So far in this series, I’ve focused on how Change Agents can be more effective by learning and applying the art of facilitation to their routine work. We’ve talked about different ways that people think and how good facilitators pay attention to this variance as they guide group discussions and decisions. Over the next few [...]
There’s a time to fall in love and a time to fall in line. Sorry to put it so bluntly, but while some changes are perceived as being a good deal for everyone involved, sometimes change is needed for less-then-positive reasons. In the world of implementing change, the chances are good that you’ll see both [...]
Before you pull the trigger on your big culture change – consider answering a few simple questions… So far in this series, I’ve suggested a few ways that Change Agents can start the process of moving their culture in a specific positive direction. I started by recommending that they choose very carefully what elements of [...]
This world lost the ultimate Change Agent yesterday when Steve Jobs passed away. I’m completely enamored with Apple products but I’m even more of a fan of the man who dreamed many of them up. In honor of his genius, here are 20 of my my favorite quotes from a true master in the Art [...]
In this final post of a 4-part series, I’ll wrap up a recipe for change success based on the notion that Change Agents should treat their work like a project. The first three posts suggested you apply classic project management discipline to: … clearly define and manage change activities, … execute change adoption plans based [...]
People often ask me the difference between “Change Management” and “Change Leadership”. In my last post, I answered the question with the old axiom: “You manage things and you lead people…”. I also listed some of the critical things (such as work activities, budgets and schedule dependencies) that Change Agents need to manage. Today I’ll [...]
When it comes to driving significant change in an organization, the old paradigm “…you manage things and you lead people…” is fairly accurate and surprisingly useful. Today’s tip covers how to recognize which elements of a Change Agent’s work are best addressed by management techniques. My next post will address the elements that require Change [...]
Most large-scale changes will at some point confront political resistance within some or all of the business units that make up the larger organization. The late, great American politician and House Speaker Tip O’Neill used to say: “All politics is local.” Hence, today’s post will offer advice on how to identify which of the five [...]
Sponsors and Change Agents often use a common metaphor when they encourage the targets of their change to “get on the bus before it leaves“. When it comes to helping people deal with change, the only outcomes worse than seeing stakeholders miss that bus could be seeing them get on the wrong bus or even [...]
Most significant change initiatives show up on the radar of your organization’s leadership team at some point. The most effective changes are given executive sponsorship attention early in the planning stages. The classic disasters are noticed only when things go wrong. The best Change Agents aggressively verify Sponsorship all the way up the org chart. [...]
It may seem like an obvious thing to do, but many organizations begin rolling out big changes with no clear definition of what they’re changing or who needs to know about it. Here are a few pointers on how to effectively define your change: Write it Down: Capture the definition of your change in writing. [...]
Q: When is the perfect time for a business to introduce a major change? A: There is no perfect time. But you can choose an optimal time based on your internal & external business cycles and the expectations of your customers. One Great Cup of Joe I had a great customer experience recently with the [...]
I read a great article on ZDNet which recapped lessons that organizations can learn from the recent SAP implementation disaster in Marin County, California. I also listened in on a very good web seminar a while back on the same topic that was hosted by an ERP consulting company called Panorama. A quick note before [...]
Shoot or Dish the Rock? That’s the question facing every basketball player each time they touch the ball. I love to watch basketball – especially at the college level where the athletes are talented enough to dazzle us yet still inexperienced enough to make crushing mistakes on a national television stage. And what’s the most [...]
It’s election time in the US. We’re being inundated with TV advertisements and billboards claiming that the world will quickly turn around if we’d just vote correctly – and the world may end if we mess it up. Since I live in Florida, a.k.a. “the land of close elections and hanging chad“, you can imagine [...]
Following up on the post earlier this week about Sponsorship, I wanted to get your opinions on the following question which I first posed a few weeks ago. You may click multiple items and your comments would be especially helpful. After you vote, let’s consider the impact of your answers. How did you answer? Of [...]
Those impacted by significant organizational change are often referred to as “stakeholders” – and preparing these people to be ready for Day-1 of the new change is the most important metric of OCM success. The five steps outlined in this series will help you prepare your stakeholders and make your change successful.
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