Co-Editors Louis Carter, Roland L. Sullivan, Marshall Goldsmith, David Ulrich, and Norm Smallwood
Change Agents Will Shift Between:
Students
Teachers
Detectives
Barbarians
Clocks
Talismans
Advocates
Challengers
Best Chapters and Links to Their Notes:
1.2 Driving Cultural Transformation During Large Scale Change
1.4 Navigating the White Water of Organization-Wide Change: Best Practice Principles for Change Management
1.6 Restoring Hope During Times of Mistrust
1.11 Whole System Transformation: An Effectiveness Paradigm Shift for Strategic Change
2.12 Be a Skilled Communicator: Lead Dialogue Process to Build Commitment and Reach Shared Understanding
2.16 Do Leaders Have Tools and A Common Language To Work Together for Sustainable Change
2.24 Ten Principle For Changing the World One Meeting at a Time
2.27 Value Diversity and Inclusion: Leveraging Differences for Bottom-Line Success
3.31 Developing Organization Change Champions Throughout the Organization
Best Chapters:
1.2 Driving Cultural Transformation During Large Scale Change
Key principles
Culture change takes place more effectively when worked at three levels:
Organizational
Team
Individual
Culture change is accelerated by connecting individual beliefs to organizational results
BEAR Model
Beliefs
Experiences
Actions
Results
Cultural change requires a planned and disciplined implemented cascade
Each subgroup may need a customized message
Leaders at all level should be able to:
Communicate and gain commitment
Convey roles and responsibilities
Increase accountability
Assess impact
Cultural change is accelerated by using a leader-led learning approach
Leaders at all levels to learn and model desired changes for their teams
Be able to lead and facilitate workshops regarding the change
Technology should be leveraged for communications, measurement, and reporting successes related to cultural adoption and transformation
Communicate purpose, goals, drivers
Communicate strategy and milestones
Communicate progress
Recognize/reward effective and appropriate contributions
Create rituals to encourage venting, letting go, and rebuilding culture
1.4 Navigating the White Water of Organization-Wide Change: Best Practice Principles for Change Management
Reasons for failure
Inadequate preparation for change
Flawed change activities
Too formulaic
Use too few change levers
Too focused on tasks and not enough on credibility
Leaders become disengaged or too impatient for results
Change team lacks power to challenge senior leaders
Principles for bringing about organization-wide change
Assess situation carefully before initiating any change
Impact on overall org
History of change success or failure
Organizational capacity for change requires:
Trustworthy leadership
Trusting followers
Capable change agents
Involved mid-managers
Innovative culture
Accountable culture
Ability to think systematically
Communication systems
Design an initial change plan to fit the change situation (how disruptive do you want to be)
Communicate a Compelling Vision of the Benefits of Adopting This Change
Monitor and maintain the credibility of the change leaders
Rely on influence without authority methods as much as possible
Revise the change plan as the change initiative unfolds
Be the change you seek in others
Change levers
1.6 Restoring Hope During Times of Mistrust
Models
Equation for change: Dissatisfaction (or data) about the current situation * Vision * first steps > resistance to change
Star of success:
strategic direction
processes and systems
form
resources
shared information
MCG: Membership, Control, Goals
Phase one entry, Membership: why am I in this group? Who else is in this group?
Information flow allows a foundation of trust
Phase two: members agree on issues pertain to control, distribution of power, decision making, accountability, ground rules, etc.
Phase three: work together to pursue shared goals
1.11 Whole System Transformation: An Effectiveness Paradigm Shift for Strategic Change
Element 1: organizational agility
Four features:
A robust strategy
An adaptable design
Shared leadership and identity
Sustained ability to change and learn
Element 2: Pre-Launch
Confirm what will be done, what relationships will be needed, and clarify expectations
Element 3: Leadership Transformation
Create a common, robust strategic direction
Individual, team, and organization
Element 4: Critical Mass Transformation
Element 5: Sustained Development
Element 6: Transform Internal Change Agent
Element 7: Establish a Real-Time Strategic Transformation Team
Element 8: Change Foci
Element 9: Communication
Element 10: Thrill the customer
Element 11: Results
2.12 Be a Skilled Communicator: Lead Dialogue Process to Build Commitment and Reach Shared Understanding
Create a shared understanding where all are in phase
Often people agree in person but no action is taken “face agreement”
Moderating Actionable Dialogue
There’s a stream of meaning flowing in a conversation, with multiple interpretations
Visually capture the dialogue so all can keep track of it
Why is this approach useful
Problems are brought to light in a way that can handle complexity
Moderators indirectly lead dialogue but then directly and proactively intervene to illuminate differences (discrepancies between talk, decision, and action.)
Address
Myths: legends people take for granted
Dogmas: rules that go unquestioned
Fictions: beliefs that lack evidence
Moderator
Facilitates the expression of divergent viewpoints
Writes up the thoughts shared
Focuses discussion
Workshop design should aim for:
How to reach a shared understanding
How to trigger the appropriate reactions from the group
How to compose an argument
How to formulate questions to elicit interactions
Diverge before converging
Good questions should:
Ask for opinions or suggestions
Should challenge and concern
Be open, allowing for several answers
Guide in the intended direction
2.16 Do Leaders Have Tools and A Common Language To Work Together for Sustainable Change
Defines what the organization should improve, not individual competencies
Creates a shared agenda and a shared language
How to use
Determine purpose of meeting together
Determine who the appropriate people are
Tell the group the goal is to assess the overall effectiveness made by the whole group of leaders
Provide an overview of the process
Leadership tools
Example tool: Four Cs (Communication + Commitment + Consequences = Contract)
All leaders should have training on:
Reframing the future
Developing Commitment
Teaching and learning
Building community
Balancing paradox
2.24 Ten Principle For Changing the World One Meeting at a Time
Get the whole system into the room
Authority to act
Resources of time, money, connections
Expertise
Information others can use
Affected by the outcomes
Control what you can, let go what you can’t
Explore the whole elephant
Go around the room
Timelines to cover history
Mind-maps
Flowcharts
Let people be responsible
Find common ground
Master the art of subgrouping
If someone expresses a strong opinion, ask if anyone else agrees (so they don’t feel alone) and if anyone disagrees
Have them talk aloud and let the rest of the group observe
Listen for integrating statements, which signals the group can move on
Make friends with anxiety
Get used to projections
Be a Dependable Authority
Learn to Say No if You Want Yes to Mean Something
2.27 Value Diversity and Inclusion: Leveraging Differences for Bottom-Line Success
D&I brings the best skills, talents, and perspectives to the company and lets them thrive
An inclusion breakthrough is when an organization sees opportunities and challenges that can not be seen when working from the basis of samesness
Twelve inclusive behaviors
Greet others authentically – say “hello”
Create a sense of safety for yourself and your team members
Work for the common good and shared success
Listen as an ally — listen, listen, listen and engage
Be BIG: Lean into discomfort–be willing to challenge self and others
Put your stake in the ground and be willing, eager, and able to move it
Link to others’ ideas, thoughts and feelings — give energy back
Create 360-degree vision: Ask others to share their thoughts and experiences, and accept their frames of references as true for them
Address misunderstandings and resolve disagreements
Speak up when people are being made “small” or excluded
Ask who else needs to be involved to understand the whole situation to ensure the right people, right work, right time
Build trust: Do what you say you will do and honor confidentiality
New competencies
Enact new policies, measure results along the way, hold people accountable for success
Strategy is key – make leveraging D&I a way of life
Step 1: Develop a Long-Term Strategic Plan
Step 2: Create New Competencies and Formalize Accountability for Living Them
Using data from direct reports, performance reviews, and peers assess everyone with a red light, yellow light, or green light to assess current and future ability
Step 3: Work Leveraging Diversity and Creating a Culture of Inclusion into All Education/Training Programs, Including Those Focused on Business-Critical Initiatves
Step 4: Implement Incentives and Rewards
Step 5: Enhance Performance Feedback Systems
Few people currently receive honest, candid, helpful feedback about their contributions and their potential growth and development
Step 6: Involve Stakeholders Outside the Company
Suppliers, vendors, board members, people from the community, and others who work with us
3.31 Developing Organization Change Champions Throughout the Organization
Well managed change means: commitment is high, involvement is strong, resistance is minimal
Create a skilled force of change champions
Develop organizational change champions at all levels of the org, train all leaders and interested key employees throughout
Encourage change champions to champion needed changes
Involve the appropriate organization change champions in changes in their own part of the org and make them available to facilitate or be involved in change elsewhere
Change champions are:
politically astute
willing to take risks
team oriented
able to use power and build coalitions
technically competent
knowledgable about the org
knowledgable about the market
Principles for Change:
Three roles:
pathfinding
problem solving
implementing
Or:
Initiating
assess present realities and future ideals
vision, direction, inspiration
involve key stakeholders
understand what can and cannot be done
identify supporters and antagonists
provide leadership for launch
Facilitating (the process of making it easier to get things done)
Build commitment to change
Working with people to get it done
Networking, paving the way for change to succeed
Getting the right people together to address issues
Structuring and guiding team processes to help teams function effectively
Implementing
Planning the change process
Managing the change process
Sustaining the desired changes
Sample Change Planning Form
Present Situation and Reasons For Changing It
Desired Change and Who Would be the Best Champion
What goals or outcomes would you ideally like to accomplish with the changes?
Reality Check
What forces would be working for and against the desired change?
Forces working for change (advocates, compelling reasons to change, timing, etc.)
Forces working against change (opponents, reasons for resistance, obstacles, etc.)
Stage I Preparation
What must be done to prepare the organization for change, for example, building support, assessing reality, education and training people, planning etc.
Stage II Implementation
What needs to be done to successfully implement the desired change and monitor progress and make needed adjustments and improvements
Stage III Transition
What needs to be done to ensure the change are working successfully and, last, to assure the organization is aligned to value the changes and to learn from the change process and share information?
Guidelines For Training and Utilizing Change Champions
Appoint a committed change champion to build and lead the program
Define the program and the name for change champions to fit the culture
Tailor the program to fit the unique needs and culture of the organization
Use an action-training model to train organization change champions
Accelerate the training process by developing tools tailored to the org
Select high-impact, high-potential people for the program
Utilize the strengths of change champions
Who is best at initiating, facilitating, implementing
Create a learning community for the change champions
Value and reward change champions for their contributions
Keep the program flexible and relevant
Skills and Tools Needed:
Other Chapter Notes:
1.1 Driving Change Through Career Models: An Operating System for Integrated Talent Management
This chapter provides a framework for assessing workforce alignment with given business strategies, and a system for thinking of individual careers
ITM uses people to align, sustain, and reinforce the business strategy
Aligns to the future state, drives employee engagement, includes workforce analytics
1.8 The Costs of System Blindness and The Possibilities of System Sight: Middle Bashing
When pressured from all sides:
your job is to help others resolve their issues and problems
Instead of being the essential person carrying messages back and forth, step back and bring together the people that need to be brought together and facilitate their interactions
Instead of doing for others, know when you should coach others to do for themselves
1.9 Words Matter: Build the Appreciative Capacity of Organizations
Appreciative inquiry:
Discover what’s best in history
Dream what’s the future we want
Design what moves us there
Destiny how do we create commitment, impact, and momentum
1.10 Whole System Transformation Through a Polarity Lens
A polarity lens means trying to balance opposites, looking for both transformation and continuity
Five common issues:
Resistance to change
Complexity
Conflict
Chronic issues
Cross-cultural issues
Polarity model
Continuity to keep
Build on what you already know
Leverage past and present opportunities
Implement proven processes
Transformation to pursue
Learn best practices from others
Capitalize on New Opportunities
Create new processes for better results
Avoid either/or and move towards both/and
Examples:
company interest and employee interest
logic and emotion
short term and long term
past/present and present/future
3.28 Changing Organizational Culture Through Clear Leadership
We each create our own experience and aren’t responsible for the experiences of others
Learning from experience does not require agreeing on the right experience
“In most organizations or environments, people don’t check out their stories, particularly their sense-making about those with more power. Instead they seek out trusted third parties and, together, they make up a story that works for them.”
Executives teams have the most mush
“Those with good interpersonal skills in command-and-control organizatoins and rise to the top have learned to use behaviors that increase the mush.”
“Instead, people need to be able to put conflict out in the open, uncover the real level of alignment or lack thereof, be clear about what everyone really thinks, feels, and wants and clear out the mush.”
Leaders only have two choices: (1) they can tell people what their experience is or (2) people will make it up
When you sense mush in a meeting, call it out and “walk through” what you’re observing, what that makes you think about it, how that makes you feel, and what you want the outcome to be
Four skill sets for creating self-differentiation:
Be aware of your in the moment experience
Describe the experience without categorizing and judging others
The ability to notice when you are being reactive and instead choose to be curious
Ability to identify and align with positive intent in others, knowing that whatever they are doing and saying is the best they know how
3.30 Develop Leaders Who Build Market Value: The Right Results, The Right Way
Actions for delivering intangible market value
Keep your promises
Create a clear and compelling strategy
Align technical competencies
Enable organizational capabilities
Steps for change management
Make a case for change
Link to existing initiatves
Agree on one theory of leadership
Assess leaders
Leadership = the attributes of a leader * their results
Targeted investment in leaders
Measure their impact
3.36 The Role of Leadership in the Management of Organizational Transformation and Learning
Promote learning anxiety and get away from survival anxiety
Increase psychological safety:
Provide a positive vision of the future
Involve the learners in the process
Create a climate of support and encouragement
Provide a practice field, a safe learning environment
Provide a clear direction and first steps
Create a group setting for learning
Provide role models and coaching help
Create norms and incentives that encourage the embracing of errors
