Leading Organizational Change: The Three Dimensions of Organizaitons that Leaders Must Addresss for Change to be Successful
1. Leading Organizational Change: Three
Dimensions of OrganizationsThat
Leaders MUST Address if LeadersWant
Change to Really Happen
Presented by…
Gary F. Best, Ph.D.
Organizational Psychologist
PerformanceBest, LLC
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2. Today’s Conversation
TheThree Dimensions of Organizations
The Dynamics of Change in theThree
Dimensions
Three Change Models Currently Used
A New Approach to Leading Change
Bringing It AllTogether…Using All the
Dimensions to Lead Effective Change
Questions
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6. EightTrust Networks
Formal Hierarchy Informal Networks
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Increasing Levels ofTrust
Career Network (Outside of formal systems)
Innovation Network (Change it now!)
Social Network (Trust lite)
Expertise Network (Built the present )
Strategy Network (Leaders at the top)
Decision Network (Work the system)
Work Network (Transactional)
Learning Network (Integrate old & new)
7. DimensionThree: Humans and our Brains
The Human Brain….
Loves to hardwire—estimates suggest we spend
85 – 90% of our waking time on “auto pilot”
Doesn’t like gaps in the storyline…the brain fills
in blanks in the information we take in and then
treats its additions as fact….
Defaults to hardwired behaviors when under
stress
Is additive concerning information, not
discrete…this means that our memories are not
of discrete events, but made up of elements of all
similar events we participated in.
Will “turn off” the Prefrontal Cortex and turn
“thinking” over to the Amygdala in high stress,
high pressure or other tense situations
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8. The Dynamics of Change in theThree Dimensions
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9. The Naturesof Change
In the formal hierarchy change is understood…
consciously or unconsciously… as mechanistic, linear
and top down…
Here, there are Change Sponsors, Change Agents and
ChangeTargets
In the informal networks change is organic, trust driven
and more prevalent in some networks (Strategy,
Innovation & Learning)…
Here there are trusted change guides who influence
the thinking of members of the network
In the human brain change is about turning off a
mental map (or neural network) and creating a new
mental map that directs new behavior
Here change is about knowledge creation or learning
which creates a new mental map that results in
someone behaving differently
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10. The Process of Change in the Formal Hierarchies
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Shouldwechangesomething?
Wave 1
Wave 2
Wave 3
W 1 initiates the idea of change and talks among
themselves while they decide “change / no change”.
It’s low risk for the sponsors
W1 introduces the idea of change toW2—who has
to catch up with the idea and then design the
change for W1. It’s high risk for the change agents
W2 introduces the idea of change toW3 who has to
catch up with the idea and the design asW2 asksW3
to implement the change for W1. It’s very high risk
for the change targets
11. The Process of Change in the Informal Networks
Change
Modeled
Modeled
Change
Adopted
Modeled
Change
Adopted
Modeled
Change
Adopted
Modeled
Change
Rejected
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12. The Process of Change in the Human Brain
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Through conscious effort on our part, the brain
stops using an existing neural network that was
developed over time and that enabled a certain
behavior (unfreeze)
Through deliberate practice we consciously begin
to develop a new neural network that will enable
a different behavior (change)
Overtime this conscious effort takes hold and the
new neural network becomes “hardwired” or
second nature (refreeze)
Early efforts at change will result in failures and
the less determined will discontinue the effort to
create a new neural network and revert back to
using the old network
This is a 3-D view of connections in the brain originating from different cortical
areas.
New maps may hold clues to brain mysteries. By Elizabeth Landau, CNN
CNN.com, 2 April 2014
14. TheirApproach
Lewin (3) (1947)
1. Unfreeze
2. Change
3. Refreeze
Burke-Litwin (4) (1992)
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External Environment
1. Mission and strategy
2. Leadership
3. Organization culture
Management Practices
1. Structure
2. Work unit climate
3. Systems
Individual Capacity
1. Motivation
2. Task requirements and
individual knowledge,
skills and approaches
3. Individual needs and
values
Kotter (5) (1996)
1. Establish urgency
2. Create guiding coalition
3. Develop vision / strategy
4. Communicate the vision
5. Empower employees
6. Generate short term wins
7. Consolidate gains
8. Anchor change in the
culture
NEW--Begins to address and
account for “networklike”
structures in his book
“Accelerate”.
15. And Each ModelTells Us…..
Lewin tells us how change happens and by inference what you need to do
Burke-Litwin tells us the organizational levers that have to be addressed
for change to be effective
Kotter tells us the steps you need to take and the order they should be
taken for change to be effective
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16. Their Focus Areas and Assumptions
Lewin
Focus on
Change process
Assumptions
Leaders and
managers know what
organizational areas
to manipulate
And how to
manipulate them
Burke-Litwin
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Focus on
Components and structures
Assumptions
Leaders and managers know
what they must do
Managers know how to plan
and sequence the change
Change can be managed
The organization is a system
and all of the moving parts have
to be considered
Kotter
Focus on
Tasks to complete
Assumptions
Change is linear and
top-down
Leaders and managers
know what
organizational areas to
manipulate
And how to manipulate
them
Change can be managed
NEW—to be successful,
change needs a second,
parallel operating
system, a “networklike
structure” focused on
strategy
17. The Problem
the research, on effective change management and effective change efforts
shows that 60-70% of all change efforts undertaken have failed…..
So what’s going on here???
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18. A New Approach to Leading Change
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19. A New Approach
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1. Direct the Rider
Find the bright spots
Script the critical moves
Point to the destination
2. Motivate the Elephant
Find the feeling
Shrink the challenge
Grow your people
3. Shape the Path
Tweak the environment
Build habits
Rally the herd
Heath & Heath(6) (2010)
20. Key Focus Areas and Assumptions
Heath & Heath
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Focus on
Individuals, the brain and
informal networks to drive
change
Assumptions
Change begins with a single
individual or a small group of
individuals and spreads
Change is complex and adaptive
Change is multi faceted
Change is circuitous
Change is organic and
influenced…not mechanical and
directed
21. This New ApproachTells Us
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….how to guide and
influence change
It doesn’t suggest
that change can be
“completely
managed” or “fully
controlled”
22. The BIGTake-away from this model is to….
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…remember the role of the brain in change
The Rider represents your pre-frontal cortex—
the brains “executive” function.You do your
heavy lift thinking using the pre-frontal cortex
The Elephant represents your amygdala…an
ancient part of the brain that when activated
initiates your fight, flight or appease response
When under stress or in unfamiliar territory (a
change situation) your amygdala can be
activated…and when the amygdala is
activated the pre-frontal cortex becomes
much less active
The upshot is that when you need clear, rational
thinking the most…you don’t have it! And that’s
a problem
Remember the Elephant and the Rider (7)
24. Recognize the Impact Point
This means understanding change first
and foremost as originating as an
individual experience…not as an
“organization” experience.
Again, the key is to understand change
first and foremost as originating as an
individual experience…as an
“organizing” experience not as an
“organization” experience
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To Effectively Lead Change,You Must…..
25. Recognize how change operates
Change operates as a complex adaptive
system and not as a mechanical, top-
down effort
When you can view change as a
complex adaptive system, by definition,
you are required to consider and use all
of the dimensions discussed in this
presentation….
The Formal Organization
The informal trust networks
The Rider and Elephant
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To Effectively Lead Change,You Must….
27. Sources
1. Reina, D. S. & Reina, M. L. (2006). Trust and Betrayal in theWorkplace: Building
Effective Relationships inYour Organization. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
2. Kotter, J.P. (2012). Accelerate!. Harvard Business Review: Reprint R211B
3. Schein, E. J. (1995). Kurt Lewin's ChangeTheory in the Field and in the Classroom:
NotesToward a Model of Managed Learning.Working Paper 3821. Revised July
1995
4. Burke,W.W. & Litwin, G. H. (1992). A Causal Model of Organizational
Performance & Change. Journal of Management, 18 (3), 523-545.
5. Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press
6. Heath, C. & Heath, D. (2010). Switch: How to ChangeThingsWhen Change is
Hard. NewYork: Broadway Books.
7. Haidt, J. (2006).The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding ModernTruth in Ancient
Wisdom. NewYork: Basic Books (Haidt developed the metaphor of the Rider and the Elephant, see page 4 & 5)
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