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KEYZINE: An e-zine for LEADERS:
ABOUT THE PEOPLE PART OF
BUSINESS
Volume
87, June 2008
Publisher: © Key Associates, 2008
ISSN #
1545-8873
http://www.mkkey.com/
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This Issue: On "Sustaining Change"
Contents:
"Hope is the thing...that perches in the soul...(a)nd
never stops at all."
- Emily Dickinson
"Any change, even a change for the better, is always
accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts."
- Arnold Bennett
"Nobody can go back
and start a new beginning,
but anyone can start today and make a new ending."
- Maria Robinson
REKINDLING HOPE.
DISCOURAGING SATISFACTION WITH THE
STATUS QUO.
FACILITATING ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING
AND COLLECTIVE THINKING.
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MAINTAINING YOURSELF AS A
LEADER
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Why the emphasis on hope? Leaders have an
obligation to maintain "momentum." Propulsion
is achieved through attachment to a dream--
hope for a better future. Through a
clear vision, a well-thought-out strategy to
achieve the vision, and carefully conceived and
communicated direction, leaders enable everyone
to participate and be accountable for achieving
the dream and sustaining change.
If you have lost momentum, dream together.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
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My group is worn out with changes, and I am
reluctant to introduce new initiatives.
I think we have indulged in too much frivolous change
--copying others, following the fads, knee jerking
to crises. To complicate matters, the first human
reaction to any change is usually negative, a push-back,
some resistance. The second reaction is a "creative"
phase, where it is possible to frame the change as
beneficial.
You cannot stop changing, for that will be the death
of the organization. Focus on growth and nurturing
your most important assets--the people. Second,
keep the vision steadfast and the next few steps clear.
Change becomes normal and healthy, not whimsical.
When enough people become change-friendly,
renewal of the organization is naturally continuous
(Oakley & Krug, 1994).
How do I lead people forward?
There are Pull strategies and Push strategies. A Push strategy
is like a law, a requirement, a threat, "turning up the
heat."
A Pull strategy is more of a compelling vision, a desire, a feeling
of growth. In either case, the advantages of changing,
for an individual, have to outweigh the advantages of
staying the same.
The beauty of a Pull is that it maintains creative tension--
a compelling movement forward. Whereas, a Push, once
removed, loses its motivating qualities. Pull links to
desire--"I want to;" where Push means "I have
to."
Which works better with you?
Are you:
Telling or asking?
Focusing on problems or shared vision/purpose?
Seeing limitations or possibilities?
Doing the job or continuously improving?
Pointing to what we can't do or what we can?
Our energy is flagging. How do we get pumped back up?
It is natural for energy to ebb and flow. This site gave some
helpful ideas:
http://solutionfocusedchange.blogspot.com/2007/05/sustaining-change.html.
Have your group list everything that has been accomplished since the
start of "the change." Celebrate it! Cite the advantages
of this way over
the old way, and notice what it took to achieve it. ( PRIDE.)
Then ask everyone to set their sights for a new future: concrete
results they hope to accomplish for the next time period and
small steps they can take to achieve those outcomes. Celebrate
that! (HOPE.)
EXERCISES AND ACTION ITEMS:
* Create a vision of your desired future, as a group.
* Celebrate short-term wins on your way to the vision.
* Periodically stop, to take stock, and debrief what you have
learned about your change(s).
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EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES
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Five tips for
sustaining change
http://www.oplossingsgerichtveranderen.nl/five_tips_for_sustaining_change.htm
Managing change--articles and videos
http://www.work911.com/managingchange/index.htm
Workshop on Change--Creating Certainty in an Uncertain World
http://www.lead-usa.com/Change.html
Key Associates offers leadership training and keynote
addresses on Managing Change. We also conduct
Visioning Conferences for large groups. Call 1-888-655-3901.
http://www.mkkey.com/
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OTHER
USEFUL
WEBSITES
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The 9E model on Driving Change
http://www.changedrivers.com.au/DrivingChange/9es.htm
Some tips on change mastery
http://ezinearticles.com/?Change-Mastery&id=79802
Former Keyzines on related topics:
Volume
4, July 2001- Change
Volume 15, June
2002 - Motivation
Volume 18,
September 2002 - Organizational Culture
Volume 22,
January 2003 - Personal Change
Volume 29,
August 2003 - Transformation
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ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS
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Beckhard, Richard & Pritchard, Wendy. Changing the
Essence: The Art of Creating and Leading Fundamental
Change in Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992.
Depree, Max. Leadership
is an Art. New York:
Doubleday, 1992.
Journal of Organizational Change Management-
all issues.
Key, M. K. (Ed.) Managing Change in Healthcare:
Innovative Solutions for People-based Organizations.
Chicago: McGraw-Hill, 1999.
Kotter, John P. Leading Change. Boston: HBR Press, 1996.
Oakley, Ed & Doug Krud. Enlightened
Leadership:
Getting to the Heart of Change. Fireside, 1994.
Rowland, Deborah & Michael Hicks. Sustaining
Change:
Leadership that Works. John Wiley & Sons, 2008.
Sirkin, Harold
L., Perry Keenan & Alan Jackson.
The hard side of change management. Harvard
Business Review,
October 2005, 109-116.
Smye, Marti.
You
Don’t Change a Company by Memo:
The Simple Truths About Management Change, Firefly,
1997.
Woodward,
Harry & Buchholz, Steve. AfterShock:
Helping
People Through Corporate Change. New York: John Wiley
& Sons, Inc., 1987.
Senge, Peter M. The
Dance of Change: The
Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning
Organizations (A Fifth Discipline Resource).
Nicholas Brealey Publishing Ltd, 1999.
Tichy, Noel M. Managing Strategic Change. New York:
John Wiley, 1983.
