Understanding How People Change: A Diversity Issue Living In / Living With Diversity Mary Lynn Manns Department of Management & Accountancy

Common misconceptions of change leaders Policies will address most of our issues –Laws & rewards treat symptoms, not the underlying causes –What is needed?... a fundamental change in thinking and behaving We can persuade people with well-prepared presentations and “elevator speeches” –This makes it difficult to address individual concerns Just the facts, ma’am The facts provide only knowledge knowledge – persuasion – decision – implementation – confirmation

Leading change… it’s about relationships Change happens one individual at a time. Relate to what’s going on in the other person’s head, not in yours. (R.N. Bolles, What Color is Your Parachute?) What separates those who achieve from those who do not is in direct proportion to one’s ability to ask for help. (D. Keough, former president of Coca-Cola)

Innovativeness of the individual The degree to which an individual is relatively earlier in adopting a new idea than other members of a social system Partitioned into 5 adopter categories by laying off standard deviations from the average time of adoption A continuous variable –A simplification that aids in the understanding of human behavior –However, we lose information as a result of grouping individuals (Rogers)

Connector Early Majority Innovator Local Sponsor Bridge-Builder Guru on Your Side Champion Skeptic Early Adopter

Innovator New stuff is cool! Venturesomeness is almost an obsession Can cope with a high degree of uncertainty A (temporary) gatekeeper for the change Not a good “opinion leader”

Early Adopter This is interesting, but I want to hear more. Known for successful, discrete use of new ideas, so this person is… … respected and makes a good… … opinion leader

Early Majority What do other people think? Are risk-adverse and want to know the experiences of others Provide a link to interpersonal networks

Bridge-Builder Pair those who have accepted the idea with those who have not Homophily : similar beliefs, personality, lifestyle Spreads message among similar people (horizontally) “Strong ties” (Granovetter, 1973)

Connector Communicates with many different types of people Heterophily allows an idea to spread vertically “Weak ties” (Granovetter, 1973)

Guru on Your Side Has the ear of managers and non-managers alike May be “delicate” to convince Can make or break your efforts

Local Sponsor Can provide support and resources Use –[Whisper in the General’s Ear] –[Guru Review] –[Tailor Made]

Champion Skeptic Rather than fearing or avoiding the skeptics, respect what they have to say Consider giving them an official role in the change initiative

A variety of people in your change initiative [Innovator] [Early Adopter] [Early Majority] [Bridge-Builder] [Connector] [Guru on Your Side] [Evangelist] [Local Sponsor] [Champion Skeptic] Manns & Rising (2005) Fearless Change: Patterns for Introducing New Ideas

Summary… People are diverse even when adopting change If we learn about this diversity, we can: –persuade each person in the most effective way [PersonalTouch] –involve each person in the change initiative [Involve Everyone] –develop a [Group Identity] If you and I were exactly the same, one of us would not be necessary.