I
was recently talking with a client about the importance of leadership in change
and it reminded me of a story about teaching.
About
20 years ago I was asked “If you didn’t understand something at school who did
you ask, the person next to you, a friend or the teacher?” I said I’d ask my
friend before I troubled the teacher.
In
that moment I realised that leadership is important (it would not be a successful
class without a teacher) but perhaps it was not the most important factor, or
indeed greatest motivator for my progress. Peer groups, colleagues and intrinsic
(motivated by internal desire) and extrinsic (motivated by external reward or
recognition) motivators are perhaps more important and the role of the teacher
is as much to create the right environment as to give the right answer.
All
this is part of the messiness of culture. I believe above Adrian Moorehouse’s
Olympic Pool there is a banner that says “We create the environments in which
success is inevitable”. So it is worth exploring some of the elements that help
change stick.
ANCHORING
THE CHANGE THROUGH ORGANIZATION’S STRUCTURE
Changing
the structure and reporting can embed change. It immediately highlights where
the problems are occurring, where there is resistance, and this allows
management to focus their effort precisely on the point where it is needed.
However, not all change can be managed through structure. Moreover structural
change is complex and costly and often creates anxiety and unhelpful politics.
ANCHORING
THE CHANGE THROUGH RECOGNITION AND REWARD SYSTEM
One
of the main reasons why change initiatives do not stick is because the support
systems are not aligned with the change. When a change is implemented, the
support systems, including incentives, recognition, reward and performance
measures, should support, encourage and reward successful change.
ANCHORING
THE CHANGE IN THE ORGANIZATION’S CULTURE
The
third method of anchoring the change is to combine hard change with a change in
the organization’s culture. This is by far the most difficult type of change to
achieve–creating organization culture is a book in itself–but when it does
occur, the change can be most profound and widely owned and accepted.
The
third method of anchoring the change is to combine hard change with a change in
the organization’s culture. This is by far the most difficult type of change to
achieve–creating organization culture is a book in itself–but when it does
occur, the change can be most profound and widely owned and accepted.
To achieve this, you’ll need to
1.
Change all the symbols and stories of the old
culture and create new ones. See Cultural Web https://www.leadershipcentre.org.uk/artofchangemaking/theory/cultural-web/
2.
Make a bold statement about the new culture and
both communicate and demonstrate it.
3.
Ensure all management and ,leadership model the
new culture
4.
Systematically remove any people or impediments
to new culture
5.
Align with organization’s recognition and reward system
6.
Regularly review using evidence from customers,
staff, other stakeholders
I look forward to comments which are always welcome and am
always grateful for recommended books, videos or research.
@TimHJRogers +447797762051
https://www.linkedin.com/in/timhjrogers/
MBA (Management Consulting) Projects & Change
Practitioner,
http://www.timhjrogers.com
#LEADERSHIP #CHANGE #PROJECTS
No comments:
Post a Comment