you can be a change-agent

by Paul Casey

"Change can be likened to a

planned journey into uncharted

waters in a leaky boat

with a mutinous crew."

Michael Fullan

Discuss: Summarize yourpersonal experience with deep

change in an organization.

Discuss: What are the consequences

if your organization doesn’t change?

"If we don't change the way we're going, we're likely

to end up where we are headed." –Chinese Proverb

You Can Be a CHANGE AGENT

“Change is the law of life.

And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.”

– John F. Kennedy


In most situations, change is

inevitable; so we can either

watch it occur, resist it, or

help guide and direct it—

you cannot avoid it.

5 Traits Leaders Must Possess To Be Successful Leading Change

1. Moral Purpose

2. Understanding change

3. Relationship-building

4. Knowledge creation and sharing

5. Coherence (Leading in a Culture of

Change, Michael Fullan)

Essential Elements of Change

—and the Consequences of

Lacking Just One

Discuss: In the last change effort

you were a part of, use this chart to

evaluate what was present and

what was absent.


"The single factor common to

successful change is that

relationships improve.

If relationships improve,

(organizations)… get better.

If relationships remain the same

or get worse, ground is lost."

–Michael Fullan, The Change Leader

Soft-Skill Change Strategies

“(Followers)… are more likely to

accept change programs if the

(Leader)… is perceived as actively

supportive of the (Follower’s)…

role in implementing the change."

Robert Howsam

1.


2. “guiding coalition”


"(Leaders)… who would effect

change had to be familiar with and

able to manipulate the power

structure within the community."

Ralph Kimbrough

3.


Turn those committed to change into

organizational leaders.

4.


Who Moved My Cheese?

5.


"Well over half of all change efforts

fail at the first, most crucial step:

gaining widespread cooperation.

People won't move out of their

comfort zones to make the

necessary changes unless there

is a sense of urgency."

–John Kotter, What Leaders Really Do


“To master change, your

paradigm must switch

from what you will lose to

what you will gain.”


Exercise: Draw a picture of where

you are now and where you want

your organization to be (in the

area you know must change)

in one year from now.


“People are like tea bags.

You don’t know what they

are inside until you put

them in hot water.”

–Ray Armstrong


“Leaders look at similarities;

followers look at differences.”

–John Maxwell


“Innovations…

were successfully

institutionalized when

they…were able to be

undertaken gradually.”

–Ronald Lippitt


"(Leaders)… must set an

atmosphere… that is conducive

to change and must provide

(the team)… with a range of

substantive supports.

–James McLeskey/Nancy Waldron

5.


Discuss: When do people

actually make a change?

5.


“Planned

Abandonment”


“Nothing hurts when you

are winning.” –John Maxwell 6.

Discuss: What gets rewarded these

days in your organization, and why?

Any of those tied to a culture-change

attempt by leadership?


"Nothing will ever be attempted if

all possible objections must first

be overcome." – Samuel Johnson

7.

“At the gates of excellence stand 2

fearsome sentries: risk and learning.

The keys to entrance are faith and

courage.” – Robert Quinn


“Resistance to change is

natural; change is needed for

survival.”

Discuss: Why don’t people

want to change?

–John Gardner

1. Leaders and other participants feel that the project is their own—not one devised by outsiders.

Resistance Will Be Less If:(by Goodwin Watson)

2. The innovation clearly has wholehearted support from the top leaders.

3. The participants see the change as reducing rather than increasing their present burdens.

4. The project accords with values already acknowledged by participants.


5. The program offers the kind of new experience which interests participants.

6. Participants feel their autonomy and security is not threatened.


7. Participants have joined in diagnostic efforts leading them to agree on what the basic problem is and to feel its importance. 8. The project is adopted by consensual group decision.

9. Proponents are able to empathize with opponents; to recognize valid objections; and to take steps to

relieve unnecessary fears.


10. It is recognized that innovations are likely to be misunderstood and misinterpreted, and if provision is made for feedback of perceptions of the project and for further clarification of need.

11. Participants experience acceptance, support, trust, and confidence in their relations with one another.


12. The project is kept open to revision and reconsideration if experience indicates that changes will be desirable.

“Design and institute a system which

will provide feedback on the extent to

which the proposed change is

accomplishing its objectives, and

diagnose those aspects of the program

or its implementation which need

improvement.”

8.

– Richard Gorton


Three motivators that don’t work:

Tell ‘em, Bribe ‘em, Force ‘em.

The only one that really works

is integration.

9.

Leaders take responsibility for the

storyline at their company.

you can be a change-agent

Leadership & Management