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Managing Change, Resistance,
And Conflict
Gemini Skills Workshop
May 1998
Objectives
• To appreciate change at an organisational and a personal level
• To provide some sensible models that describe the process of
change, in order for it to be managed as a process
• To understand how to be proactive in managing the change process
and reducing resistance
• To understand the good and bad sides of conflict
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Truths about change - why it happens
External
change . . .
. . . creates
personal
change
creates
organisational
change . . .
–
Technology
– Strategies
–
Economy
– Structures/de-layering
–
Government
– Practices
–
Society
– Processes
–
Customer/competitors
– Products
•
Change thus requires individuals and organisations to think, act, and perform
differently
•
No matter how well motivated, an individual cannot make change alone
•
. . . and an organisation changes only as fast as the percentage of people
within the organisation change
•
. . . thus the individuals within an organisation are as important as the leaders
in changing organisations
–
–
–
–
–
–
Role
Responsibilities
Habits
Thinking
Values
Behaviors
Our model is predicated on involving all parts of an organisation in
making sustainable change.
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The Five Essential Ingredients of Change
Vision
Sense of
Urgency
Willingness
to Change
Capability
to Change
Action Plans/
Rewards
Successful Change
The process can break down if any of these five are not in place.
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A simple view of change is presented by Kurt Lewin’s
change model
Refreezing
Unfreezing
Movement
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Successful change is a continuous process
•
Communication
•
Feedback
•
Reinforcement
•
Repetition: try it, fix it, try it again
•
Interim milestones
•
Celebrate frequent successes
. . . and everyone must be involved!
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We can use Kurt Lewin’s change model to help us in
each phase of implementation:
Techniques to
reinforce
unfreezing
Techniques to
reinforce
movement
Techniques to
reinforce
refreezing
• Acknowledge feelings and empathize
• Give people as much information about the change
as possible
• Say what will not change
• Treat the past with respect
• Create the motivation and readiness to change
• Provide focus and direction
• Strengthen peoples connections to one another
• Open up two-way communications
• Provide the individual with a specific role in the
change process
• Ensure that individuals are reinforced for new
behaviour
• Implement quick results and highlights successes
• Build feedback mechanisms
• Celebrate!
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Some change tools & techniques
Unfreeze
Movement
Refreeze
Unfreeze
Communication Plan - who, when, what, how
• Stream charters
• Stream logic
• Activity plans
and milestones
• A&D findings
• Quick hits
• “As-Is” analysis
and baselines
• Mobilisation
–
–
–
–
Brown Paper fair
Town meetings
Small group events
Workplans
• “To-Be” analysis
– Roles and
Responsibilities
– KPIs
– Process flow
• Route / cause
analysis
• Pareto analysis
• Problem solving /
• Continuous
team building
Plan-Do-Review
• White papers
• Implementation Gantt
charts
• Implementation RACIs
• Implementation KPIs
• Manage resistance
to change
• Roles and responsibilities
charting
• Reward and recognition
• Coaching
and feedback
• Benefits tracking
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But this only tells part of the story - Change involves
giving up - and this is more of a personal choice
The Rational
(c. f. Kurt Lewin)
Unfreeze
Move
Refreeze
Emotional - “Me”
(c. f. Bridges)
Endings
Transitions Beginnings
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Our role is to help others through change
•
Clarify Endings
–
–
–
–
•
Share Transition
–
–
–
–
•
Disengagement
Disorientation
Disidentification
Disenchantement
Explain
Confront / identify
Neutralise
Transfer
Engage Beginnings
–
–
–
–
Vision & Plans
Communications
Symbols & ceremonies
New Starts
– Listening
– Focusing: ask questions to pinpoint
real issues
– Restating: hearing it restated
by someone else can help a person
to clarify their real interests
–
–
–
–
Signal shift-take control of conversation
Explain purpose of change
Link to his/her concerns
Summarise: bottom line
–
–
–
–
“Were my comments clear”
“What are your ideas for the future?”
“These are my ideas”
Agree to finite steps
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Unfortunately what you want and what you get in times
of change often differ
What people in change want:
What people in change (usually) get:
• Empathy
• Autocratic Behaviour
• Information
• Avoidance
• Ideas
• “Rah rah”
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People feel a sense of loss during change
•
Security
Control, knowledge of what the future holds and place in
the organisation
•
Competence
What to do, how to manage (can be embarrassing)
•
Relationships
Familiar contracts (customers, colleagues, managers,
group membership)
•
Sense of
direction
Understanding of where and why you are going
•
Territory
Area that ‘belonged’ to you (work space, responsibilities)
This sense of loss generates an emotional cycle which can stall in a
number of unproductive phases before acceptance of a new direction
is complete.
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Change always results in a roller-coaster ride of
Emotions
The Emotional Cycle of Change
Satisfaction
Certainty
Confidence
Optimism
Hope
Time
Pessimism
Doubt
What is important to recognise is that it’s a roller-coaster ride where
different people will be in different places at different times.
Source:
Daryl Conner.
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Understanding the Emotional Cycle of Change helps
us deal with it
Phase 1:
Uniformed optimism –
Certainty
• Honeymoon period
Phase 2:
Informed pessimism –
Doubt
• Problems surface, not all solutions are obvious
• Morale drops (“Why did I ever get involved in the first
place?”)
Phase 3:
Hopeful realism –
Hope
Phase 4:
Informed optimism –
Confidence
Phase 5:
Rewarding completion
– Satisfaction
• Ideas look great on paper
• All major obstacles appear to have been anticipated
• A turning point occurs, a sense of accomplishment
replaces a sense of pushing against problems
• Problems have not all disappeared, but people’s hopes are
based on realistic data
• Optimism continues to develop
• A fresh burst of energy appears
• Successful change has been made
• Official change effort is complete
• The outcome is frequently much different from that
anticipated in Phase 1
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Gemini’s Evolving Change
Model
The context for evolving Gemini’s approach to change
• Our perspective on change has largely been driven by the experience
of companies in the 1970s and 1980s.
– Relatively stable periods followed by sudden reaction to events largely imposed from outside.
• The business environment of our clients is changing:
– Rapid shifts, discontinuities, continuous process of disequilibrium moving to equilibrium and
back to disequilibrium.
• Increasingly, clients require the capability to evolve and adapt their
organisation to these shifting market conditions on a continuous
basis.
• It is therefore no longer sufficient to understand change as discrete
event that can be managed, and which is experienced as a crisis.
• Change in this context is better viewed as a creative process of
choice, learning and growth.
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We are developing our thinking around change as a
process of learning and capability development
Capability is defined as the
readiness to respond adaptively and
creatively to new or unforeseen
circumstances so as to achieve a
specified intent.
A capability-oriented approach requires a new perspective on how we
consult . . .
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Chaos theory changes how we view the change process
and how we view the emotional experience of change
Disintegration
Chaos
Equilibrium Turbulence
Creation of a
higher order
Self organising and self renewing
systems possess innate
properties that use chaos as a
necessary stage to move to
higher levels of order.
Order does not equal structure.
Order = dynamic energy that
creates form and shape that suits
present circumstance.
If creating a “higher order”, on any dimension, requires turbulence,
chaos and disintegration, what will enable, rather than disable, this
process?
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We focused on understanding what happens when we
work in conditions of uncertainty
Emotional responses to
working on an unknown task
• Excitement
• Fear of failing, being wrong,
not having the answer
• High levels of anxiety
• Block: “I can’t think”
• Rigidness: “It’s not my job”
• Envy of people who seem
to be coping
• Blaming of others
. . . In order to understand how we can create conditions for learning
and capability development.
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The challenge is to work with anxiety to create insight,
avoid defensive behaviour and no learning—not to remove anxiety
Cycle of Emotions
Promoting Learning
Cycle of Emotions
Discouraging Learning
1. Healthy
Anxiety
5. Insight
or
Authority
4
4. Struggle
1. Unhealthy level
of Anxiety
5. Willing
ignorance
and
inactivity
2. Uncertainty
2. Fight or
flight
7
3. Denial or
avoidance
3. Risk
4.
Defensiveness
or resistance
Role modelling and the use of structure (tasks, time) act to contain
anxiety to healthy levels.
Adaptation: “Inside Action Learning” by Russ Vince and Linda Martin, in “Management Education and Development”, Vol. 24, Part 3, 1993.
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From here, we identified possible conditions for
capability development
Conditions for Capability Development
Anxiety owned
and managed
Aspiration
Developmental
Perspective
Reflective
Space
Interpersonal dynamics
worked with,
not suppressed
Sources: Discussion with Tavistock Consulting Service; Group Focus Interview on capabilities and conditions for capability development (London, March 1998).
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If the conditions are met, a virtuous spiral of capability development takes
place—without them, we generate defensiveness in ourselves and our
clients
Conditions for Capability Development
•
Provide direction and a
reason for change
•
Motivate and inspire
•
Touch people’s hearts
Anxiety owned
and managed
Aspiration
•
Anxiety as stored energy
•
Unhealthy levels of anxiety
creates stress, defensiveness,
denial, avoidance
•
Owned and managed anxiety
creates healthy tension and
discovery
Developmental
Perspective • Nurturing approach
Reflective
Space
•
Time to reflect
•
Readiness to reflect on self
and others
•
Create space for learning
•
“Valuing the other person’s ability
and handling it as a jewel”
•
Enabling people to make own
discoveries, vs. controlling them
Interpersonal dynamics
worked with,
not suppressed • Emotional issues surfaced
•
•
•
•
•
Emotional energy channelled
Facilitates self-discovery
Working with unanticipated outcomes
Discussing the undiscussable
Respect for needs for safety, support,
protection and value
These conditions can be translated into day-to-day working practices
for consultants and teams.
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Managing the Players in the
Change Process
Both support and resistance can come from the same
area - it is important to recognise which
“..we don’t have the resource
to do this”
Some above
the surface “..this could risk delivery”
“..the benefits are enormous”
“..the increases agility will really thrill
customers”
“..quality will suffer”
Rational
“..satisfaction indices will
soar”
“..I’ve been waiting for
this moment for years”
“..but that will affect
my pay!”
Emotional
Political
...and some
below
“..de-layering of the
organisation makes such good
sense ”
“..how will this affect our
relationships with
clients?”
“..the benefits will be enormous”
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In making change a success, it is important to
understand where the various players’ energy lies
Drive
20%
Support
Observe
60%
Resist
20%
?
Both sides try to influence the ‘undecided’ to move to their side - it’s
a delicate balance.
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So how to manage this?
• Focus on the Resistance NOT on the Drive
• Seek Champions
• Mobilise the Undecided
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Change requires individuals and organizations to
think, act, and behave differently
CALVIN AND HOBBES
THE MORE YOU KNOW,
THE HARDER IT IS TO
TAKE DECISIVE ACTION.
Bill Watterson
ONCE YOU BECOME
BEING A MAN OF ACTION,
INFORMED, YOU START YOU REALIZE THAT NOTHING
IS AS CLEAR AND SIMPLE I CAN’T AFFORD TO TAKE
SEEING COMPLEXITIES
THAT RISK.
AS IT FIRST APPEARS.
AND SHADES
U
LTIMATELY, KNOWLEDGE
OF GRAY.
IS PARALYZING.
YOU’RE IGNORANT.
BUT AT LEAST
YOU ACT ON IT.
Neither ignorance or inaction make Change a success.
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Change also requires leadership
“To deal with the change, I committed us to try certain
things with the understanding what they might not all work.
Later, I realized that what I started - even through I didn’t
see it at the time - was to create two things: an action plan
and trust
The action plan had varying degrees of success and failure.
But the trust was always there. If we didn’t have that trust,
we would have complained ourselves out of business a
long time ago.”
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So what you can do to proactively to Iead the change
effort
Demonstrate
that we know
where we are
headed and
have a plan
to get there
Show
personal
and
professional
stability
Show we are
serious about
getting there –
demonstrate
support
Team
Member
Support
Broadcast
the
truth
Clarify why
change is
needed
Communicat
e ‘learning’
Rewards
consisten
t with the
‘To Be’
Involve
teams
in owning
change
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Dealing with Individual
Resistance and Conflict
50 Reasons Why It Won’t Work
1. We tried that before.
2. Our systems are different
3. It costs too much.
4. That’s beyond our responsibility.
5. That’s not my job.
6. We’re all too busy to do that.
7. It’s too radical a change.
8. There’s not enough help.
9. We’ve never done it before.
10. We don’t have the authority.
11. There’s not enough time.
12. Let’s get back to reality.
13. That’s not our problem.
14. Why change it? It’s still working OK.
15. I don’t like that idea.
16. You’re right, but …
17. You’re two years ahead of your time
18. It isn’t in the budget.
19. We’re not ready for that.
20. Sounds OK but impractical.
21. Let’s give it some more thought.
22. That’s my bowling day.
23. That doesn’t effect me or my child.
24. Nobody cares about that.
25. We’ve always done it this way.
26. It might not work.
27. Not that again!
28. Where’d you dig that one up?
29. We did all right without it.
30. It’s never been tried before.
31. Let’s shelve it for the time being.
32. I don’t see the connection.
33. What you are really saying is …
34. Let’s not be the first.
35. Maybe that would work in your Branch but not in mine.
36. Head Office will never go for it.
37. It can’t be done.
38. It’s too much trouble.
39. It’s impossible.
40. You’re not here to think.
41. Can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
42. Let me think about that and I’ll get back to you.
43. Let’s wait until the next generation.
44. The rules say we can’t do that.
45. We can’t fight local government regulations.
46. That’s old/new business and can’t be discussed now.
47. That’s too serious a subject.
48. No one is interested.
49. It’s too early to think about it.
50. It’s too late to start.
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Forms of Resistance
A.
Avoidance of responsibility
H.
Changing the subject
B.
Flooding with detail
I.
I’m not surprised
C.
One-word answers
J.
Silence
D.
Impracticality
K.
Time
E.
Attacking
L.
Nit-picking
F.
Compliance
M. Pressing for solutions
G. Confusion
Source:
Flawless Consulting by Peter Block.
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Understanding Resistance is about getting behind the
apparent and into the core
Indirect Expressions
of Concerns/
Visible Resistance
Real/Underlying
Concerns
The Voyage of Discovery
. . . but tread carefully - too much exploration is rarely appreciated simply ask “Why is that?”
Source:
Flawless Consulting by Peter Block.
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Why Resistance Occurs . . .
Resistance can occur because people fear:
• Loss of their credibility or reputation
• Lack of career or financial advancement
• Possible damage to relationships with their superiors
• Losing their job
• Interpersonal rejection
• Change in job role
• Embarrassment/loss of self-esteem
• Job transfer or demotion
Source:
Ryan and Oestreich.
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Five Steps for Dealing with Resistance
1. Identify the form the
resistance is taking
• Trust what you see and how you hear more than what you
hear
• Ask questions and listen carefully - Pick up the ‘cues’
• Learn from your own reactions:
– Uneasy
– Bored
– Irritated
• Listen for repetition and telltale phrases
2. Acknowledge the
resistance
• Tell the person your perception of the resistance
• Do it in a neutral, nonaggressive way with WIN/WIN words:
“What I think I hear you saying is …”
• Tell the person how the resistance is making you feel:
– Use “I” statements
• Be specific, clear, and authentic
3. Be quiet, listen, let the
person respond
• Allow them to ‘vent’ - until they do so progress is limited
• Stay attuned to other forms of resistance surfacing
• Check for understanding
4. Don’t take it personally
• Remember that their behaviour is not a reflection of you.
• Let them air their concerns without responding
defensively.
• Don’t counterattack head-on.
5. Remember the “two good
faith responses” rule
• The majority of questions about methodology or the
project process are just expressions of discomfort
• The third time the question is asked, respond to the
question with a statement that suggests the person might
be reluctant to commit to the problem or process
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Acknowledging Resistance:
Hints for the Right Words
• Describe how you feel:
– Your perceptions of how they feel
• Being authentic:
– . . . Encourages person to do the same
Descriptive
Specific
Focused
Brief
Simple
• Be assertive:
– Direct, without putting anyone down
NOT
Judgmental
Stereotyped
Lengthy
Complicated
– Use “I” statements
• Be descriptive, not evaluative
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How to Acknowledge Resistance
Resistance Forms
How to Acknowledge - some examples
A.
Avoidance of
responsibility
“You don’t see yourself as part of the problem?”
B.
Flooding with detail
“You’re giving me more than I need. Can you
headline it?”
C.
One-word answers
“Say more about that” (and don’t say the next
word !)
D.
Impracticality
“You seem to feel that what we’re discussing is not
‘real world’. How could we make it more relevant?”
E.
Attacking
F.
Compliance
G.
Confusion
Source:
“You are really questioning a lot of what I do. You
seem angry.”
“You seem agreeable to anything I suggest. I’m
having a hard time telling what you’re really
feeling.”
“We seem to be having difficulty moving ahead.
Are you confused about something?”
Flawless Consulting by Peter Block.
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How to Acknowledge Resistance cont’d
Resistance Forms
Acknowledgment Examples
H.
Changing the subject
“The subject keeps shifting. Can we focus on one
thing at a time?”
I.
I’m not surprised
“I feel that you expect me to know more about
you.”
J.
Silence
“I don’t know how to read your silence.”
K.
Time
“You don’t seem to have the time to work with me.
I find it hard to proceed without involvement from
you.”
L.
Nit-picking
“We would appear to be getting into a lot of detail.”
M.
Pressing for solutions
“It’s too early for solution. I’m still trying to find
out…”
Source:
Flawless Consulting by Peter Block.
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. . . and Conflict
One of the hardest parts of consulting is coping with
the conflict that resistance engenders
The top seven sources of conflict on projects are:
• Schedules:
– Timing, sequencing, duration, feasibility of schedule for project-related tasks or activities
• Project priorities:
– Lack of goals, poorly defined project mission, differing views of task importance, shifting goals
• Resources:
– Competition for personnel, materials, equipment, facilities among project members or across
teams
• Technical options:
– From technical issues, performance specifications, technical trade-offs
• Administrative procedures:
– How project will be managed, reporting relationships, interface relationships, work design,
plans for execution, negotiated work agreements with others, administrative procedures
• Cost objectives:
– Lack of cost control authority, allocation of funds
• Personalities:
– Egos, personality differences, prejudice, stereotyping
Source: Thamhain and Wilemon.
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A Key Message
The client is not always right,
but the way you deal with
him/her has to be
. . . it requires humility, resolve, and patience.
Strategies for dealing with conflict tend to be situation
dependent
• Avoiding
– Or withdrawing, …but this may mean leaving the solution to chance or fate
• Smoothing
– Covering up and pretending that all is calm, cooperative, and pleasant - at times a good
strategy where third parties are involved
• Bargaining
– Sometimes compromising - each party gains and loses something - preferably amicably
• Forcing
– Loser and winner situation - where time pressure exists this may be necessary
• Problem Solving
– Collaboratively and objectively confronting the problem
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In situations of conflict think about both parties’ styles
- and understand how yours influences theirs
The three “pure” styles of influence.
• Tough Battler
– fighting, powerful, commanding
– pressing for results, threatening, repetition
Tough Battler
– confident, persuasive, forceful
• Logical Thinker
– logical, knowledgeable, clarifying ideas
– facts, quoting rules, practical
– orderly, fair, thorough
Logical
Thinker
• Friendly Helper
Friendly
Helper
– helpful, sympathetic, polite
– encouraging, compromising, concerned, friendly
– trusting, optimistic, caring, supportive
You may need to exercise all three styles at different times.
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A useful model to understand one’s approach is the
“Assertiveness Matrix”
High
The extent to
which I achieve
my goals
Aggressive
Assertive
(I win You lose)
(We both win)
Avoidance
(We both lose)
Submissive
(I lose You win)
Low
Low
High
The extent to which I allow the
other person to achieve their goals
Always seek to attain a position of ‘win-win’.
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Where assertiveness on your part makes sense…
employ the “DESC” script
• Describe - what you want, how you see the situation objectively,
and factually
• Express - your feelings about the situation and why you feel that
way
• Specify - the action you think should be taken and why
• Consequences - both positive and negative, of doing or not
doing what you are suggesting
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An example of the “DESC” script
• Describe: I’ve studied your inventory control system team and it
is not adequate to meet the increased demands on your business.
• Express: I think this is worrying.
• Specify: My view is that unless you invest in a new inventory
control system you will not fix it.
• Consequences: The benefit of this will be that you will cut the
amount of inventory you have to hold and there will be fewer stockouts on the line. If you don’t fix it, you are going to find it hard to
meet your new quality targets.
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If the client constantly challenges - “AIR” is a useful
technique
• Acknowledge
– What they have said in a genuine way
• Investigate
– Identify the main source of the resistance
– Encourage them to talk more about it - and listen
– Isolate and work the separate issues
• Reinforce:
– Reinforce the positive aspects of anything you are proposing
– Calmly and clearly explain the reasons for change (again!)
– Look for acceptance
Emphasise your role as a partner.
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Remember, make sure ‘what you say’, ‘how you say it’, and
‘how you look’ work together to convey the right message
Actions
Words
Body
Language
Try ‘mirroring’ behaviours.
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Nine strategies to deal with conflict and resistance
constructively
Your Interaction
Involved
“Do it my way”
DOMINATE
BARGAIN
COLLABORATE
You direct,
impose, control
or resist
You trade, take turns,
or split the difference
You problem-solve
together to reach a
win-win resolution
“Try it, you’ll like it”
“Agree to disagree”
“It’s yours to do”
SMOOTH
COEXIST
RELEASE
You accentuate
similarities and
downplay differences
Neutral
“Let’s make a deal” “Let’s work together”
You pursue differences
independently
You release control
within agreed-on
limits
“Wait”
“Let’s be fair”
“I’ll go along”
MAINTAIN
DECIDE
BY RULE
YIELD
You postpone
confronting
differences
Objective rules
determine how differences
will be handled
Firm
You give in, adapt, or
agree
Flexible
Your Viewpoint
Source: Managing Conflict and Disagreement Constructively - H S Kindler, The 1995 Annual, Pfeiffer & Co
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Top Tips - Managing Change
• Remember people are more likely to change if they can help plan it
• Explain the change and its consequences to all those affected
• Put yourself in the shoes of those affected when planning change
• Explain the benefits of change in simple terms
• Always maintain the self-esteem of people affected
• Avoid creating win-lose situations if possible
• Look for ways to turn negative concerns into positive opportunities
• Generate as few surprises as possible
• Lead by example
• Recognise support and success
• Admit mistakes and learn from failures
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Back up Panels for the Change
Model
If the business is perceived as an open system,
interacting with its environment
Understanding Business as a System
Organisation as the sum of its
Core Competencies
Competitors
• Environmental intelligence
capability
Suppliers
Organisation
Customers
• Process capability
• Asset management capability
• Alignment capability
• Learning capability
Employees
Core capabilities are what enable it to respond and adapt creatively to
new or unforeseen circumstances.
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We have some initial ideas on defining these capability
areas
Core Capability
Description
Environment Intelligence
• Transfer of information from the market (clients,
competitors, suppliers, new entrants, transfer of
information to the market.
Process Capability
• Understanding of KPIs, RACI, best
practice/benchmarking, knowing how to analyse
processes and design To-Be processes.
Asset Management
• Knowledge, human resource, physical and financial
asset management.
Alignment
• Leadership, values, corporate identity, communication.
Learning
• Development process, innovation process, continuous
improvement process.
We will hold “expert” workshops within Gemini to fully define these
areas and understand the implications for a consulting approach.
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