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The Organizational Change Professional’s Handbook
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The New Economic Currency
Authentic Leadership | Emotional Intelligence
REVOLUTION!
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change
something, build a NEW MODEL that makes the existing model obsolete.”
Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983)
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The Organizational Change
Professional’s Handbook
In 1513, Machiavelli wrote the following; “There is nothing more difficult to plan, more
doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new system.
For the initiator has the enmity (hatred) of all who would profit by the preservation of
the old system and merely lukewarm defenders in those who would gain by the new
one.”
Make no mistake, organizational change is a very difficult process but one that is
essential for a company’s survival. Watching corporate culture change is like walking
through a war zone. You see misery, wreckage, trauma and sometimes casualties.
Cultural change is like having surgery, nobody does it for fun. Companies must develop
the ability to embrace rapid change while learning how to out care the competition
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Vision Alignment
Individual
“Why”
Individual
“Why”
Individual
“Why”
Company
“Why”
Individual
“Why”
Greater your “Why” the easier
the “How” and the “What”
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Individual
“Why”
Individual
“Why”
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Their focus must be on a Vision of where they want to go rather than the
reflections of where they have been. That vision must hold their attention and
hook their hearts. It must be like a beacon with the power to pull the entire
organization in its direction. Once established, you with need to promote your
vision with the zeal of a crusading evangelist on every possible occasion. It
must be pursued relentlessly with a rare burning passion. Success cannot be a
purely intellectual exercise. Their needs to be a bold emotional commitment
to the eventual outcome right form the very beginning of the change process.
You need to be able to overcome organizational inertia and the inevitable
resistance to change. Prove to the critics you mean business. That you have
the courage and determination to stay the course.
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From the outset, a sense of urgency and commitment by the organization’s
senior executives is essential in order to shatter the existing status quo. That is
how you create an opening for change. The senior executive attitude and
actions must serve as a constant reference for employees who are struggling to
change their behavior. There must be no doubt that the old culture is
incompatible with the organization’s future direction. Change requires you to
hit hard, go fast and follow through. High speed change keeps the old culture
off balance. In the past it was easier to settle for change that evolved gradually
but those days are gone. If the culture does not adapt rapidly everybody loses.
The burst of new energy is a wake-up call that puts the old culture on red alert.
Unless you move quickly and decisively the victims will use this new energy to
fuel their resistance and self-protective behavior. By raising the performance
bar and committing to the new culture you disarm the old one by stripping it of
its power. Make structural and administrative changes that are basically
incompatible with the old structure and that reinforce the new one.
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With cultural change the negative effects will precede the positive. The anti-change tribe
will insist that this is a dumb plan being poorly implemented. An action-results tracking
and reward system that aligns with the new vision needs to be established. Buying into the
new culture must bring positive rewards measured in hard dollars. This buys time for the
changes to build momentum. If you do not reward the new actions you are rewarding
resistance. Reinforce the behavior you want and do not settle for anything else. Tracking
the organization’s progress will enable you to see where resistance lies. Until the new
culture becomes engrained individuals will tend to revert to their old habits. Everyone needs
to be reassured that embracing the new changes will benefit them. Give each individual
personal accountability for transforming the culture. Otherwise many of them will not treat
it as their responsibility. Active involvement in this organization-wide movement is not an
option.
Loyalty can be a big problem during times of rapid change if it means employees are holding
on to an outdated organizational culture. Loyalty to the status quo can also hide more
devious, self-serving actions.
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The Dynamics of Organizational Change
There are typically three tribes within each organization. An individual’s actions will
determine which tribe they are in at a given time. In order to take on the existing
organizational culture and the inevitable slings and arrows that will follow, you must
surround yourself will a core group of strong change leaders. When you are under fire you
need highly committed allies.
You must first identify the change leader tribe. These are the individuals who demonstrate
the courage and belief that embracing the changes are essential. This group is often made
up of individuals from throughout the organization. These people need your
encouragement and support. This core group of culture change advocates needs to reach
critical mass as rapidly as possible. Once 20-25% of the organization’s employees are in
this group a tipping point is reached and a second group I refer to as fence sitters will
gradually begin jump on board with the change initiative.
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As the change leader tribe grows it becomes less risky for the second tribe to join in. This
is the largest group often representing as much as 60% of the organization. Unfortunately,
there is usually a third tribe that will find it most difficult to embrace the changes. They
are anti-change, pure and simple and may actively work to undermine the new culture.
You do not have to get rid of people to change a corporate culture, but you do have to get
rid of wrong behavior.
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The 10 Keys to Organizational Change
1. The company’s senior executives must lead the change initiative.
2. Identify, support and develop the initial change leader tribe.
3. Create a passionate organizational Vision that engages the individual’s personal Vision.
4. Develop an action-results reward system that aligns with the shared Vision.
5. Empower everyone to deal with any obstacles preventing forward progress.
6. Celebrating results as they occur will silence the disengaged change resistant victims.
7. Refuse to allow complacency to stop forward action toward your desired results.
8. Authenticity and emotional intelligence become key to hiring and advancement.
9. Continually rededicate yourself to your desired results.
10. Commit to an ongoing sense of urgency and accountability.
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Management By Objective
Creating Trust and Accountability
Front Line Tactical Leadership
Departmental Leadership
C-Level Leadership
Minimum Strategic Goal
Target Strategic Goal
Outrageous Strategic Goal
Expected to Achieve
A Stretch
Most Challenging
Begin here and
work backwards
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Victim Drama, Conflict and Chaos
The victim’s need to steal and complete for the energy of others underlies all
drama, chaos and conflict. They feel weak, insecure and lacking so they seek to
increase their personal energy by stealing it from others. This underlies all human
conflict and governs the need for us to control and manipulate others. It explains
the failure of business and personal relationships. Victims feel better temporarily
when they can control others. Most people go through life giving away their
energy unconsciously while simultaneously stealing the energy of others.
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A Cautionary Tale
When a company is experiencing success, it is hard it is hard for employees to
understand the need for change. Resistance to change can hinder efforts to position for
the future, leaving a company vulnerable to becoming irrelevant. Vision and leadership
are essential under such circumstances to effect the changes needed to position for
continued success.
The iPhone was launched in mid-2007. BlackBerry had 16 quarters of growth after the
iPhone was introduced. The stock price prospered for a period long after it entered the
scene validating a do-nothing approach. So this is the crux of the incumbent’s dilemma:
how do you rally a response when you don’t feel any PAIN? It’s worse actually: how do
you embark on a painful course of action while feeling comfortable and safe?
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The Organizational
Change Journey
Vision
Lights Coming On
Actions
Rededication to
Desired Results
Current Reality
Time Spaced Learning & Results
Mastery is a process, success is an event
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The New Economic Currency
Companies often hire people for what they know and later fire them for who they
are. We are living in a time of rapid change. Our ability to embrace these changes
will be determined by the individual and organizational levels of authentic
leadership and emotional intelligence. The development of these abilities represents
both our greatest challenge and opportunity. Emotional labor leads to emotional
intelligence. Our ability to embrace change will require us to become less resistive,
judgmental and attached to outcome.
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Emotional Intelligence
and Change
The Amygdala is found in our old “lizard brain” and constantly scans our sensory inputs for possible
threats the same way it has for millions of years. It lives in fear and would rather be safe than sorry.
The development of our EI competencies enables us to better manage this fear response.
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Emotional Labor and Emotional Intelligence
We have two almond shaped amygdales in our lizard brain. They scan all of our sensory inputs
for possible threats in the same way they have been doing so for the past 500 million years.
Our amygdales live in constant fear and they seek to minimize danger rather than maximize
reward. The amygdala found in our brain’s left hemisphere interprets the logical, literal text of
the sensory information. The one in our right hemisphere looks at the emotional context of
that information.
Our old the lizard brain is our brain’s real powerhouse. It processes approximately 400 billion
bits of information per second. All information comes to this part of the brain first. It is
responsible for our survival, breathing, heartbeat and keeping us safe and alive. It does not
want us to ever leave of comfort zone. If we do it sends us into flight, flight or freeze mode.
The resistance to change is everywhere all the time. Its goal is to make us safe which means
invisible and unchanged. The anxiety we feel when we step outside of our comfort zone comes
from practicing failure in advance. It is needless and imaginary. Anxiety stops us from
moving toward our desired results. The development of our emotional intelligence is
essential for us to be able to manage our amygdales fear response.
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The Game Changer!
Embracing Rapid,
Accelerating Change
In the next 15-20 years we will
experience the equivalent of 100 years
of change and the rate of change will
continue to accelerate throughout this
century.
Our 50,000 year old brains are
unprepared to embrace these rapid
changes. This is a problem that will not
go away. Powerful global trends are
already reshaping the business world.
By 2030 they will combine in a perfect
storm that will leave the landscape
unrecognizable and unprepared leaders
overwhelmed.
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The term singularity describes the moment when a civilization changes so much that its rules and technologies
are incomprehensible to previous generations. Think of it as a point-of-no-return in history. Most thinkers
believe the singularity will be jump-started by extremely rapid technological and scientific changes. These
changes will be so fast, and so profound, that every aspect of our society will be transformed, from our bodies
and families to our governments and economies.
A good way to understand the singularity is to imagine explaining the internet to somebody living in the year
1200. Your frames of reference would be so different that it would be almost impossible to convey how the
internet works, let alone what it means to our society. You are on the other side of what seems like a singularity
to our person from the Middle Ages. But from the perspective of a future singularity, we are the medieval ones.
Talking about the singularity is a paradox, because it is an attempt to imagine something that is by definition
unimaginable to people in the present day.
We are in the midst of a rapid change revolution that will destroy the status quo and enable the impossible.
The need to be doing the emotional labor required to navigate through this revolution has never been greater.
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Master of Business Leadership provides specialized knowledge and a proven system
essential organizational change. It is only by becoming vulnerable we discover our
invulnerability. Employees are better able to break old habits if you teach and coach
them to develop a set of new ones that produce better results. You can honor the past
accomplishments while recognizing the growing urgency for change.
The reality is that the global economy is going to force you to reshape your organization
or die a slow death in the marketplace.
MBL is The New MBA!
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MBL is The New MBA!
| © Copyright 2014 MBL Inc.