patterns of change
TRANSCRIPT
Patterns of change
Camelia Codarcea
Agile Consultant, Trainer, (Agile) Coach
AgileHub
Magazin.agilehub.ro
Patterns of change
Give an overview on the steps needed to produce change
Patterns of change
Patterns of change1) Create a state of necessity
2) Form a coordinating team
3) Create the vision and strategy (simple and clear)
4) Communicate it clearly
5) Empowerment
6) Focus on obtaining small wins
7) Keep putting in the effort
8) Consolidating the change
Patterns of change
All the above steps are there to create the environment where people feel safe to be pro-active, propose actions and take responsibility over the results.
“Not strategy, organization or systems are the main problem. All these elements are very important, but always the main problem is changing the way people behave, and this happens, with the most spectacular results, by going right to the person’s soul”
- John Kotter “The heart of change”.
Patterns of change1) Create a state of necessity
Different events trigger the need for change:
• People that are leaving your company on a regular basis
• A customer that is really unsatisfied with what he gets
• Not enough revenue to stay alive
• Fell really lousy going to work
Patterns of change1) Create a state of necessity
Although change is identified as necessary, there arestill people that oppose it.
John Kotter talks about four attitudes which block thechange:
• The self contentment (leads to false pride or arrogance).• Auto protection (leads to fear or panic).• Anger (“I don’t want to do this!”)• Pessimism (leads to continuous hesitation).
Patterns of change1) Create a state of necessity
Knowing WHY change is needed is important forcreating the strategy.
The message with current situation has to be given without yelling and frustrations. The important aspect is to change the problems into positive needs.
Biggest transformations cannot be sustained by fear. There has to exist the optimism that the change can be done, that they can do it.
Patterns of change2) Create a coordinating team
No change can be sustained by one person.
There needs to be a team:• A team that fully understands the purpose of change
and the direction in which you are going. • A team you trust and that you empower to drive the
change.
Usually this team is made out of middle managers that will also be affected by the change themselves.
Patterns of change2) Create a coordinating team
What if you empower a team and people in the team:• Are not ready ?
• Are the ones stopping the change without even realizing it?
• Are not even a team, but there are just people unequipped to handle the situations that surfaced?
• Are mostly worried about what they will do once change will be implemented?
Patterns of change2) Create a coordinating team
Patterns of change2) Create a coordinating team
“One of the most important problems is when the team that is put in place to coordinate the change doesn’t do its job.”
– John Kotter “The Heart of Change”.
“The coordinating team with low empowerment/authority is a joke”
- John Kotter “The Heart of Change”
Patterns of change2) Create a coordinating team
Offer empowerment to those that are prepared, otherwise set the expectation that they need to becomethe leaders of transformation and they need to learn and become a team to be able to do that.
• Work with them and guide them (if you are the sponsor)• Have a consultant work with them and guide them to become that team.
Don’t empower them and then leave them alone!
Patterns of change2) Create a coordinating team
David Marquet talks about:• Leader – Follower: the one that produces followers. • Leader – Leader: the one that produces other leaders.
A coordinating team cannot be made of followers. • Have the necessary skills to communicate.• Have the ability to lead.• Have credibility in the organization.• Have relations in the company that allow them to
actually draw change.• Be convinced the change needs to happen.
Patterns of change3) Create the vision and strategy (simple and clear)
• Leaders need to create the vision; otherwise people will do what they are used to do.
Example:
“excellence in quality, excellence in costs and excellence in programming”
vs. “Plane doesn’t move until the entire phase is finished.
We’ll focus on quality.”
Patterns of change3) Create the vision and strategy (simple and clear)
• “One Team, One Dream!”• “Innovation is everything”• “Drive change”
Visions that are too abstract, too high-level. People cannot use those, they cannot identify with
them, don’t know what to change in their daily activities
Patterns of change3) Create the vision and strategy (simple and clear)
• Vision backed up by simple and coherent strategy, small steps that everyone can check their progress against.
Patterns of change3) Create the vision and strategy (simple and clear)
a) Deliver WOW through Service
“(…) Anything you do has to have an emotional impact on the receiving party. We are not an ordinary company, our services are not ordinary, we don’t want our people to be ordinary. We want each employee to offer WOW. (…)
We want to surprise our customers, our colleagues, our providers, partners and, on the long term, our investors. (…)
Ask yourself: What are the things you can improve in your work and in your attitude to offer UAU to those around you? Have you offered at least one UAU today?”
Patterns of change3) Create the vision and strategy (simple and clear)
“The philosophy at Zappos is that we are willing to make short term sacrifices (including loss of revenue and profit) if we are convinced that it will come with benefits on long term. Protecting the company’s culture and the central values are long term benefits.”
- Tony Heish “Delivering Happiness”
Patterns of change3) Create the vision and strategy (simple and clear)b) Be Humble
“(…) We think that, regardless what happens, we have to respect everyone. When we celebrate our success or our team’s success, we are not arrogant and we treat others the way we want to be treated. We lead with a silent confidence, because we believe that, on the long term, our character will prevail.
Ask yourself: are you humble when you talk about your accomplishments? Are you humble when you talk about the company’s accomplishments? Do you have the same respect for all our vendors, big or small?”
More on:http://cameliacodarcea.ro/baza-10-lucruri-care-l-au-ajutat-pe-tony-sa-creeze-cultura-zappos/http://cameliacodarcea.ro/organizatii-cultura-si-destin/
Patterns of change3) Create the vision and strategy (simple and clear)
On Santa Fe submarine, David Marquet did the same thing: Defined with his team the 11 guiding principles: simple and explained in order “to provide guidance on decisions”.
All those principles and values actually set the expectations and guide the employees on the kind of behavior you want to promote.
Patterns of change3) Create the vision and strategy (simple and clear)
Initiative: it means we take actions without direction from above to improve our knowledge as submarines, prepare the command for it mission and come up with solutions to the problems. (…) Initiative places an obligation on the chain of command not to stifle initiative in subordinates.
Commitment: means we are present when we come to work. We give it our best. We choose to be here.
Patterns of change3) Create the vision and strategy (simple and clear)
Teamwork: submarines have traditionally worked as a team because a mistake from one can mean a disaster for all. We work as a team, not undercutting each-other.
The chain of command obligates to implement mechanisms that encourage and reward teamwork. We back each-other up in a positive way.
Patterns of change4) Communicate the vision and strategy clearly
• People need to be attracted; they need to be on board with the strategy. The main purpose is to discourage gossip and talking behind the corner. To make them feel that it can be done.
• Anticipate the needs and questions, work within the team to be able to answer those questions clearly, plainly.
• When giving a message, make sure you understand and respect the context the team is in.
Patterns of change5) Empowerment
Most of the times, the manager is the one that inflicts, through their actions, the feeling of non-empowerment.
When this happens, everyone is focused on avoiding the mistakes.
Patterns of change5) Empowerment
David Marquet example: when his middle management didn’t do the right thing he was very close to going back to the command–and–control management, but instead he discussed with them, even for eight hours, to come to a list of actions they would take responsibility over.
While giving the empowerment, make sure you also guide. Don’t use the punishment, because that creates a gap in the self-confidence of the people involved. Give them the feedback, but involve them in the process to reach actions for improvement.
Patterns of change5) Empowerment
“Unless you have the conviction that you can make the change, you won’t actually do anything, even if the vision is clear in your head. The feelings will keep you from starting”
- John Kotter. “The Heart of Change”
This is where a consultant can help:
• “Have you met this kind of cases before?”• “Are we hopeless?”• “What other situations have you encountered?”
Patterns of change6) Focus on small wins
Question: “How do you eat an elephant?”Answer: “One bite at a time”
• What bothers them most, how they would describe the situation?
Focus to make small but quick improvements in those areas.
Patterns of change6) Focus on small wins
Choose something that is:• Easily obtained• Is visible and is important to those involved• Is very clear
These short term wins have the power to give more energy to the changing agents and to leave the critics without ammunition.
Patterns of change6) Focus on small wins
Paradox:
The biggest changes in a new environment need to be made within six months, otherwise you’ll get used to it.
Patterns of change7) Keep putting in the effort
• Small improvements may be taken as sufficient by some people.
• Important to know and to always remember, how the final picture looks like.
Patterns of change8) Consolidating the change
• Things have to work even without you
• You are focused into building leaders around you.
• Once a new way of working gives results, that will slowly transform into a new culture. At this point it is very important what kind of people are hired and promoted in the company so the lessons learnt and the behaviors are perpetuated.
“There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the
path” Tony Heish
Camelia [email protected]@CameliaCodarcea