v Conservers Originators see conservers as: --- Dogmatic --- Hesitant to try new ideas --- Compliant to authority --- Stuck within the system --- Defenders of the status quo
- 33. Perceptions: Pragmatists Pragmatists can be perceived by strong conservers AND originators as: --- Compromising --- Mediating --- Indecisive --- Easily influenced --- Non-committal
- 34. Sources • Tom Silvestri, Media General Inc. • Discovery Learning • Wall Street Journal • Harvard Business Review