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Or at least allowed to overstay their welcome.
Elephants are big, intimidating and comforting all at once. Elephants you want on your side to protect you.
Here is why they are allowed to stay in organizations-
- They are protection from change
- They are an affirmation of culture
- They separate silos
- They are humilities’ path
I find that the elephant is often called out by stakeholders. Those elephants in the room are usually obvious to all. What is interesting, and an important consideration in approaching change, is that they are often valued and protected. Because when they are, an avenue for avoiding change is reinforced. The elephant will make the change impossible… and we are not going to touch the elephant (a nice circular, insular and protective argument).
This is a preview of The elephant in the room- Sometimes an invited guest . Read the full post (318 words, 1 image, estimated 1:16 mins reading time)
Trends I am seeing that will influence change management’s future-
- Stakeholders get it- often more so than their leaders
- Executives are trying to establish control over the various organic change movements within their organizations
- External consultants are endlessly debating the definitions of project management (PM) and Organizational Change Management (OCM)
- The Big 3+ firms are subbing independents for strategy and high level change work
- PMO’s are being used less and less as the placement area for change agents and change management consultants
This is a preview of One future of Change Management- Up high, partly inside and boutique . Read the full post (253 words, estimated 1:01 mins reading time)
Tampering with tradition, common practice and “we have always done things this way” is fraught with complications. Unwillingness to delve into that difficult area is a recipe for change “failure”. How then as the executive owner do you place yourself into the fire?
- Acknowledge your own tie to organizational traditions
- Do the same for others
- Use external influence to gauge, address, and if necessary, overcome
Historical approaches and a vertical perspectives are not working.
The resulting trend is horizontal change management. Horizontal is the positions of equal "rank" within verticals- like VP sales to VP IT. So there are up eight horizontals depending on the size of the organization.
The next trend is to place work in context with the whole. The whole being org. strategy, big picture, end state, direction of growth etc. Once a stakeholder knows how their work fits (which motivates them to participate) then they need to know when and with what effort that participation is needed.
This is a preview of Change Management Trends – Horizontal Change Management . Read the full post (360 words, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)
“Bring me your plans on Monday morning for a 10% reduction of cost in your function”.
For many 2009 was the year of cutting costs. For most it was the year of skimming costs.
From a practical external perspective this skimming makes little sense. From an empathetic perspective it does, but empathy must always be balanced against profit in business. Unless you, as the executive making the decision, thinks your whole organization is 10% (pick your number) heavy it seems taking away resources everywhere will not only reduce productivity but drag down moral at the same time.
This is a preview of Skim savings across the organization or eliminate something of equal dollar value? . Read the full post (435 words, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)
There is a hidden account for every organization in the bank of change management.
In that account is the accumulation, or lack thereof, of goodwill and morale.
It holds the energy you will need as an executive for any change you envision. It is entirely possible to fill that account full to use later. It is also easy to withdraw it faster than a shopper at an ATM.
Past failure (even if only perceived), broken promises, forced change and more, all withdraw from the account.
Transparency, smart decisions well communicated, empathetic leadership, well guided change processes add deposits.
Ruffle feathers Contrarianism
There is a square peg into a round hole perspective with change management that jumps out of everything I see written.
It is an approach to change that relies on pushing, coaxing, forcing, driving, convincing rather than understanding, leadership, empathy and clearly defined end states. It is a perspective that guides everything that happens in change management and it has worked its way into the executive suite. It is based on two factors straight from Kotter (whose approach has a strangle hold on the change management community and by extension their clients).
Overcoming resistance
This is a preview of CEO perspective on change- Even McKinsey is following the status quo . Read the full post (483 words, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)
Change Management professionals regardless of the method they use have the “change curve” (stages of grief from Kubler-Ross) as a tool in their back pocket. Which means their focus and assumptions will be based on the words in the title of this post. And they wonder why they encounter resistance.
My first promise for this blog was to be contrary.
Change is not the same as death, or grief or tragedy. When you received your last promotion did you suffer Shock? Anger? Depression (I sure will be devastated to lose this position…)?
This is a preview of Shock, Denial, Anger, Depression and lot of Urgency-Now are you ready for Change? . Read the full post (258 words, estimated 1:02 mins reading time)
Why
Because there is so much that is fundamentally wrong with the current/historical change management approaches. Much more later-
First promise is a contrarian viewpoint.
Anything that is big as change can be scary, overwhelming and confusing-
Second promise is to simplify change management.
I have a passion for both people and business objectives. Both are necessities for change. And both get sanded down by methodologies and theory.
Third promise is to provide valuable insight from both client and consultant perspectives.
This is a preview of Vision to Work- Contrary, Simplified and Insightful Enterprise Change Management . Read the full post (460 words, estimated 1:50 mins reading time)
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