Sandy Schwan at Evolving Strategies, LLC. Organizational Change Consultant

Viewing Conflict As An Opportunity During Organizational Change

“Leaders do not avoid, repress, or deny conflict, but rather see it as an opportunity.”

Warren Bennis (1925 – ), American scholar, writer

Bridging the gap between organizational factions is a tough challenge — but one that most leaders face when leading organizational change. Here are four steps for bringing disparate parties together:

Action

1. Get consensus on the problem. Avoid getting into the solution right away since it's likely the source of the disagreement. Ask what success will look like a year from now. Test assumptions about what needs to be accomplished. Then, use these initial discussions to bring people together around a compelling goal while leaving open how it will be achieved.

2. Identify multiple solutions. Bring the group together to brainstorm ideas. Encourage all ideas without judgment or analysis.

3. Assign cross-faction teams to assess solutions to help break down divisions while laying out the benefits and costs of each solution.

4. Get quick wins. Take one or two of the ideas developed by the teams and implement them right away. These shared successes will build momentum for future collaboration.

There are likely other dynamics that constrain bipartisan collaboration during organizational change. These simple steps might not always be possible in highly polarized environments…but they are worth a try.

Adapted from Ron Ashkenas and the Harvard Business Review.

Laughing Your Way to the Bank During Organizational Change

"...what humor is all about: playing with ideas, challenging assumptions, and poking fun at tradition."

 from a great post by Rosabeth Moss Kanter on the virtue of humor.

Three Questions to Assess Your Change Readiness

"The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes." Marcel Proust, French Novelist (1871-1922)

Leaders need to be sure they are exercising their situational awareness for what today's quickly changing business landscape means to them, their teams and their organizations.

Action

Here are three questions to help you face the challenge of change:

1. Do you see opportunities others don't? Change breeds opportunity. Don't out-compete your rivals; reinvent the rules of the game by finding new opportunities first. Therein lies the fun.

2. Can your clients live without you? Options constantly evolve. If your products and services aren't indispensable, clients are likely to move on.

3. Are you learning as fast as the world is changing? As a leader, you absolutely cannot afford to stop learning. Seek out ways to evolve and be humble enough to know you do not always have the answer.

Adapted from William C. Taylor, co-founder of Fast Company magazine and coauthor of Mavericks at Work: Why The Most Original Minds In Business Win

Rule of Three: Knowing When to Confront Someone

You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory.” J. Donald Walters (1926 - ), Romanian author, lecturer, composer

Expect to see a wide range of interesting behaviors during an organizational change. Some behaviors will be productive, and other behaviors won't be. What matters most is having a plan in place on how you want to handle various behaviors.

For instance, when someone shows up late to a meeting or makes a comment that makes you uncomfortable, it can be difficult to decide if it's a big enough deal to address or if you should let it go. In such situations, try using the "rule of three."

Action - The Rule of Three

1. The first time someone does something that makes you uncomfortable, take notice of your discomfort.
2. The second time, acknowledge that the first time was not an isolated incident and that there may be a pattern emerging.
3. The third time, speak up. Tell the person that you've noticed something three times, and you want to discuss it with him.

This simple rule can both help you determine what's worth raising and hold you back from jumping on every single issue.

Stay tuned for more 'Rule of Three' applications when leading and managing organizational change effectively.

Adapted from Peter Bregman.

Seeking a Change Management/OD Consultant for 3-Month IT Capability Diagnostic for a Global Firm in Downtown Chicago

Ability is of little account without opportunity.  -Napoleon

If you've got the ability, I've got the opportunity. My company has been engaged to deliver this analysis for the company, and I’m looking forward to delivering. If you or your potential candidates have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via the information noted below. Thank you, Sandy

________________________________________________________

Sandra M. Schwan  |  Evolving Strategies, LLC

1660 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 3011  |  Chicago, IL 60614 

office 312.337.8442  |  mobile 312.371.7263

www.evolvingstrategies.com  |  [email protected]

Helping People and Organizations Learn, Change and Perform

Opportunity Brief

Information Technology (IT) Capability Consultant

Reporting Line

This role will report to the HR Business Partner for Client’s North America Finance team, who will be the primary client.

Scope

· Client’s North America Information Technology (IT) group, including Canada and the USA (circa 600 FTE).

· All grades below IT Executive Team.

Role Outcomes / Deliverables

· Program design and plan to deliver end to end Capability Build within IT.

· Future state IT capability requirements defined by function and role.

· Current state capability gap analysis by function and role.

· Define future generic roles across IT.

· IT capability build strategy developed and agreed with IT Senior Leadership Team, to include sourcing strategy.

· IT talent strategy developed and agreed with Senior Leadership Team (linked in with capability build strategy).

· Learning paths developed for generic IT roles. (Appropriate training solutions identified and where necessary brief for new training to be built)

· 2010/11 Learning and Development (L&D) road map/plan for IT (incorporating academies and skill soft roll out plan).

· Client Human Resources (HR) capability build through knowledge transfer to internal Change Consultants and L&D Consultants.

· Upon exiting Client, the program activity should be set up to enable the internal Client resource to successfully execute the plan.

Approach

· Use external knowledge and approaches, but incorporating existing Client processes where available. E.g. Talking Talent and Capability Toolkit.

· Capability requirements should be defined in line with the ongoing Organization Design activity.  Including the identification of generic IT roles.  Utilizing aligned Change Consultancy resource. 

· Capability build and talent strategy to incorporate options around what capability the client will retain, grow or buy.   The option to buy should consider ongoing outsourcing and Global Service Provider discussions.

· In building learning paths and development solutions existing academy solutions should be used as far as possible.  Where new learning solutions are required these should be scoped and brokered with L&D for design and development.

· External consultant has accountability for the overall program delivery and will co-ordinate and program manage the internal resource effort.  This should include aligning work, coaching and supporting in such a way as to engender knowledge transfer and learning for the aligned HR resource.

· Linking in with consultants in other areas of client’s North America business undertaking capability assessment and development activity to share learning and approach.  Also to identify synergies and opportunities to avoid duplication.

Timescales

The timeline will be set as part of the initial program planning process, but broadly will be as follows;  

Activity	When
Program scoping and planning	April
Future Capability Requirements definition	April / May
Capability Gap analysis	May
Capability build/ sourcing strategy development	May/ June
Learning paths development	June
Learning solutions brief development	June/ July
External consultant exit	End June
New learning solutions created	July
Capability development/ sourcing strategy implemented	TBC – in line with OD roll out plans

Person Specification

· Extensive knowledge of defining and building organizational and team capabilities.

· Strong program / project management capability.

· L&D / change consultancy background.

· Ability to engage with and quickly build rapport and credibility with senior stakeholders.

· Previous experience and knowledge of IT capabilities.

Here are some other details that I thought you all might find helpful in thinking about potential candidates:

· Immediate start date for three months for the right candidate, with the high likelihood to extend the contract to help with the design and delivery of the recommendations

· % of time onsite: full-time mostly

· Rate: Commensurate with candidate experience and match to opportunity specs

· Where the project is currently: Needing to kick off

· Client location: Downtown Chicago

· This consultant will be staffed through Evolving Strategies LLC, who is working with the client in other areas

Boost Performance By Doing Good

"Devising and maintaining an atmosphere in which others can put a dent in the universe is the leader's creative act." --Warren Bennis

Can doing good keep employees engaged and grow your business? You bet it can.

Ramping up altruism may well be the killer app in 2009 and early 2010 — a time when companies need their top talent to be firing on all cylinders to spur growth and renewal, but where conventional rewards such as pay raises and bonuses are hard to come by, according to Sylvia Ann Hewitt in her forthcoming book Top Talent: Keeping Performance Up When Business Is Down.

Hewitt is an economist, member of the World Economic Forum Council on the Gender Gap, and founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy where she directs the "Hidden Brain Drain"—a task force of 50 global companies committed to fully realizing female and multicultural talent.

Her research shows that high-potential employees are motivated by a desire to give back to their communities. These employees are increasingly seeking out employers that allow them to do so on the job. Real life examples and the associated returns? By integrating "doing good" into their business strategies, GE's healthyimagination and Pfizer's Global Access programs are expanding company revenue and attracting and retaining these key employees.

Weaving the 'feel good' factor into a go-to-market playbook gives high potential employees priceless psychic rewards, and a reason to stay, play and win, says Hewitt. This approach is certainly working for Ponni Subbiah — one of Pfizer's most talented female leaders. "We all want to feel that we can have an impact on the world. That's why I like Global Access. The fact that we're going to increase access to our medicines in a part of the world where people are very needy .... that's very gratifying for me." And it's good business.

Action

While donations and volunteering are wonderful avenues for allowing your employees to give back, do not limit your company's socially responsible efforts. Explore ways that your company can combine social responsibility and commercial viability by offering lower cost products to emerging markets or developing a new profitable solution to a social problem.

Adapted from Harvard Business Publishing

Know Thy Partner: Three Client Types and How to Work With Them

An interesting perspective to consider of the outset of each 'client' and / or organizational change.

“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.” — James Allen, 1864-1912, English literary man of mystery and unrewarded genius

The smart folks at Vital Smarts and the MIT Sloane Management Review recently released a study on the root causes for the shockingly high failure rate of cross-functional projects and programs. Estimates are that as many as 80 percent of strategic initiatives, IT projects, corporate programs, and the like are awful disappointments. For example, four years ago, the world watched as Gustav Humbert, the CEO of Air Bus, was dismissed from his job in shame when the A380 aircraft missed its delivery date by more than a year. The worst of it was that the announcement of the delay happened on the day the plane was due! Makes you scratch your head in wonder that this information did not seem to be available to Mr. Humbert any sooner than the minute he was supposed to unveil the engineering marvel to the world. What was going on?

The study identified five early warning signs of project failure. How companies handle these five issues predicts with up to 85 percent precision how well they achieve critical results. In fact, if the people at these organizations handle any of these crucial issues poorly, the odds of the project being delayed, of quality being compromised, and of costs escalating are better than 70 percent. Not good.

1. Fact-Free Planning — Commitments to deadlines and limits on resources are made with little consideration for the real demands of the project.
2. AWOL Sponsors — The executive sponsor of a project is not leading as s/he should. S/he is not showing up for meetings, holding people accountable, or walking the talk.
3. Skirting — Powerful leaders bypass agreed upon decision-making processes or quality gates in ways that are allowing scope creep or putting commitments at risk.
4. Project Chicken — Critical aspects of the project are going over schedule or running over budget and it's not politically popular to admit it. Instead, people play "chicken"—letting things get closer to the deadline without acknowledging problems.
5. Team Failures — Key members of the project team are not competent or do not follow through on their commitments.

ACTION:

• In your project plans, remember to give the right level of focus on the people aspect of the project. Confirm sponsor commitment and what 'commitment' means to project success.
• Make one of the first steps in your project a "Roles and Responsibilities" list. In organizational (or project team) design 101, a fundamental reason why teams don't work effectively is because it is not clear who is doing what. Make it clear – write it down and discuss with everyone on that list.
• Raise issues as soon as you identify them. I think we all know that it is much more effective to handle issues when they are spark vs. a full-blown wildfire.
• Get clear on how people, groups are to be held accountable for this project. This is tricky, but if you get this agreement upfront, it gives you the leverage to question accountability should something go awry.

Adapted from Vital Smarts, 2009.

Looking to Create Creative & Innovative Solutions? Go To Your Stretch Zone

Can You Become a Creature of New Habits?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/business/04unbox.html?_r=1&goback=%2Ehom

This New York Times article provides an interesting perspective on the three zones of existence and in which zone true change occurs.

There are "...three zones of existence: comfort, stretch and stress. Comfort is the realm of existing habit. Stress occurs when a challenge is so far beyond current experience as to be overwhelming. It’s that stretch zone in the middle — activities that feel a bit awkward and unfamiliar — where true change occurs."

If possible, develop change management solutions, strategies and tactics to keep impacted people in the stretch zone. The stress zone can create an inability for people to learn because they are in the 'fight - or flight' mode.

Crash. Burn. Turnaround: Seven Ways to Turn Failure Into Success

"Every strike brings me closer to the next home run." 

Babe Ruth (1895–1948), American baseball player

Perhaps you are leading an organizational change (e.g., merger, acquisition, downsizing, hyper-growth, business process reengineering) that is not performing quite as planned. It could even be considered a…failure. So, what do you do?

 

You may not realize it now, but you have (at least) two key responses: the ‘little w’ response and the ‘Big W’ response (and I am hopeful that my Northern Trust Corporation colleagues reading this entry are smiling at the re-use of big and little w).

 

Option One: The little w response. wallow in self-pity

 

Option Two: Big W response:  Be Willing. Be Willing to turn disappointments into great accomplishments by:

• Changing a course of action that isn’t working, no matter how much faith, time and money you may have put into it so far
• Abandoning a path that is not taking you where you want to go, and starting over again

Thomas Edison believed there were no mistakes or failures, only “eliminated options” that brought him one step closer to his goal. Decide to eliminate option one above and rethink failure.

A failure can be a valuable opportunity to regroup and rethink strategies and goals. Do not let pride keep you stuck in a wrong decision. Realize there is hope on the other side of the change, even if you cannot see it yet.

 

ACTION: Try these seven steps to turn failure into success. 

1.   Look at your past objectively

2.   Focus on the purpose on the other side of the failure / pain

3.      Realize that you can’t see the whole parade from where you stand

4.      It’s not whether you have won or lost in the past; it’s the person you have to become to win in the future. Think about who you want to become 

5.  Accept that falling is a normal part of life, but try to fall forward - in the direction of your goal

6.  Realize that pain and heartache are only labor pains before your / the change's birth

7.  Know that retreat does not equal defeat

I recognize that these steps are not easy. There are strategies and tools to help you succeed in each step. Consider adding your steps that have worked well for you in the past. Even better, create a new step.

Make a deliberate decision not to give up in transforming your adversities into success springboards.

 

Adapted from © Advisor Today 2008 and Critical Choices That Change Lives: How Heroes Turn Tragedy Into Triumphby Daniel Canstro. All rights reserved.