Copyright © 2008 Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 1 1 Professor Donald P. Linden LEAD 1200 CRN Chapter 7 Be a Positive Change Agent Workforce Development and Critical Thinking

2 To bring about change a leader must be willing to swim against the current of custom, norms, and culture. Anonymous

3 Importance of Leadership in Change In a competitive and rapidly changing marketplace, organizations are constantly looking for ways to keep up, stay ahead, and/or set new directions. The following strategies will help you to be a positive change agent:  Develop an inviting change picture (how will things be after the change)  Take responsibility for change  Communicate your change picture  Identify and eliminate barriers to the change  Establish incremental progress points and monitor progress constantly

4 Facilitating Change as a Leadership Function Three categories:  Driver – one who leads their organization in new directions in response to change  Riders – people who just go along, reacting to change as it happens rather than getting out in front of it  Spoiler – people who actively resist change

5 Do you want to be a driver? Here are some examples. Stay mentally prepared to take advantage of the change When you have misgivings, step back and examine your own motivations When a higher manager has an idea that has been tried before and failed, let the boss know what difficulties were experienced earlier and offer suggestions for avoiding the problems this time When major changes are announced, find out all about them, communicate this to employees, and solicit input to determine how to make a contribution to the achievement of the company’s new goals

6 Do you want to be a driver? Here are some examples. (Continued) When a change effects another department, go to theses other departments and explain the change in their terms, solicit their input, and involve them in the implementation process When demand for their unit’s work declines, solicit input from users and employees as to what modifications and new products or services might be needed and include the input in a plan for updating and changing direction When an employee suggests a good idea for change, support the change by justifying it to higher management and using their influence to obtain resources for it while countering opposition to it

7 Do you want to be a driver? Here are some examples. (Continued) When their unit is assigned a new, unfamiliar task, delegate the new responsibilities to their team members and make sure they get the support and training needed to succeed These examples show a driver as a person who: Exhibits leadership characteristics to play a positive role in helping employees and organizations successfully adapt to change on a continual basis.

8 How to Lead Change The most successful organizations don’t just respond to change – they get out in front of it. Helping your organization get out in front of change will help you get out in front of the competition for promotion and raises.

9 Understanding the Reality of Continual Change  Every Organization that operates in a competitive environment is forced by macroeconomic conditions to constantly reduce costs, improve quality, enhance product attributes, increase productivity, and identify new markets. None of these things can be accomplished without continually improving (changing) the way things are currently done.

10 Success Tip Although a visible and visionary individual can certainly be a catalyst for organizational change, the reality is that one person rarely changes an organization.

11 Establish and Charter the Steering Committee The steering committee is a team of people who are committed to the change in question and who can make it happen. Every member of the team should have one or more of the following characteristics:  Authority – to make decisions and commit resources  Expertise – it should be pertinent in terms of the change  Credibility – members must be well respected by all stakeholders so they will be listened to ad taken seriously  Leadership – qualities necessary to drive the effort

12 Establish Antenna Mechanisms Organizations must have mechanisms for sensing trends that will generate future change.  Read professional journals  Attend conferences  Study global markets  Read the newspaper  Stay in touch with the organizations customers You should have your antennae tuned to the world outside and bring anything of interest to the attention of your organization’s steering committee.

13 Success Tip Antenna mechanisms continue to anticipate change all the time, forever. They feed what they see into the model, and the organization works its way through each step explained here. The better an organization becomes at doing this the more successful it will be at competing in the global marketplace. The better you become at helping your organization make changes, the farther you will go in your career.

14 Develop a Vision (Change Picture) Imaginable – it conveys a picture that others can see of how things will be after the change Desirable – it points to a better tomorrow for all involved Feasible – it is realistic and attainable Flexible – stated on terms that are general enough to allow for initiative in responding to ever-changing conditions Communicable – it can be explained to an outsider who has no knowledge of the business

15 Communicate the Vision to All Involved (Stakeholders)  A good communication approach will have at least the following characteristics: Simplicity Repetitiveness Multiple formats Feedback mechanisms

16 Incorporate the Change Process Once an organization has gone through a major change, both the change itself and the process of change should be incorporated as part of the organization’s culture  The change that has just occurred should become the normal way of doing business  The process of change explained in this section should be institutionalized

17 Incorporate the Change Process Anchoring the new change in the organizational culture is critical Strategies for anchoring the new change are as follows:  Showcase the results  Communicate constantly – talk constantly about results and their corresponding benefits  Remove resistant employees – if the employees are still fighting the change after it has been made and is producing good results, give them the “get with it or get out” option

18 Chapter 7 Be a Positive Change Agent Outside Assignment: Due Thursday, October 8, 2009 by 11:55pm Read this Chapter Respond to the Review Questions as follows: Even numbered Students on the roster will answer questions: 1, 3, 5, and 7 Odd numbered Students on the roster will answer questions: 2, 4, 6, and 8 You will answer in paragraph format, with complete sentences, spell checked, and grammatically correct. You will send it to me electronically attached to an with the following: Subj: LEAD1200 F CRN Chapter 7 LEAD1200 Fall 2009 Professor Donald P. Linden