Transcript Change Management

Change Management
Dean Bliss
Iowa Healthcare Collaborative
Agenda
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What is Change?
Responding to Change
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Transitions
Reactions to Change
Leading Change
Change is a Popular Subject….
“I put a dollar in a change machine. Nothing
changed.”
George Carlin
“Change is good. You go first.” Scott Adams
“If you want to make enemies, try to change
something.” Woodrow Wilson
“Change before you have to.” Jack Welch
“Change is not without its inconveniences, even
from worse to better.” Richard Hooker
What is Change?
What’s your definition of
Change?
Change According to Webster’s
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As a Verb:
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to make different; to make radically
different; to give a different position,
course, or direction to; to replace with
another; to make a shift from one to
another
As a Noun:
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alteration; transformation; substitution
Change Discussions for This
Session
We will discuss change in the context of its
effect on people and organizations
 How do we approach it?
 What is the philosophy?
 What is the process?
 What are the issues with implementing
change?
 How do we deal with resistance to change?
Getting from Here to There
Current
State
Transitional Change
Transition
State
Future
State
Responding to Change
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Transitions
Reactions to Change
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Resistance
Dealing with Uncertainty
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Coping with Change and Resistance
Transition Management
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In any transitional change, there are 3
stages of implementation:
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Endings
Transition (a.k.a. exploration, neutral zone)
Beginnings
All three stages have unique
characteristics
Endings
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Letting go of past behaviors
Acknowledging the loss of the old ways
Defining who’s losing what
Paying reverence to the past
High resistance
“Tradition is the illusion of permanence.”
Woody Allen
?
Transitions
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The unknown
Comfort zone is gone
New behaviors have not become
natural
Conflict is a given
High resistance
“Nothing ever becomes real ‘til it is experienced.”
John Keats
Beginnings
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New behaviors have become routine
Comfort level returns
Buy-in and acceptance of the new way
“Culture represents what people do when no one is
telling them what to do.”
Geoffrey Colvin
Implementation Highlights
Resistance
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Endings and Transition phases shine a
spotlight on resistance to change
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Resistance or reluctance to change was
there all along
Since change is a constant in today’s
environment, we need to understand
change to understand resistance to
change
Levels of Change
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Personal
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Group
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New leadership, changing of roles within the
group
Organizational
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Job change, life changes
Reporting structure, system changes
Environmental
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Events outside the organization (CMS)
Categories of Change
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Two categories of change
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Self-initiated
Imposed
Which creates resistance?
Is the change good or bad?
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Job change example (promotion vs. layoff)
Changing cars example (gift vs.
repossession)
What is at the root of resistance?
Resistance vs. Fear
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Resistance results from imposed change
which is perceived as negative
It isn’t really resistance to change – it’s
fear of the unknown
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“What am I going to do now?”
Reducing the unknown (and thereby
the fear) will reduce resistance
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the
judgment that something else is more important than fear.”
- Ambrose Redmoon
Reactions to Change
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Acceptance/Enthusiasm
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Lukewarm Response
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Early Adopters – use to your advantage
“Wait and see” attitude – frequently the
majority
Negative Response
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Resistors – need some help
Resistance can be observed in each category
Resistance
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What does resistance look like?
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Types of resistance
Reactions to change
How to deal with resistance
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Strategies
Tools
“The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that
has brought progress.”
Charles Kettering
The Face of Resistance
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Resistance takes on many forms
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Overt
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Covert
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Rumors, underground alliances, malicious compliance
Unseen
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Anger, blame, frustration, use of position
Denial, feigned acceptance, depression, guilt, silence,
avoidance
Different people will react different ways
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Based on their personality, position, and
adaptability
Why Do People Resist Change?
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Economic threat
Decision-making responsibilities
threatened
Organizational position threatened
Loss of comfort zone
Lack of information
Fear
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of failure
of the unknown
Why Do Leaders Resist Change?
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Economic threat
Decision-making responsibilities
threatened
Organizational position threatened
Loss of comfort zone
Lack of information
Fear
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of failure
of the unknown
Sometimes we don’t know
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Sometimes, we resist change for
reasons that even we don’t know
Here’s a research study that was done
in the 1960’s that can give us some
insight
The Gorilla Story
Gorilla
Gorilla
Gorilla
Gorilla
Gorilla:
A process
step whose
origin is lost
in myth or
legend.
What NOT to Do about
Resistance
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Use power
Be dishonest
Make deals
Kill the messenger
Acquiesce (give up)
Try to induce guilt
Ignore the situation
What to Do about Resistance
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Deal with it
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Understand it, based on
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You can’t make it go away entirely (nor do you want
to)
It is predictable, natural, and emotional
The impact of the change
The people involved – all will not react the same way
The root cause(s)
Work to minimize it
Strategies to Minimize Resistance
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Tell the truth
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Honesty MUST be maintained during a change
If the change will be difficult, say so
Withholding information feeds the grapevine
Circumstances may dictate withholding some
information
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In that case, tell people why
Involve people as much as possible
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Team members, experts on call, staff meetings,
surveys, etc.
Minimizing Resistance
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Communicate
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Who, what, where, when, how, WHY
WIIFM (What’s in it for me?)
Frequently and as soon as possible, if not sooner
Reemphasize case for change
Use various communication means
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Test whether the message is being received
Educate/Train
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Provide tools and information
Help people to acquire new skills
Minimizing Resistance (cont.)
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Provide a forum for feedback
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Listen
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Show that you care about the feelings of others
Look at the change from their point of view
Allow some venting
Get the cause of the resistance out in the
open
Conflict isn’t always a bad thing
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New ideas may arise from resistance to change
Minimizing Resistance (cont.)
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Keep the transition period short
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The longer the transition, the more resistance
Define and implement new roles and
responsibilities quickly
Be the change
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Champion change
Don’t hide your feelings, but don’t whine
Don’t backstab the change
Keep a positive outlook on the change
Sometimes, it takes some
inspiration
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Providing the vision of where we want
to go, and why, can help those who
resist come along
Here’s an example of someone providing vision to a
reluctant group of soldiers. See how you think
providing the vision affects this situation.
Sustaining Change
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Transitional change will not be effective if old
behaviors are allowed to continue
Resistance must be addressed adequately
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Otherwise, resistance will rise again
Must have support structures in place
Must remove the ability and/or the desire to return to
the old ways
Leadership and employees must live up to the
commitments of the change
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The new way must be a priority, or the old way could return
Tying results to organization-wide measures will help
reinforce the change
Leading Change
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Change leaders have specific
responsibilities
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Provide direction and vision
Break down barriers
Provide resources
Provide focus
Provide sense of urgency
Change leaders initiate and encourage
positive change within their sphere of
influence
So How Does This Work?
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Successful change leaders:
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See the future
Know the environment
Know the people
Know the impact
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Major, minor
Cultural implications
Know their role
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Apply integrity, intelligence, positive energy and emotion
Understand Leadership vs. Management
See the Future
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Change leaders are able to envision a
future state for the
organization/department
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Push frontiers
Go beyond perceived capabilities
Pursue best-in-class processes
Believe in the possibilities
This isn’t just an ego boost to make the leader famous –
it’s to take an organization to a new level of performance
Know the Environment
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Change leaders must be aware of the
marketplace, the competition, and the
economy
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What can the organization reasonably achieve?
Is there an opportunity to break out from the
pack?
Is the market ready for the innovation/revolution?
Change should be initiated to set up the organization for
success – and success should be possible to achieve
Know the People
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Change leaders know the capability of
the people in their organizations
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Skills/Attributes
Adaptability to change
Capacity for innovation
Are able to enroll others in the change
process
The amount of change currently underway in an organization
will have an impact on the potential success of a new change
Know the Impact
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Change leaders must assess the impact of the
change on those affected
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Is it 10% or 90% of their jobs?
Is it a change to a long-established process?
Are there work rules that need to be addressed?
What relationships between people, departments, or
organizations will change?
Will the change threaten the authority, decisionmaking, or position of people in the organization?
Know Your Role
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Change leaders need to be at the
forefront of change, and be:
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Visible
Passionate
Honest
Open
Driven
The perceived importance by the organization of the change
is directly proportional to the visible support of it by leadership
Leadership vs. Management
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Leadership and management are two
different things
Leaders are strong in:
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Establishing direction
Aligning people
Motivating and inspiring
Managers are strong in:
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Planning and budgeting
Organizing and staffing
Controlling and problem-solving
So Which is Better?
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Leadership and management are both necessary
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Too much managing leads to stifled creativity
Too much leading leads to loss of direction
A balance of both traits are necessary for change to
be achieved and sustained
Leadership and management apply at different
points in a change process
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Leadership in the beginning, to foster creativity, and
during, to create momentum
Management during and after implementation to
ensure organization and sustainment of the change
Leaders and managers may or may not be the same people
Leading Change - summary
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Change leadership is critical to successful
change
Knowledge of the situation (environment,
people, impact) must be collected to
effectively lead change
A balance of leadership and management is
required to keep the change on track
Leading change isn’t easy, but when done well, it’s key to
the implementation and sustainability of significant change
Moving Forward - Personal
Reactions to Change
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You have a choice on how you react to
change
As we discussed earlier, initial reactions to
imposed change tend to be negative and
emotional
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Anger, shock, denial, fear, confusion
This is normal
Initial reactions should be understood and
resolved so the change can move forward
You can choose your attitude about change
When the Change Is
Announced (Endings phase)
Negative
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Talk badly about the change
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Talk badly about the
organization
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Talk one way in public, but
another in private
conversations
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Stop performing your current
responsibilities, or perform
them carelessly
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Have secret meetings where
the change is not taken
seriously
Positive
 Learn about the change
 Ask how you can help
 Find out how to prepare
for the change
 Be positive
 Be open and honest
with your feedback
 Encourage constructive
conversations about the
change
During the Change Process
(Transition phase)
Negative
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Block progress or sabotage
the change
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Talk negatively about the
change in private
conversations
 Ignore the change – pretend
it’s not happening
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Prevent others from
participating in the design or
implementation of the
change
Positive
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Ask questions about the
future
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Ask how the change will
impact day-to-day operations
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Provide input to the solution
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Find out what new skills will
be needed and seek training
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Take advantage of the
change to develop new skills
and grow professionally
After the Change Is In Place
(Beginnings phase)
Negative
 Avoid using the new tools or
processes
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Tell peers or subordinates
that using the new tools or
processes is no big deal and
shouldn’t be taken too
seriously
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Revert to the old way of
doing work when problems
or issues arise
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Take advantage of problems
during implementation of the
change to demonstrate why
the change won’t work
Positive
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Reinforce the change with
peers and subordinates
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Help the business achieve
the objectives of the change
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Avoid reverting back to the
old ways of doing work when
problems arise
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Help solve problems that
arise during implementation
What Can You Do Personally
About Change?
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When change comes your way, you
can:
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Understand Your Emotional Response
Get Involved
Ask Questions
Understand the Case for Change
Be Flexible and Willing to Learn
Know That More Change Will Come
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change
it, change the way you think about it.” Mary Engelbreit
Summary
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Change Management is an important part of a
successful change initiative
Planning and recognition of change issues throughout
the process is possible
Change affects different people different ways
Certain predictable behaviors are induced by change
Resistance to change can be identified, predicted,
and mitigated, but not eliminated
Focus on change management throughout the
process can help change succeed
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change
it, change the way you think about it.” Mary Engelbreit
Resources
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Readings
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Managing Transitions by William Bridges
Leading Change by John Kotter
The Heart of Change by John Kotter
Employee’s Survival Guide to Change by
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High Performance Work Systems by The
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The Human Side of High-Tech by Carol
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Prosci Research
Belgard Group
Kinsey Goman
Parting Shots
“If you want to truly understand something, try to
change it.” Kurt Lewin
“Change is the essential process of all existence.”
Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock in “Star Trek”
“The most effective way to cope with change is to help
create it.” L.W. Lynett
“Change starts when someone sees the next step.”
William Drayton
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
Theodore Roosevelt
Questions?
Dean Bliss
Iowa Healthcare Collaborative
[email protected]
319-329-1440