Organisational Change #1

[samvara]

Organisational Change and Transformation was my third pick after Leading and Facilitating teams was offered in error then withdrawn and Advanced Topics in Management: Managing a Global Workforce was withdrawn due to lack of numbers.

I admit I walked into this vastly disorganised, spending my two weeks lead time for preparation getting the house sold instead of reading the HUGE list of pre-readings. This was not helped by a text mixup at the bookstore and some of the readings not being available online.

Day 1 of 5: Leading Change and Transformation

9:00 – 10: 30 am Session 1 Title: Overview of Leading Change & Transformation Readings and Case Study

• Discussion of assessment and group forming. Social exercise - introduce and seek group members.
• 'Attitude to change' exercise - one word/phrase on a sticky note. Observe stages of grief ;p
• Characters in the 'change process' smiling assassins, toxic saboteurs,
• Fear of more work, fear failure, fear of learning, desire to survive - need to understand and have strategies to respond

10:30 – 10:45 am Morning Tea/Coffee

Group forming - found 6/8 of a team with a sense of humour.

10:45 – 12:30 pm Session 2 Title: Leading the Change & Transformation Journey & Introduction of Change Models

Reflection exercise:

• Is your current style and approach to change producing the results you want? Yes and no, when the conditions are right (mandate, urgency etc.) yes, when the conditions are poor then no.
• What impact do you want to have on others as you work? I want to be perceived as a credible voice for change and trusted to help make it happen.
• What strengths do you have that you want to build on as you create your new way of working and leading? Vision, passion, interest in people and processes
• How will you build your own and others’ capacity for change? Learn more about how to do it well, practice! Talk to people a lot.
• What are two changes you want to implement in your Team that you can focus on to apply the ideas/tools we cover? *evil laugh*

What is Planned Change?

Why is planned change important?

• Calm waters metaphor: incremental change or evolutionary - change in small steps ... one equilibrium state at a time.
• White-water rapids metaphor: discontinuous or radical change - 'frame-breaking' change, new ways of doing business, dynamic.

Marathon effect: leader is way on front and team may not have caught up. (leader may also be exhausted) - Bridges reading

General Model of Planned Change

1. Entering, contracting and diagnosing
2. Information gathering, processing and feedback
3. Design, implementation and evaluation

This is important!

3 Perspectives on Change

1. Developmental: improvement in what is (change in form)
2. Transitional: implementation of known new state
3. Transformational: emergence of new state (change of form)

The difference between change (external - detectable, visible, tangible) and transition (internal - process, journey)

Kotter’s Eight Stages of Organisational Change Overview

1. Establishing a Sense of Urgency
2. Creating a Guiding Coalition
3. Developing the Vision and the Strategy
4. Communicating the Change Vision
5. Empowering People to Effect Change
6. Generating Short-Term Wins
7. Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change
8. Sustaining New Approaches in the Culture

Exercise: three questions in group - should left handed people have to scribe

1. How is your workplace changing? Acquisition, outsourcing, restructure, transformation, culture change & strategic plan update
2. What factors are (or might) force a need for change in your workplace? Competitive environment, legislative, budget, public opinion, technology, customer expectation, staff turnover.
3. What are the complex challenges managers face in formulating change processes - explain why they are significant. Resistance, cynicism, personalities, demographics, politics, norms, resources, apathy, lack of vision / communication, no change management training, no leadership skills, inertia, beurocratic environment, volunteer workforces, diverse workforce

Article: Can you say what your strategy is? Harvard Business Review

• Lewin’s Change Model Overview
• Bridges Transition Model Overview
• Scott & Jaffe’s Change Curve

12:30 – 1:15 pm Lunch

1:15 – 3:00pm Session 3 Title: Change as “Normal”

Discussion on first test - open book, 30 mins. Kotter articles, ch 2

Take home case study: Leading Changes at Simmons

Group assignment - live case study. code of confidentiality, code of consultancy, SME is consultant role. Pick project, establish relationship, build trust, write to Board/CEO etc.for permission, protect data - confidentiality for peace of mind and freedom of disclosure.
Questions a CEO might well ask - what's in it for me, what are your intentions, what are the deliverables (primer for new board members, recommendations, gap analysis, customer engagement exercise). Risks - may not get enough info for viable project,

Milestone session 3 - report from team to Dee on project and progress

Article: Boston Consulting Group The Manager of the 21st Century 2020 Vision (PDF 2MB)

• Maximize opportunities in a changing world
• Manage diversity in the workplace
• Respond to changing times with a mindset

Why don't people ask for help? Fear of weakness, ego

How do you react to change?

• Out of fear?
• Out of Vision? Can we see possibilities?

Analysis of change - what is changing that is important?

• What can you change?
• What can't you change?

Emotional Reaction to Change - Scott and Jaffe (1995) Elizabeth Kuhbler-Ross (1969)

Reflection on where own team falls in emotional chart.

Change as normal

• Change is an ongoing process rather than an event
• There is a progressive sequence of change behaviors that needs to be experienced and mastered to be effective in handling change.
• Seemingly negative behaviors such as denial, apprehension, anger and resistance are normal and adaptive elements in the change process.
• The progression through the phases of change represents an opportunity for growth and responsible risk taking.

Read THE MARK TWAIN DILEMMA: THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF CHANGE LEADERSHIP for quiz 2

3:00 – 3:15 pm Afternoon Tea/Coffee

3:15 – 4:45pm Session 4 Title: Reactions to Change

Discussion with group about group composition and group identity. Belbin Team Roles. Again.

SPARK presentation - team evaluation software. Again. SPA = average view of self / performance. SAPA = own view of self 'reality check'

Massive discussion about how to evaluate the team qualities.

Case Study Discussion Points

1. Why did Comcast New England decide to transform itself?
2. What was the reality which the organisation faced? (my team)
3. What were the key issues in the culture that they tried to address; and how important was the task force?
4. Using the change models from the MSC Unit describe the key steps in the change process within Comcast New England. What were the strengths and challenges of the process? (all teams)
5. What assumptions did Casey make about his people?
6. What assumptions did the people make about Casey and the top management team?
7. What were the lessons learned?

To be presented session three (10th February)

4:45 –5:00 pm Session 5 Title: Assessment Criteria

• Overview of Unit assessment

OMG my brain