Agents2Change - Smart Business Thinking

All Change is personal - so put the personality back into change management

Anyone in business or part of a large organisation will not have escaped the rise and rise  of change management programs, they are everywhere.  Executives fret over doing it ‘right’ and employees fret over having it ‘done’ to them.  But ask anyone to describe what it is and we often find that there is little consensus of opinion.

It was Heraclitus that said ‘Change is the only Constant’ as we see in the ever changing seasons in nature.  And yet it is the very act of change that seems to be so difficult for organisations, and the larger the organisation, the more difficult that change appears to be.  Yet the view of the ‘status quo’ is only an illusion that we cling to.  For the organisation that you step into today is not the same as the one that you worked at yesterday, even if on the surface everything appears as it was; indefinable changes in people, processes, customers or products have occurred in the intervening hours between one dawn and the next.

We do of course have to use the logical tools of change management (roadmaps, project plans, gap analysis etc.)  to make things happen when we want to effect a change in direction or performance, but only in as much as it is the navigation tools that help us along our journey.  The real change has to happen in the hearts and minds of the individual, there has to be an intention to change for it to be successful.

 

The important dialogue that needs to occur is around some fundamental questions such as:

• What is getting in the way of us making these changes? 
• What are we holding onto in terms of core beliefs, attitudes or ritualised behaviours that gets in the way of making these changes?
• Why do our people not feel empowered to make the required changes?

 

In organisations big and small it can often come down to issues such as:

 

1. A parent to child relationship between the employer and the employee –  a ‘we tell you do’ attitude that is pervasive though every level of management
2. Blame is the default reaction to problems – there is little or no tolerance to good old fashioned human error.  In fact it is preferred that mistakes are glossed over rather than unearthed and learnings taken from them.  It is more important in this type of culture for managers and leaders to ‘save face’ rather than hold open a discussion on potential shortcomings.
3. A belief that nothing can ever go wrong – this is particularly strong in growing organisations or those that have not yet plateaued.  A feeling of invincibility pervades the culture often resulting in early warning signs being filtered out until the issues start to seriously harm internal performance or customer loyalty.

But if we view change management as an organic process, we can see a more holistic and encompassing approach to managing change; one that is based on clear simple changes at the individual level of leaders, managers and operators.  By focusing on tangible steps, new patterns of working and allowing time for reflection and tolerance for mistakes, it is possible to create the momentum for change and give people the confidence to take the risks, make the decisions and try out new and unchartered paths.  This can be done by:

• stating the reasons for change, what the journey will look like and why the destination is better than the current position and sharing this honestly with all employees in simple and engaging terms,
• giving employees every opportunity to get involved and make things happen (and that also means not overcrowding the space with external experts – speaking as one) and taking some chances on the untested talent that comes forward,
• regularly informing employees of how progress is made, sharing the good, the bad and if necessary the ugly stories, so that they understand and can continue to feel engaged in the process.

What do you think?  Have you examples of change management from your organisations or projects that you would like to share here?

Agents2Change specialises in Change Management, Implementation and Performance Management.  For more information visit us at www.agents2change.com

When Implementation gets tough – three strategies that might help Leaders succeed

Today’s global companies are driven by projects.  Projects to implement new processes; projects to implement new systems; projects to outsource; projects to insource, you name it and they will be doing it.  The challenge that they often face is how to access the implementation skills to ensure that the project is delivered on-time and in a relatively pain-free way.

If Leaders are asked to take on this role as part of their day job it can be very challenging for three  reasons:

• The pace and needs of an implementation project is very different from that of business as usual leadership.  Getting the style, approach and finding the energy to do this alongside running the day job can be very demanding and it is frequently under estimated.
• Implementation by its very nature often means stepping on someone’s toes.  If Leaders are uncomfortable causing ripples they can shy away from having difficult (and usually long overdue) conversations with other parts of the organisation to address areas of blockage.
• Implementation requires a fair degree of honesty to address inefficiencies that you the Leader may have turned a blind eye to for a long time.  This may involve upsetting trusted and favoured employees as their roles and responsibilities are tested or changed by the implementation project. 

 

So how can Leaders continue to stay focused and have the energy to continue to lead implementation when the going is getting tough?  Some things that will help include:

 

1. Self awareness is key: Be aware of how change affects you and others and how to support people through it.    There are many models that can help with this such as The Change Curve (below) which explains simply all of the different phases that we go through as we undergo change.  Nobody is immune from it, but self-awareness and acknowledgement goes a long way to mitigating the issues.  Understanding where you are in the process can help you to recognise the signs and the stages that your team are at and know how to respond to them.
   
   
   
2. Belief is essential:  We have all heard the phrase ‘Failure is not an Option’ but that could be turned into a far more motivating phrase such as ‘Success is our only option’.  Even if there are private moments when the leader has a loss of faith in the implementation program, publicly they should always be encouraging, motivating and upbeat with their team. 
3. Responsive trumps planning: The plan is only the best guess at the time of what is required to implement successfully, but the key to success is in how to respond to the roadblocks along the way.  Modern mythology tells us that the US Moon Mission in the 1960's was off-plan 90% of the time  What the team became very good at was ‘on-the-job’ problem solving.  So whilst we are not saying that you don't need a plan (Fail to plan, plan to fail - right?) as a leader, you need to rely on more than the plan.  And the more is the role you can play to create the kind of collaborative team environment where problems can be raised, discussed and solutions created by your team.  This is both skill building and deeply motivating for your people whilst in the midst of heavy-duty Implementation.

Have you some implementation experiences that you would like to share?  Do you have other tips of what makes implementation a success?  Please do share them here.  Or if you would like to hear more about our experience of implementation – contact us on [email protected]

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Getting to grips with prioritisation

Prioritisation is a great concept when you have the space and time to do it.  The trouble for busy managers and executives is that they often don’t.  They find that their already stretched capacity continues to be spread thinner and thinner, as the responsibilities and priorities increase.  It can become a vicious circle that is very difficult to break.

 

“Jack had a demanding role as head of operations for a global manufacturing group.  He had always been good a delegating and getting things done and had worked his way up from junior management to his current role and was good at thriving under pressure and delivering against all the odds.

Lately however the demands of his peers and his directors in this matrixed organisation were becoming overwhelming.  Everything was urgent; every was a 'Strategic' initiative with a Board member behind it; and saying no was just not an option.  As a result, he and his team felt like they were working their way into the ground.”

 

Jack’s situation is not unusual, and in modern matrixed organisations, competing priorities are often evident.  But prioritisation needs two key levers in order to be most effective.  

1. It needs to be clearly linked to the company strategy.  When new lines of business or new sectors are targeted, then efforts need to be justified in terms of how they support this strategy.
2. Efforts must show a relationship to the bottom line. Strategic initiatives are almost always linked to growth, but it's not unusual for senior managers to lose sight of this; and the relationship of their teams in delivering it.  At the end of the day, or your performance year;  you will be measured as much by business performance as you will on any other target that has been set.

 

Some tips to help you with prioritisations include: 

• Ensure that your annual performance targets are clear and comprehensive.  They become your employment contract for the year ahead, so a clear and well documented set of priorities will help you when the pressure starts to build.
• Where there are priority conflicts, such as competing department goals, escalate this through the hierarchy for resolution  (up to the board if necessary) rather than getting in the cross fire with peers or functional directors.
• Always keep the consequences of non-delivery clear in your mind.  Some targets will have minimal impact, whilst others may have a major impact further down the line. Consider the inter-connectivity of some priorities, which may not be your immediate concern, but will have a major impact for other areas of the business further down the line.  If it becomes a major resource drain on your area, ensure it gets included in your annual targets.

 

If you would like to hear more about how our coaching packages can help you to become better at prioritising, contact us at:  [email protected], for a free, no obligation chat.

 

We can also provide public speaking engagements on the subject of prioritisation.  Contact us at:  [email protected]

Olympic performance and how it provides a framework for performance everywhere

With the Olympics and Paralympics now coming to a close, its with a sense of pride that the host nation can look back on its achievements. Officially the most successful Olympics ever for Team GB and the biggest toll of medals per capita of any nation competing in the events. These achievements, together with the exemplary organisation and event management have lifted the spirits of a whole nation. But these achievements tell of considerable work, organisation and focus behind the scenes. When we blogged about the 2008 Olympics, we talked about the crystal sharp focus on goals and performance for athletes and disciplines.

This was something that was quite new to British Sports, which had a rather haphazard development before this time. Some people commented that the approach taken was quite hard, almost brutal in determining where funds went and who got attention. Perhaps it was, but performance requires a clear set of goals that are then rigorously followed. Taking an egalitarian approach (all sports are equal) whilst very inclusive, rarely leads to exemplary performance.

We also saw that discipline follow through to the Paralympics where Team GB also finished 3rd in the overall medal table and won an astonishing 34 gold medals and won the heart-felt pride of the British nation. But there too, it was performance that drove their success. What can corporations learn from these examples as they look to raise the morale of their people and motivate them to raise their performance to something truly exceptional.

Sports psychology and the Olympics bring many lessons to leaders in business. What Sports do naturally is:

• Putting performance in the context of a stretching and inspiring vision; Is it clear where the finish line is, and how long it will take to get there? 
• Providing a performance framework in which to define, monitor and measure performance. How clear are the goals for your team this month? This quarter? This year? If you cannot answer this, neither can they, so ensure that goals are clear and readily accessible to all. 
• Feedback on a regular basis on performance. In business we can shy away from this, yet in sports its as natural as breathing. Constructive, regular feedback is like an extra muscle. Once you practice and hone it, you can rely on it whenever you need it. 
• Celebrate success: Sports are excellent at celebrating success, but how good are modern companies. How often is time taken to tell everyone of a job well done? Taking time to acknowledge achievements makes a huge difference to team morale and performance. 

So take a leaf out of the Olympic book and look for ways to provide a fun, challenging and competitive environment to help raise the performance of your team.

Turning a bad day into a good one - sharing some great tips

There is a great article from Inc.com about how to turn a bad day into a good one.  We can often find we start the day feeling a bit stressed, negative or overwhelmend.  Often the bad mood can escalate into a really bad day, but it does not have to.  Very often how we think about something can affect its outcome and learning to thing positively is a great way to improve your chances of having a great day.

 

In his article Geoffrey James of Inc.com reminds us to: 

• Remember that the past does not equal the future.
• Refuse to make self-fulfilling prophesies. 
• Get a sense of proportion.
• Change your threshold for "good" and "bad."
• Improve your body chemistry.
• Focus on what's going well.
• Expect something wondrous.

The tips sound simple, but can make a powerful difference in how you feel and how you work.  Read more here and see if it has a positive impact on your day.

 

Myers Briggs – which type are you?

In our previous blog we explored the four temperaments, perhaps one of the oldest personality type models on the planet.  But to this, we now add a good all-rounder that has proved a helpful framework in which to consider why you work the way you do. 

No psychometric model predicts behaviour, but they can go a long way to explaining the motives behind our actions.  The Myers Briggs model is particularly robust, since it has been developed through over 60 years of research and has shown a high degree of reliability.

Where does the model come from?

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was developed by Katherine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Myers Briggs, building on the work of Carl Jung.  It was Jung that first coined the Psychological Types in 1921, and his work was taken up by Katherine Brigg and her daughter post World War II to develop into a model of psychological preferences. 

Jung based his original theory on observations of many hundreds of patients and colleagues, whom he found displayed distinct differences in how they responded to the demands of everyday life and arrived at decisions.

 

What are the Types?

The MBTI is based on four opposing pairs, or dichotomies, that are related to how we interact with the world around us and arrive at our own decisions.

A questionnaire helps to define the preferences for each individual, which are always at the heart of our psychological make-up, but may not be immediately obvious to us, as we have learnt to adapt and change our responses based on work and life experiences. 

 

The MBTI model helps to explain why some people :

• may need to talk through their decisions in detail; whilst others need time to reflect and then present their decision.
• are very good at organising and planning their work and others appear to work in chaos.
• are good at remembering fine detail from a situation and others refer to general themes and patterns.
• make decisions based on facts; whilst other will refer to the emotional impact on others.

 

How can you use MBTI?

The framework like all self-assessment tools helps to raise your awareness of how you work and think and how this may impact on your work with others.  The Type indicators can also be informative when thinking of your career and life choices, by helping you to better understand the work roles and organisational settings that will suit you. 

For teams and organisations, it provides a common framework and language from which to explore the many differences in how team members, managers and leaders operate and can lead to a better understanding of the benefits of a diverse workforce.

 

About us

Agents2change works with some of the world's largest companies on change and implementation issues.  We regularly use MBTI as a developmental framework for leadership, team and organisational development.  If you’d like to know more contact us at:  [email protected]

 

Trouble at the Bleeding Edge – Or how the Mighty Fall

Earlier this week we talked about challenges at the Leading edge of change.  But what about at the other end of the spectrum?  It’s a salutary reminder of the unrelenting pace of change, when you hear that Eastman Kodak have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.  It is a mighty fall from grace, given the near monopoly status that Kodak held in the world of photography for over 125 years.  Yet it is also a stark reminder of the dramatic changes that our digital based economy has wrought. 

Kodak was once viewed amongst the world’s most innovative companies, providing innovation not only in the camera but also in the development and print field of photography.  Yet in the last 30 years it has gradually slipped further and further from the mainstream, as smaller more agile competitors, better able to respond to the rising tide of digital technology started to take its place, alongside that of the multi-media smartphone. 

Management arrogance is one of the accusations for its demise.   Yet perhaps its biggest failing was not realizing that the moment to change had arrived and passed it by; quietly and swiflty.   It is one of life’s truisms that the moment to change, is just when everything seems to be going swimmingly.  It is at the point of our greatest successes when we have to consider its demise and therefore the need to innovate and change. 

The Danger of resting on one’s laurels

Whilst Kodak fades to black, we can see a similar struggle occurring with Research in Motion's (RIMs) Blackberry.  Once the smartphone of choice for Executives around the world, it has become more and more obscured by the rise of Apple products and the demand for tablet-based technologies. 

Blackberry like Kodak is accused of failing to read the market conditions and consumer choices.  Being unclear where its core market base lies – ‘are we the smartphone for executives, or the consumer product for young people?’.  This fuzzy marketing focus has led to inconsistent R&D (such as the disastrous launch of the Storm and Playbook and the lack of a single OS platform for software development).

Fuzzy leadership  and poor engagement are also cited for Blackberry's demise.  As we fully embed ourselves in the digital age, companies that fail to provide a figurehead to tell their story, or those that don't engage their customers through the infinite options of social media are at risk of being ignored, overlooked and eventually shunned completely by their once loyal customers.

Engagement & responsive-ness, the new watchwords

How can you ensure that you are listening to and engaging your customers as you develop your products and services?

• The world’s most innovative companies all have a strong and clear strategy, communicated by a strong and clear leader
• Using social media – twitter, facebook, youtube etc., as well as the traditional media channels ensures the widest possible circulation
• Creating closed loop marketing opportunities e.g. Once an Apple product owner, one naturally migrates to the next Apple product.
• Anticipating rather than responding to trends – this one of course is the silver bullet, but the world’s most innovate see this as their raison d’étre.  What are you doing to anticipate?

About us

Agents2change works with some of the world's largest companies on change and implementation issues.  We'd love to hear your thoughts on this blog, innovation or change in general.  Share your comments here or email us on [email protected]

Corporate & Functions # 6 – Summing up how functions can add value

In this mini-series we have reviewed the role and value that functions can play in supporting large or global corporations.  In this final instalment we take a look back at the issues covered and how they affect functions of today and functions of tomorrow in large and global organisations.

Corporate & Functions is a term to cover all of the centralized teams and services that support a range of business areas within a group.  Typically they include activities such as IT, HR, Finance, Communications & Branding, Legal & Operations (Including Safety).  Their purpose is to provide standardized structures and processes across the various business segments within a group.  

Whilst that sounds straightforward on paper, often Functions struggle to deliver timely, consistent or appropriate support to their various groups.  We believe that there are four key areas that Functions need to address to help them to add value to their organisation:

1. Leadership – providing the right balance between technical requirements of the function and the business needs.  Functional leadership has to be both forthright and humble; adapatble and responsive.  The balance needs to be struck based on the situation and the business needs, but it should always be flexible and attentive to the situational needs.       
2. Role Clarity – Functions need to articulate where the lines of responsibility are drawn in relation to tasks under their aegis.  They have a key role in communicating and clarifying boundaries in de-centralised organisations. 
3. Operational Excellence - In order to move the Function from transactional provider to strategic partner (the ultimate goal of world-class Functions) they need to be well-above fire-fighting mode and demonstrating flawless service delivery.  It is only then that business leaders will trust Functional leaders to address longer-term problems. 
4. Creativity - Building partnerships and alliances enables Functions and Business to enter into constructive dialogue to solve compliance, safety and technology needs.    

Corporate Functions have been created to drive efficiencies and achieve the synergies of specialist groups serving generic business groups.  This has been difficult to achieve in reality due to poorly designed scope of functional teams or through a lack of investment in developing world-class operations.  This mini-series revisited some of the key areas where Functions often fall down in their effectiveness.   

We would love to hear your experiences within a Function or as a recipient of their services.  Why not leave your comments here, or contact us on [email protected].  Agents2Change provides specialist change and implementation support to large and global businesses across Manufacturing, Finance, Service and Energy sectors. 

Corporate & Functions # 4 – Achieving Operational Excellence

In this mini-series we are looking at the role and value that Functions can play in supporting large global corporations.  In this instalment we explore the importance of achieving operational excellence. 

Like so many things in life Operational Excellence has an intuitive aspect to it, in that it is often easier to spot what it is not, than to clearly describe what it is.  In organisations where Functions are not performing well the noise from the business segments is consierable.  However gaining agreement on what would constitute exceptional performance becomes harder to fully describe and achieve.

The modern phenomenon of shared services, outsourcing and offshoring makes this ever more difficult as the distance between service delivery and end customer increases.  The perceived loss of control for outsourced services tends to be one of the biggest issues that emerges.  One will often hear the cry “our IT support services were dreadful in-house, but at least you knew who you were talking to.  Now it is just a faceless name, in some remote office that is ignoring a request for help.”

Whether Corporate Functions are in-house or outsourced, one essential component of excellence must be a set of service standards and performance criteria that are transparent and hold consequences for non-delivery.  A Performance Dashboard similar to the example above can be developed, openly shared and visible across the organisation. Defining specifc and relevant measures can be done through a mixture of external benchmarking and internal dialogue.  Upholding those standards can be done through a mixture of leadership accountability and performance incentives. 

This requires a different kind of conversation to be held between functional leaders and business leaders within the organisation.  In order to move the Function from transactional provider to strategic partner (the ultimate goal of world-class Functions) organisations need to be well-above fire-fighting mode and demonstrate flawless service delivery.  It is only then that business leaders will trust Functional leaders to address longer-term problems. 

In our next instalment we will look at Harnessing Creativity.  If you have experiences you wish to share, please comment here or contact us at [email protected]

 

How to Achieve Sustainable Change

To bring about radical improvements in how teams operate, it is important to focus equally on what they are doing and how they are doing it.  Focusing purely on behaviour, without linking it to business process and performance leads to poorly focused development.  Focusing on processes and systems without considering behaviours leads to unsustainable or poorly realized improvements.    It requires a number of things to occur:

Engaging Leadership

Coaching and engagement is essential to sustainable change.  Coaching allows for a frank and timely exchange of views about their leadership style and the interventions in a safe and confidential environment.  It is only by having the space and opportunity to do this, that leaders can learn how to set the right tone and follow that through in their own behaviour, to maximize impact with their team.

Developing a team identity and goal

Bringing the team together to explore how they work together and how that can be improved is a powerful exercise in galvanizing efforts and overcoming resistance.  A key output is a ‘team charter’ that articulates the goals (performance results), in-year milestones, dependencies and how individual roles will contribute to the achievement of those goals. 

Defining Individual Roles

After defining the team charter, individuals then develop their own team role.  It is defined in terms of contribution to team results, but also behaviours and team expectations of each other. 

Defining Processes & creating service standards

Part of the challenge for teams is how to get a shared picture of the end-to-end process, the hand-offs and where performance might be compromised.  By involving all team members in the process mapping and identification they buy-in to the improvements that are identified.

Creating a performance management framework

One of the big reinforcing tools to embed and then maintain new behaviours is a visual performance management framework. The team need to be engaged; not only in the data gathering, but also in understanding and responding to the data as it is reported.  Performance dashboards can lead to lively team discussions, because everyone understands what is required and their role in achieving it. 

Maintaining momentum

It is important, once the changes have been made, to maintain them.  Leaders play an important role here in ensuring that weekly and monthly team meetings are given the priority that they deserve and that data is regularly reviewed.  Praising good performance is just as important as highlighting and questioning poor performance. 

Who we are

Agents2Change has an unblemished track record in delivering significant improvements in key business results: profit; production; reliability; safety; to large scale process industries.    Our team of highly experienced consultants have the knowledge and skills to help you tackle the most daunting of behavioural change agendas informatively and effectively.  For more information, comment here, or email us at:  [email protected]