Tactics for Change Leaders Webinar
March 7,2013
Deborah Lipman Slobodnik
Principal, Options for Change
Options for Change • 780 Boylston Street • Boston, MA 02199 • USA
Voice 857-233-5616 • Cell 617-901-2067 • Email [email protected]
Today’s Goals:
During this one hour webinar, we will discuss:
1. The emotional roadmap for making change happen
2. The culture factor and how different cultures react
to change
3. Recognizing and deescalating resistance
4. The multiple behavioral roles of change leadership
5. Influence agility
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Emotional Responses: Change is Personal
New Beginnings
Neutral Zone
Transition
Phases
Productivity can
decrease by up to 50%
in the Neutral Zone
Endings
“The Gap”
Denial
Emotional
Phases
Acceptance
Confusion
Anxiety
Anger
Depression
“The Pit”
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?
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Denial stage
Executing
Sustaining
“They can’t be serious”
Implementation“This will never be
implemented”
Phases
“We’ll be here long after
they’re gone”
The highest organizational
need occurs at the lowest
emotional point
Planning
Engaging
“The Gap”
Denial
Acceptance
Anger
Emotional
Phases
Depression
“The Pit”
(Bridges Neutral Zone)
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Anger stage
Executing
Implementation
Phases
Engaging
Sustaining
“What were they
thinking?”
“How can they treat us
Planning
this way?”
“I’ll show them”
The highest organizational
need occurs at the lowest
emotional point
“The Gap”
Denial
Acceptance
Anger
Emotional
Phases
Depression
“The Pit”
(Bridges Neutral Zone)
5
?
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Depression stage
Executing
Sustaining
“This used to be such a
great place”
“I can’t stand
to
The coming
highest organizational
need occurs at the lowest
work anymore”
“I’m just goingemotional
through point
the motions”
Implementation
Phases
Planning
Engaging
“The Gap”
Denial
Acceptance
Anger
Emotional
Phases
Depression
“The Pit”
(Bridges Neutral Zone)
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Buy-in Strategy
Executing
Sustaining
Implementation
Phases
Planning
Engaging
To negotiate each phase,
you must win over a certain
portion of the population
Buy-in
Phases
Early Adopters (16%)
Early Majority (34%)
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Late Majority (>50%)
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Are You Getting Real Buy In?
• Are they saying one thing but doing another?
• Is there a real commitment to action?
• Is there an authentic declaration of support and
resources?
• Is there a partnership formed?
• Is there positive energy moving forward?
• Do they see what’s in it for them?
• Do they follow through on their promises?
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Are You Getting Real Buy In?
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Watch Out for Espoused Buy-in
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Stalling
Inattention and other non-verbal cues
Constraining resources
Flight to health
Complying
Blaming
The “Nod”
Denial, can’t change what you can’t acknowledge
• More on this later
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Best Practices for Implementing Change
“We must become the change we want to see in
the world” Gandhi
• The process of change must mimic the desired end state
• You must create a sense of urgency
• You must get real buy in from 75% of leaders and key
stakeholders
• Aim for at least 16% of general population to reach
critical mass
• Set realistic expectations, 1-3 years, and be prepared to
spend about 15% of your time directly
• Be prepared for resistance; it’s normal. Don’t focus on it
but develop a strategy to deal with it
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
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The Culture Factor!!
• Collective behavior is stronger than strategy
• Culture bleeds through new structures and
processes
• McKinsey: “Over half of the mergers we studied
went straight downhill in productivity, profits or
both due to cultural factors.”
• John Kotter: “When new practices made in a
transformation effort are not compatible with the
culture, they will always be subject to
regression.”
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What Do We Mean by Culture?
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•
•
•
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Collective values and beliefs
Rewarded behaviors
Learned norms
Recurring rituals
The prevailing social order
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Understanding Resistance: Cultural Context
“Individualistic”
Responsiveness
Creativity
Entrepreneurship
Open
Random
“Aligned”
Values
Harmony Synchronous
Direction
Closed
“Collaborative”
Communication
Teamwork
Problem Solving
“Structured”
Stability
Accountability
Procedures
Based on the Kantor System Typology and Communicational Domains™ - used by permission
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Closed Descriptors
Enabled (functional)
Disabled (extreme)
• Clear chain of command
• Strong leadership and
accountability
• Quick decision making
• Defined work processes
• Clear performance
metrics
• Predictable service
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•
•
•
•
•
Authoritarian leadership
Staff disempowerment
Lack of transparency
Fear of repercussions
Resistant to innovation
and change
• Rule-bound and
bureaucratic
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Random Descriptors
Enabled (functional)
Disabled (extreme)
•
•
•
•
•
• Lack of cohesive strategy
from top
• Lack of mutual problemsolving
• Minimal buy-in to joint
decisions
• Chaotic and crisis-oriented
• Conflict-ridden
Entrepreneurial
Competitive
Innovative and creative
High energy
Flexible and adaptive to
change
• Individual needs, ideas
and goals promoted
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Open Descriptors
Enabled (functional)
Disabled (extreme)
• Participatory decisions
• Diverse ideas and
viewpoints included
• Trusting relationships
• Open and respectful
communication
• Direct conflict resolution
• Win-win negotiations
• Inability to reach closure
• Only vocal few reach
“consensus”
• Lack of strong leadership
• Too many meetings
• Analysis paralysis
• Members frustrated by too
much process
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Synchronous Descriptors
Enabled (functional)
Disabled (extreme)
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•
•
•
Strong purpose and vision
Aligned values and beliefs
Leadership by experience
Implicitly understood
operating principles
• Polite and harmonious
relationships
• Low-maintenance
teamwork
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• Inbred and cult-like
• Dissenters marginalized
• Low tolerance for
ambiguity
• Minimal communication
• Early closure on problems
• Conflict avoidant
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A Few Basic Change Principles
• Organizations are NOT culturally monolythic
• All organizations display a mixture of culture
types, with the dominant type set by leadership
• Change tactics need to be local, even individual,
and agile based on response to change
• Resistance is information and feedback: You are
either using the wrong tactics or doing too much
too soon
• If you don’t use this information wisely, you
become part of the problem
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Industry Fit
As creativity is a priority,
an advertising agency
may be higher in Random
and lower in Closed
and Synchronous
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Reactions to Change
• Closed: Resists and counters, attempts to restore balance,
can be entrenched and rigid
– Example: QA
• Random: Encourages and escalates, trouble sticking to
decisions
– Example: Marketing
• Open: Plans and facilitates change, can become overly
planned, includes too many and inefficient decision
making
– Example: Cross-functional teams
• Synchronous: Ignores and avoids, can marginalize truth
tellers
– Example: Political or religious organizations
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Resistance to Change
Present
Closed=6.8
Open=6.8
Random=5.1
Synch=5.8
Future
Closed=5.3
Open=6.3
Random=6.3
Synch=5.6
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Change Leader’s Behavioral Roles
Mover
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•
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•
•
Does:
Initiate action
Propose ideas
Take responsibility
Voice an opinion
Facilitate meetings
Says:
“I propose the
following.”
“I have an idea.”
“Let’s take a vote.”
“Would anyone like to
volunteer?”
Supporter
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Does:
Piggyback on creative ideas
Promote popular solutions
Listen to and understand
others’ ideas
Record on a flipchart
Says:
“That’s a great idea.”
“I’ll record these ideas.”
“I’ll try that.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Let me see if I understand
what you just said.”
Based on the Kantor System Typology and Communicational Domains™ - used by permission
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Change Leader’s Behavioral Roles
Challenger
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•
•
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•
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Mirror
Does:
Does:
Add divergent viewpoints
Oppose popular opinions
Play devil’s advocate
Says:
“Let me play the devil’s
advocate.”
“I have another idea.”
“I don’t think that will work.”
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Observe
Reflect
Correct
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•
•
•
Says:
“Let’s revisit that decision.”
“What worked? What didn’t?”
“Let’s do a process check.”
“Am I the only one who’s
frustrated with this discussion?”
Based on the Kantor System Typology and Communicational Domains™ - used by permission
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The Change Leader Needs to Stay Centered
• Becoming a mirror starts with self awareness
• If you are
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–
–
–
–
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Frustrated
Reacting emotionally
Judging and blaming
Taking it personally
Off center, distracted
Physically stressed and tight
Trying to change the other person(s)
• Then you are “hooked” and need to change
your tactics
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How to Get Unstuck
• De-stress yourself and get back to center – get
perspective
• Figure out what buttons are getting pushed –
yours and theirs
• Drop the judgments and the shoulds based on
their role, age or title
• Empathize – put yourself in their shoes and find
something positive about them
• Revise your strategy and try again
“We cannot change anyone if they sense
our underlying contempt” – MLK
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Tactics for Influence Agility
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Four Influence Stances
Three Influence Distances
Three Influence Hierarchies
36 possibilities and most of us rely on one
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Direct Stance
• Straight and to the point
• “I need…”
“Let me give you some
feedback”
“Do this”
• Advantages: honest
• Disadvantages:
confrontational to some
The “bread and butter” move for most people
– yet succeeds less than 50% of the time –
OK to try first
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Neutral Stance
• Provides alternatives
• “Let’s examine the
choices”
“ What are your
preferences?”
• Advantages: gets real
buy-in
• Disadvantages: less
control of outcome
Best strategy for managing up –
puts the senior person in control
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Side-by-Side Stance
• We’re in this together
• “I’m with you”
“I’m concerned”
“Here’s what’s keeping
me up at night”
• Advantages: best at
joining
• Disadvantages: big
commitment
Best strategy for managing across –
also good alternative for managing up
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Indirect Stance
• Going with the resistance –
stories, metaphors, reverse
psychology
• “This reminds me of what a
manager once told me…”
“Maybe change is not the best
thing right now”
• Advantages: cuts through
tough resistance
• Disadvantages: manipulative
to some
Reserved for most difficult situations
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Influence Distances
• Engaged: up close and
personal
Works well in close
relationships
• Professional: respectful
and businesslike
Most preferred in a
professional setting
• Detached: distant and
uninvolved
Reserved for most
difficult situations
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Influence Hierarchies
• One-Up: “I know more”
“I’m more experienced”
Dangerous unless
managing down
• Level: “We’re a team”
“We’re equal partners”
Broadly successful
• One-Down: “I was wrong”
“Help me out”
Always a good
recovery move
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Resistance to Change
Present
Closed=6.8
Open=6.8
Random=5.1
Synch=5.8
Future
Closed=5.3
Open=6.3
Random=6.3
Synch=5.6
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Case Study: Resistance to Change
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Communications Dept in Fortune 500 Technology
Too random for customers, missing deadlines and budgets
New leader brought in to bring order to chaos
Instituted project management processes and metrics by committees
Resisted need to stick to plans and processes
Stuck situation between new leader and employees
Feedback: Resistance due to urgency and overload of closed
processes and attitude regarding lack of accountability
• Tactics:
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Talk myself off the ledge, move from direct one up to side by side
Coach new leader to depersonalize resistance, understand how to change a
random system, acknowledge overreach to employees
– Extend timelines to train and execute, include recognition for making deadlines
and keeping within budgets, communicate and include customers in executing
key processes
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