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Is This a Big Change, or Not?

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iStock_000005861579SmallWe’ve all experienced this. We are facing a really big change, and yet when we begin to discuss it with others going through it with us, they shrug their shoulders and say, “No big deal.” Or, vice versa.

Is it a big change, or not? What makes a change big, or not?

There are two critical perspectives to apply when answering this question. The first is examine the change itself; the second is to view the change as seen by those who are experiencing it.

Before we explore these perspectives, let’s return one more time to the definition of change: Change is a disruption in expectations. The bigger the disruption, the bigger the change.

Applying a Change Perspective

Is this a big change? Here are some questions to reflect on as you apply a change perspective.

  • How many different sets of expectations are being disrupted?
  • What, specifically is being disrupting? Is it:
    • Who people interact with
    • How they interact with one another
    • The expectations of those interactions
    • How people think about one another
    • How people think about what they are doing
    • That power bases will be shifted; some people will gain power, others will lose it
  • How large are the disruptions it requires?
  • How many people are being disrupted? Is it a small number, or does the change ripple across an organization or large familial/social network?
  • how clearly defined–and visible–is a successful outcome?
  • How clear is the journey from the present state to the desired future state?
  • How important is it that the promises of the change be fully delivered?

Applying a Change Target Lens

Is this a big change? To some degree, that is in the eye of the beholder, the targets of the change who have to modify their behavior, and perhaps even how they think about things, if the change is to succeed. There are several factors that come into play.

Is the change perceived as positive or negative? It is likely that different people will see it differently, and thus approach it differently. If you are approaching something from a negative perspective it is generally much more difficult to face than if you are approaching it in a positive manner; the change appears tougher–and bigger–than if it were seen in a positive light.

How much else is going on? If life is really quiet, people have more mental, physical, and emotional capacity for adapting to the change than if there is a lot going on. One of the challenges is that, especially in organizational change (but sometimes in personal change as well), we really don’t know what is going on in people’s lives beyond what we see in our interactions with them. Mary might have a sleep disorder; Charlie might have just lost a loved one; Tommy may be a single dad working two jobs. Nonetheless, to the degree that you can, it is important that you factor in people’s capacity for change, and that you watch for signs of overload.

How resilient are those being affected by the change? Each of us has a different level of personal resilience. How resilient we are affects how much change we can handle at one time. Our resilience also affects whether we approach the change proactively, or reactively. And, it may affect whether our “default position” is perceiving change as positive or negative.”

How much control–direct and/or indirect–do people have? The greater the sensed loss of control (including the ability to accurately know what to expect), the bigger the change is perceived. Think of it this way. If the lights go on and off when you flip the switch, you are in direct control. When you see someone else walk over to flip the switch, you have indirect control, since you know what to expect and how to respond to it. But, if the lights just–apparently randomly–start going on and off with no one near the switch…your environment has suddenly changed significantly.

Do people have the skills, or know that they will be able to develop the skills, needed to adjust to the change? For those who do, the change is not as big as for those who don’t.

How invested are they in the status quo? As we have discussed before, even if people don’t like the status quo, they often stick with it because they know what to expect. The more invested you are in the current way things are, the bigger any change that disrupts things.

How aligned is the change with one’s world view, personal beliefs, values, etc. If the change remains equidistant to these things, or moves closer, it will be perceived as a less disruptive change than if it moves further away.

The answer to Is this a big change? is sometimes self-evident. But often it’s much more nuanced… “Yes” over there, “No” in this other area, and “So-so” down the hall.

It is unlikely that you will ever be able to know the answers to all these questions for a change touching more than a small handful of people. Nonetheless, there are things that you can do to take these factors into consideration, and to lessen the disruption of any change. I will write about some of those things next week.

How do you determine how big a change is? Add your thoughts below.

Change Doesn’t Play by the Rules.

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iStock_000005310903MediumWe know this… Yet it seems to be one of the lessons we have to learn over and over and over and over again.

When it comes to big change, there are a very clear set of principles that we can apply. Things like:

  • Whether the change is perceived as positive or negative, there will be resistance; during large-scale change resistance is critical to building commitment.
  • Commitment must be orchestrated over time.
  • It is essential that you focus both on putting the things needed for success in place, and on making the necessary shifts in thinking and behaviors.
  • Sponsorship is based on who people look to for communications and consequences related to a specific change; it cannot be assigned

There are dozens of others; if you flip through my blog posts you will see them spelled out and illustrated.

But it is important to remember…these are principles, not rules. Change doesn’t unfold neatly. It doesn’t proceed according to plan. Methodologies can be directionally correct, but don’t let that fool you into attempting to follow them blindly.

You will make mistakes; it is inevitable. Decisions have to be made in the absence of adequate information; some of them will be wrong. “Fess up,” and make the necessary adjustments, the sooner the better. (Ironically, you may have to acknowledge the mistake even though you have inadequate information to be sure you are on the wrong track.)

You will be distracted. There are a lot of “bright, shiny objects” that can easily catch your attention. And, there will be unanticipated crises that will do likewise. Be careful; it’s easy for the change to “go off the rails” when this happens.

When faced with distractions, acknowledge them and let them go.

When faced with crisis, evaluate it in the context of the change. Whatever your role in the change, you cannot delegate it. Do you need to slow the change down; to defer decisions and/or actions, to redeploy resources? You may need to decide these things and act on them quickly… But decide and act, don’t default.

You will be worn down. Change drains us emotionally, physically, mentally. Be ready! Ensure that the others who are taking the journey are ready as well!

In 2007 I completed a Himalayan pilgrimage with several others from my yoga studio. This was to be a major change from my life in metropolitan New York City in many ways. It was planned as a series of treks requiring camping, with nights in between spent in guest houses. Our first trek took us from Hanuman chatti to Dodital and on to Sangam chatti. On the second day of this trek I wrote, “Sometimes, the only thought can be, Where do I plant my trekking pole? Where do I take my next step? Where do I plant my pole for the support that I need, and so it doesn’t become wedged? Where do I plant my foot so there is a place to plant my next foot. Even these thoughts sometimes just skim the consciousness.”

I had prepared in the gym for months. But I also prepared on the yoga mat, on my prayer/meditation bench, through reading, and in reflection.

Our journey had a series of planned “plateaus,” those evenings spent in guest houses. When we completed this first trek of three days, four of the twelve announced that they were leaving. While the reasons they gave varied, the reality was that they were not prepared emotionally, physically, and mentally for the challenges of this change. They spent the remainder of their time in India at a spa, an experience that was far less challenging–and far less of a change–than the remainder of us experienced.

Prepare, prepare those around you, and plan for the plateaus. Know where you are going…not just in your head, but in your heart and in your gut. Big change journeys, just like a Himalayan pilgrimage, will test you and all who are traveling with you. The ability to call on your internalized experience of the destination will help sustain you along the way. Prepare. Then let go of your expectations, and be present to the reality that unfolds.

What do you do to prepare for your change journeys?

 

 

“Change on a Dime”

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Dime_Reverse_13“In this environment, we have to be able to change on a dime.” If you haven’t said it yourself, you’ve probably heard others saying it.

Whether in our personal lives or our work lives, it is clear that the volume, speed, and complexity of change continues to accelerate. Having the ability to “change on a dime” would clearly put you ahead of the competition in the marketplace, and keep you out “in front of the Joneses” in the neighborhood.

But is “changing on a dime” what you really want to strive for?

In order to answer this question, it’s necessary to look at the constraints that keep us from having–or exercising–this ability now. First and foremost are those things that stabilize our lives day-to-day. At work, we might refer to the organizational culture or the operating paradigm. At home, it is the family routines, lifestyle, or traditions.

I’ve written about these things extensively in past posts, most notably in Anchors, Aweigh. Much of the time, these anchors–whatever form they may take–are operating in the background. They provide us with the stability we need in order to focus on other things. We know which decisions to make on our own, which ones require consultation with others, and which ones are to be made by someone else. We know what behaviors are acceptable, and what behaviors are not. We know how to do what is expected of us, whether as the accountant, the CEO, the spouse, or the parent.

Our anchors, whatever they are, wherever they are, keep us in relative stasis. They keep us, our families, our organizations, and our communities (even our society) generally heading in what has been determined to be “the right direction.” The stronger the connection to any specific anchor, the more tightly it holds us in place.

Changing on a dime–if the change is significant–means changing our relationship to one or more of those tightly bound anchors. It means letting go of who we have been, what we have been doing, how we have been thinking, and becoming a different person or organization “in an instant.”

From this perspective, the best way to “change on a dime” is to be adrift, without anchors. Much like a leaf floating downstream, we can “go with the flow,” bobbing quickly through the rapids, and swirling slowly in the eddies.

Once you put even one anchor down, your ability to change instantly is at risk. It is not as easy to move across the country if you have a family, or own a house (or factory). But, having no anchors leaves us–quite literally–adrift.

Given that we as individuals, as well as our institutions, tend to be strongly anchored, changing intentionally requires us to reflect on our anchors. Which ones do we let go of; which ones do we realign our relationship to; which ones do we sustain? This reflection will slow us down–both as individuals and as organizations–at the same time as it helps us change wisely. And, this reflection, when done well, doesn’t happen “on a dime.”

So if changing on a dime is not, in fact, something to aspire to, how do we better position ourselves to be able to change more rapidly?

I have recently experienced a book that has proven to be a great tool for me in this regard. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeon is a book that is intended to be experienced, not just read. While the author focuses his writing at the individual level, the lessons he shares can apply to our organizations as well.

Future blogs will, no doubt, contain references to McKeown’s work. For now, let me highlight a few elements that address how we and our institutions can become more quickly adaptable to change.

According to McKeown, the nonessentialist seeks to be all things to all people, engages in the undisciplined pursuit of more, and lives a life that does not satisfy. The essentialist thinks less is better, engages in the disciplined pursuit of less, and lives a life that really matters.

What really matters to you as an individual? What really matters to your organization? What can you not say “No” to without damaging the core of who you are and what you do? Once you know what that is, it is time to begin saying “No” to all those other things whose weight you are carrying. And, it’s time to begin saying “No” to the change opportunities that come your way, but do not move you forward on your essential path.

McKeown’s message is, in some ways, a familiar one. “You can’t be all things to all people” is the popular saying. Jim Collins addressed it with his hedgehog model in Good to Great. Writers, programmers, project managers, designers, and many others learn, “It’s not complete when you can’t put anything else in, it’s complete when you can’t take anything else out.”

Taking this essentialist approach will not enable you to “change on a dime.” But it will free you of many of the anchors that are slowing you down now. And, fewer of the changes that appear on your horizon will warrant a second thought. Those factors alone–knowing what is essential, letting go of unnecessary anchors, and letting nonessential changes pass by–will  significantly increase the speed by which you can change when the essential opportunities present themselves.

What are your thoughts?

 

 

When Organizations “Just Leave”

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iStock_000009672442SmallLast week’s post addressed individuals “just leaving” before having a clear picture of where they were going. When I began to write it, I thought that I had to focus the post on individuals since organizations don’t just leave. But, in their own way, they actually do. After all, “just leaving” is in the eye of the beholder.

While it may be an oversimplification, organizations are collections of people working together to deliver products or services; many, though not all, do so within the context of a broader vision and mission. Their products and/or services are delivered to specific markets.

Through this lens, an organization may choose to leave its people, its markets, one or more of its product/service lines, or even its vision and mission.

In early October 2003 an American airstrike hit a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. Dozens of people were killed and injured, including several medical personnel serving on behalf of Doctors Without Borders. Reluctantly, the organization withdrew from Kunduz, leaving the war torn region grossly underserved. Sometimes, organizations–like individuals–find themselves in untenable situations that require an immediate retreat.

However, sometimes organizations “just leave” for economic reasons, and they do so in ways that create significant hardship for their people and the communities they are leaving. Factories are shuttered; storefronts are boarded up; offices are vacated. Jobs are eliminated, or are moved elsewhere. All too often, the announcements and the actions come after considerable analysis and planning in headquarters, but with little or no forewarning for those who will be affected. Generally, the law is obeyed, union contracts–if they exist–are complied with, personnel policies are adhered to. But the leaving is experienced as a negative failure at the local level. “They just left.”

To me, there is another way to “just leave” in this situation; it is one that I have recommended to clients in the past. Engage those being left in defining how to make the leaving a success. “How do we successfully end our operations here…successfully for you as employees, successfully for your families, successfully for the community, and successfully for us as an organization?” By returning a sense of control to those being impacted by the change, you are not only reducing the level of disruption they are feeling. You are also positively affecting how your brand will be seen. You are no longer “just leaving.”

There are times when organizations leave their product/service offerings. As a sometime photographer I experienced this first-hand about a decade ago. I used to shoot Scala, a black and white slide film, with my Minolta pro camera. In one year, Agfa, which manufactured Scala, went out of business, and Minolta merged with Konica; they left the field of photography altogether to focus on office products. Their leaving was understandable. Quite simply, digital photography was replacing film at all levels of the market; the industry was being shaken up from all directions.

I cannot speak to the experience of the employees when these two corporate departures took place; I can speak to the consumer experience. Initially I saw this as a negative change. I preferred film to digital, which does not capture black and  white the same way. I had thousands of dollars of lenses suitable for Minolta–but not other–camera bodies. (For those unfamiliar with photography, different manufacturers use different lens mounts, making it difficult, and expensive, to switch brands.) Yet, while the transition was uncomfortable, it proved to be manageable.

Scala film required special processing; there were perhaps a half-dozen labs in the country that developed it at the time. One by one they closed down their Scala darkrooms as the demand faded; as late as this spring there was still one available for those still shooting with the film.

Minolta sold all of its patents to Sony, which began developing digital camera bodies that could use Minolta lenses. Today, Sony’s digital cameras are highly regarded in the world of pro photographers. I still shoot with the Minolta lenses, along with some newer lenses manufactured by Sony. My digital camera bodies are made by Sony.

If your organization is planning to leave product/service lines, pay attention to the customer experience. Communicate with them; if possible, offer them paths to successfully transition to other ways of accomplishing what your products/services were providing to them. Leave, but don’t abandon your customers in the process.

Leaving your mission or vision is particularly challenging; beyond the products and services, these are what tie the organization to its employees and its external stakeholders.

Sometimes, the leaving is due to the vision having been fulfilled. As one example, some nonprofits whose mission was to achieve marriage equality have now closed their doors. Others have reframed their vision and mission to a broader equality perspective. In the former case, acknowledge those who have supported your pursuit of the mission, and do everything that you can to assist your employees in transitioning to other employment.

Whether you are a nonprofit or for profit, when the vision and/or mission change, it is important to acknowledge those who have supported you from outside, whatever that relationship might have been. Some may stay, while others may leave; they all warrant recognition. The same will be true of employees. When the organization’s purpose for being shifts, not everyone inside of it will want to remain. Once again, how you respond as an organization will say a great deal to them, as well as to others. Don’t demonize those who elect to not take the change journey; honor them for what the have given in the past, and support them in making their own changes in employment.

Sometimes organizations leave because their current paradigm is no longer serving their customers, their shareholders, and/or their employees. The following paraphrases the announcement of a large commercial bank that was shifting its paradigm; this was how they told their rank-and-file employees.

They began by stating the case for change. They then want on to say this.

We are closing the old commercial bank; we are opening a new one. It will be very different, as described earlier. As an employee of the old bank, you are invited to apply for a position at the new bank. We know that no one is fully qualified for these positions. For that reason, we are providing you with position descriptions, skills requirements, and professional development worksheets. When you interview for your new position, please be prepared to discuss your worksheet with the interviewer. That will allow us to know what we need to do to help you be successful in your new position.

I love to tell this story because it says so much about what it means to “do it right” when your organization is leaving in any way. It acknowledges the significance of the change. The case for change provided clear answers to questions such as “Why?” and “Why now?” By “closing the bank,” individual employees regained control of their future; they could make the decision as to whether they would leave or stay (apply for a position in the new bank), rather than waiting to see if they would be retained or terminated. It does not try to make people comfortable about the change; that would be disingenuous. Instead, it shows a strong commitment to helping people succeed despite their discomfort.

Finally, there is the story of a large technology-based company that was being acquired by another giant in its industry. As is the norm with major mergers and acquisitions, there is a significant time lag between announcement and closing (or not) of the deal while it undergoes regulatory review. During this time it is not unusual for the company being acquired to experience significant drops in productivity and quality as employees across the organization wonder about their future. Those who are most capable of transitioning to new jobs elsewhere will often do so, leaving the organization weaker in its ability to transition into the acquiring company.

In this case, the company being acquired did something different. They made use of the time to strengthen their internal ability to address change, a capability that would serve them well whether or not the deal was eventually completed. They put more than 1,000 of their most senior managers through a one-day workshop on leading during times of uncertainty. As a result, the company was able to sustain its performance levels, despite the discomfort that employees were experiencing.

Organizations do leave. When the do, unless the circumstances are unexpectedly dire, they should leave successfully. To leave successfully calls for looking at the human impact, not just the bottom line, and carefully considering that impact across stakeholder groups, as well as the organizational brand. It warrants finding ways to engage those affected so that they are able to regain a sense of control over their own fates. And–when possible–it is worth investing in preparing people for the inevitable disruption that they will experience with the change.

Have you experienced an organization leaving? Share it below.

Don’t Just Leave!

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Cirrus clouds and a blank directional sign. with Clipping PATH

Too many change journeys start at an ending. They are about leaving the current situation: a relationship, a job, a career, a shifting market, an outmoded product line or production process.

This post looks at “just leaving” at the personal level. What surprised me in writing it is how many parallels exist at the organizational level. Next week’s entry will address organizations “just leaving.”

As I’ve often posted before, change does require letting go; there is stopping and releasing some of the old to make room for the new. The challenge is this… Many roads might lead you away from where you are. But if you don’t know where you are going, which is the right one to take?

Sometimes it is important to leave before knowing your destination. For whatever reason, the situation is untenable: an abusive partner or boss; bullying from co-workers or classmates that cannot be stopped. Sometimes the choice isn’t yours: a layoff or termination, a divorce announced, a career choice no longer in demand.

When this happens, find the nearest safe way-station in your journey. This may be physical: a shelter, a family member’s home; I have one friend who–upon being laid off–set up “office” in a corner of the local Starbucks the next day; she was there five days a week as she prepared for her journey.

Your situation may require an economic way-station: finding a new job, finding new clients so you can fly solo, going to work for a temp agency.

I have been let go from my job before; I have been dumped by a long-term partner in a relationship before. It isn’t easy! As I reflect back, I remember the counsel of one of my mentors:

Don’t confuse the present with the total. It is a moment, the one you are in now. But in another moment there will be a different present. Each present is real. But none is forever.

Find your way-station. Then use it as the launching pad for your change journey. Know it is not forever.

If circumstances allow, don’t leave until you are prepared. As Phil Cousineau (“The Art of Pilgrimage”) writes, “Being ready mentally, spiritually, and physically makes us lighter on our feet, more adroit at making decisions, and perhaps even helps keep chaos at bay.”

For me, being prepared requires several things. It requires knowing your destination, and knowing it in your heart and gut, not just your head; it means creating your change story. Being prepared means planning the journey once you know the destination. It will most likely be long, and arduous. While you can plan some things, other things cannot be anticipated. How will you know that you are making progress? What milestones will you be looking for? Being prepared means doing what is required mentally, spiritually, and physically so that you can face the challenges–expected and unexpected–that you will face. It means doing whatever you can to lighten your burden as you step out on the road. Being prepared means having the belief in yourself–and in those people and things that will anchor you on your journey–so that you have the courage to take that first step, and then the next, and the next, without turning back.

Every change, whether it be individual, family, organizational, or societal, requires different preparations. Yet if you know the patterns that lie beneath those change journeys they are remarkably consistent. Being prepared means learning the patterns, and how to navigate them.

What do you do to prepare for change? What advice would you give others? Comment below.

 

How Is Your (Change) Hearing?

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big earsMost of the time when people talk about change communication, they focus on what you are or should be saying. I know I have blogged about that on several occasions. A good change coach, mentor, or practitioner will also talk about the importance of having open communications channels, and about fostering dialogue; I’ve written about that as well. What is generally missing in discussions about change communication, however, is a focus on listening. Today, that is our topic.

If you are responsible for the execution of a change, no matter what the setting or your role in it, you cannot succeed without listening, and hearing. While the listening and hearing I will describe in a moment are always important, they take on oversized importance during change.

There are three things that you should always be listening for.

Listen for what is putting your change at risk.

Previously we have talked about the importance of taking counsel from people that tell you what you need to know, not what you want to hear. This is not about being paranoid; it is about being sure that you have every bit of information that you can get to inform your decisions.

You need to not only empower people to tell you the bad news, you need to encourage them to tell you early. One of my mentors refers to this as a “red is good” culture; it is good when risks are raised early, and leaders act to mitigate them. Hearing the bad news early gives you the best opportunity to mitigate it without jeopardizing your change.

Listen for what is not being said.

During major change, resistance is inevitable. If you don’t see it, one of two things is taking place. Either it is underground, or you are going through the illusion of change rather than actually making progress.

Resistance happens. Hear it. Hear what it has to say. It is the voice of resistance that will surface many of your risks, and offer many of the solutions to mitigating them…if you hear it.

In order to both listen for and hear resistance, you need to slow down the conversation. All too often, when we listen we are in the process of formulating our response as the other person is speaking. We are hearing our answer take shape before we hear–or fully grasp–what they are saying.

Listen, and ask clarifying questions. What do you mean when you say that? Can you help me understand why? What are you seeing or hearing that leads you to that conclusion? What are you not telling me?  Etc.

Listen for the seeds of success.

There is a wonderful line in Anthem by Leonard Cohen. “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”

A lot of your focus during change is on the struggle, on the risks, on the challenges. It has to be; those are all part of big changes; you ignore them or give them short shrift at your own risk.

But don’t let that be your only focus. Also listen for the seeds of success. Where are those cracks? Where is the light getting in? Where are the seeds of success being planted?

You need to listen to them, because at first they may seem very small. Too often we tout the milestones: we’re on budget, we’ve run the training programs, we have launched the new benefits package. But we don’t see the real seeds of light that say we are on the way to realizing the full results of the change.

Maybe its a halt in the decline of customer satisfaction ratings for the Smithville call center. Or its a small turnaround in patient outcomes in the clinic that moved from line of service to patient team care. Maybe its overhearing someone who had been an early voice of resistance now talking up the change in the cafeteria. Or, its knowing for the first time that you have the courage to carry the change through to closure.

Listen for the seeds of success. And when you hear them, shine a light on them. Applaud them. Herald them. Help them to germinate, and to spread.

What counsel are you able to share on change hearing?