We all need change tools
Where does time go to? We’re already marching towards the end of January and my writing mojo has just returned! I think it must have been adding all that new content to my website that left me with writer’s block. But I’m refocused and feeling full of energy to embrace 2012’s new challenges.
I’m sure that my new found focus is due to writing down my list of what I’d like to achieve. I received a beautiful pink leather bound notebook last year entitled ‘Make it Happen’ and I now carry it everywhere with me. Not only is it filling up with inspirational thoughts that happen throughout each day, but it also has my aims for the year. I look at them daily to make sure that I’m not deviating from where I want to be which is really helpful as I can be quite a butterfly when allowed.
On Monday I spent time at Woodhouse College where I’m a mentor and sit on the board for the Career’s Academy UK. After an hour with my mentee, I presented to her year group on some practical tools and techniques to ‘Manage Change’. Whenever I facilitate a session on Managing Change, I wonder why it isn’t taught as part of the curriculum as the skills imparted are as useful in our personal as well as our business lives. With this in mind, it has become one of my own goals for 2012 to make these tools and techniques accessible to more people – after all in this climate, everyone needs them. I’ve shared two below.
As I’ve given myself some other exciting challenges for 2012, I’d like you to look out for some of the new additions to my portfolio such as public workshops for managing change and customer service. If you can’t make them face to face, you may want to join me on a skills webinar or just download some free tools and techniques. I’ll let you know when they all go live.
In previous updates I have talked about some very simple tools to manage change, and these can be found on my news page of my website. However, the tool that I shared with the group at Woodhouse College is one that I increasingly use for improving communications. It’s called the change formula. It provides structure to both verbal and written communications and is a great way to reduce levels of resistance to any change. It was developed originally by Richard Beckhard and David Gleicher but the version I use looks like this:
Vision x Dissatisfaction x Ability x Steps > Resistance
Most people anticipate any change will be a painful journey, so it is essential that we paint a vivid picture of how the future will look. Describe the vision in a way that everyone can visualise what it will feel like to get there and become drawn towards the change. The next step is to create some dissatisfaction with the here and now. If your people are happy with where they are at the moment, they’ll be less inclined to want to change. It is therefore crucial that you let people know what will occur if you don’t make the change eg lose out to competition, become costly or extinct etc. The next step is all about ability level; reassuring people that they will be able to do what is expected of them in the new world … people often become resistant to change if they feel incapable of undertaking the task required of them. It’s therefore vital to let them know what support or development is available. Finally the steps are all about making the level of change feel achievable! If you break the change plan down in to small dolly steps your people are much more likely to embrace the change and not think it is too big a leap to take.
So the next time you need to communicate something new to your team, try this approach. Not only does it help you structure your communication but it also helps you to cover off all the facts. But remember you need to have covered each element; if you one is missing, resistance will be higher.
Appreciative Inquiry
As the organiser of Learning and Development for the North London CIPD branch, I hosted an evening with Jonathan Passmore. He came to present and inspire us on the use of Appreciative Inquiry, commonly known as AI.
Although the model was developed in the US in the early 1980s, I still felt as if it was in its infancy in the UK as you don’t hear about many organisations using it. Jonathan made us aware of the differences that AI could bring to a organisational change programme. He talked about the approach that AI uses to engage hearts and minds of everyone in the organisation and thereby creating positivity, motivation and enthusiasm towards success. There were also links to Bridges change model and the importance of not bad mouthing the past, but taking away the positive elements and incorporating them into the future plans.
- Discover and value the best of what is – agree focus, plan interviews and collate data, map themes and identify key factors
- Dreaming what might be – focus on positive language (link to 3 Ps – personal using the ‘I’, pervasive – relating to different situations, persistent – relating across timescales), put thought into the activities that will bring it alive eg small group activities, plays etc
- Designing through dialogue what should be – connect outputs of interviews to group discussions, design statements about the end state
- Destiny of what will be – small groups to generate delivery outcomes, build teams to support individuals with declared intentions
Jonathan did warn us though that AI wasn’t the ‘golden bullet’ but a great tool to use when there are some positive stories to tell in the organisation; a great tool to use in reorganisations, restructuring or acquisitions. It’s probably best to ask yourself if AI is right for the culture of the organisation. AI works best without SMART goals as by letting the subject unfold you understand what elements need to alter in your organisation to create success. It’s therefore crucial that you have an open minded and outcome focused facilitator who can create excitement be provocative and encouraging all at the same time.