Tips about Leadership
When we talk about leadership related to change, we must consider two aspects: leadership behaviors and leadership practices (structures etc.).
Leadership Behaviors
- Model the way. Be very public and obvious about modeling the behaviors required of individuals to make the change successful. People will look for what leadership does for consistency to what they are asking the organization to do. If they don’t see consistency in behaviors and organization decision-making they are less likely to support the change.
- Avoid using the term “driving change” and the thinking that goes with it. This creates resistance. Thinking of a change process as creating change or facilitating change is better.
Leadership Practices
- Use a steering team to lead the change process. A steering team is the group of the leaders whose support (providing resources etc.) is essential. They also are the individuals whose groups or departments impact the change or are impacted by the change. Their job is not to do the change but rather ensure its success through setting the right policies and furnishing necessary resources. They must be involved, or the effort will not be supported adequately.
- If the change is something that is the leaders’ idea, their job is to communicate with all stakeholders. Some ideas for useful communication items are:
- What the change is, why you’re doing it and why now.
- Invite Ideas for implementation methods.
- Don’t invite suggestions for alternate approaches if you are set on what you want to create. It will only create resistance and resentment when the suggestions aren’t accepted.
- If the change is something best created with inputs from the organization the use of a task team or large group interventions to make recommendations may be appropriate.
Change Processes
A popular method, the gap analysis, as a change method does not work. The gap analysis (Fig 1) typifies how many approach change. In large part it doesn’t work well. The failures come in the actions needed to reach the desired state. This is often the culprit of change process failures and where resistance occurs (Fig 2).
Two other approaches can be used. Both consider resistance in their make up:
- The Beckhard-Harris Change Model (DxVxF>R) – Click here for a deeper analysis.
- D represents dissatisfaction,
- V represents vision and
- F represents steps toward resistance reduction.
- R represents resistance.
- DxVxF must be greater than R or the change won’t happen.
- Force Field Analysis: (Fig 3) is another way to plan a change effort. Its basic construct includes these steps:
Exercise:
Try to work through this Force Field Analysis in your own organization. Here are the steps to work through the methodology:
- Draw the field.
- Identify the goals you are trying to meet and draw the status quo.
- Draw and create driving forces – those factors that help the effort to be successful.
- Select restraining forces – those factors that are obstacles to the success of the effort.
- Brainstorm actions that remove or reduce the restraining forces, create a list.
- Prioritize the list of actions, select one and then create an action plan.
Communication Processes
Must be multi leveraged i.e. using many different approaches to assess progress and lead the change. Possible methodologies include:
- Repeated town hall type meetings by leadership to explain direction, provide updates and get progress feedback.
- Newsletters providing the same information as the town hall type meeting.
- Updates in staff/department meetings.
- Periodic walk-throughs. A walk through is an interactive process where those familiar with the change share progress and get feedback.
Last words
Remember this: the biggest enemy of change is resistance. An organization is like the human body – it resists changes to the core of its being just as the human body will resist changes such as a new heart or other device. All planning must recognize this, and efforts must be made to reduce it.
Get help from the outside. This can be someone from another part of your organization who has a fresh look and will see things you may miss. Retaining an internal or external source, experienced in change management, may be a worthwhile investment.
Finally, a reminder – this is a blog post. It is meant as a posting of a few main ideas with the invitation for questions and comments. Please join in the discussion with your ideas, opinions and questions to enrich the learning for all.By Stephen TreacyConsultantThe Treacy Group
"Stephen is an organization development and leadership coach who has presented and facilitated leadership trainings for Illinois ASBO members since 2005."