Classic change theory: leadership drives change; leadership must be committed for change to work.
Seems to make sense, but in reality leadership is irrelevant. The organization’s ability to change is dictated by the operational units and employees, not leadership. The reality: culture eats strategy for lunch. Your workers dictate change and strategy.
Leadership doesn’t drive change, total quality management, Lean manufacturing, or Six Sigma. None of it relies on leadership. Change relies on culture and in the case of culture, leadership is along for the ride and rarely in the driver seat.
The reason your changes fail is because you don’t get that change has less to do with you and everything to do with them. They change for their reasons, not yours, not the stockholders, not the competition, not the tax payer.
If leadership does not get culture, if leadership does not realize culture is more powerful than they, themselves, are, if leadership thinks their winning smile and advanced degrees are enough to influence change, then, sadly, yes – change will fail. In the assessment stage, I generally lead with John Kotter’s 8 Step Process for change:
Step 1: Create Urgency; Step 2: Form a Powerful Coalition; Step 3: Create a Vision for Change; Step 4: Communicate the Vision; Step 5: Remove Obstacles; Step 6: Create Short-term Wins; Step 7: Build on the Change; Step 8: Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture
I believe Kotter’s 8-steps, but the slow reality I experience time and again is that Kotter presents less a prescription than a wish list. The one, and only one, of the 8 steps that really matters is Step 8: Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture. This should not be the 8th step, it should be the 1st step. Better yet, start your change assessment with a diagnosis of your culture to understand how change will roll out or whither.
Culture will dictate the compelling urgency and at what level the term “compelling” means to whom. I am, in no way discounting John Kotter. His book, Leading Change provides a top framework. I am simply amping up the role culture has in any change effort’s likelihood of success. Culture drives your organization’s success or drive’s your organization out of business, through a culture-driven framework how does your organization or business unit look at your change initiative?
Think through your organization with the organization or business unit culture when thinking change and you’ll get a better gauge of the road ahead. Even Kotter estimates 70% of all change fails. Isn’t your next effort worth a better effort and the right planning? Culture and competing values is what drives your organization’s resistance.
No one individual, or leader, can change a culture, only when a majority acts on change and localizes change can the majority not only commit to the change, but find a commitment to change by contributing themselves to the evolution of the change. People conform because it helps them escape uncertainty.
Leaders can inspire through a vision, but groups define that vision by placing their future in a position comfortable within that change, if there is not a comfortable position for each or for the team, the future is rejected, no matter how powerful the CEO believes their are. There is wisdom in crowds.
As it stands statistically your strategy will fail, so let’s start with culture, forget leadership. Once you know more about the culture you can manage the scope needed to impact change.
No doubt I got some things wrong, or left out some important ideas. Please let me know what you think and suggestions you have for me to add value.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
In any age has any other strategy, outside of the promise of death, other than selling a vision and values by showing how they really align with the spirit of the company’s culture worked? In all the research I read, much like you enspouse, people don’t want to change will be highly resistent to change unless they see it as a better path to get where they want to go.
Alex Dail invite’s you to read Want Great Team Work Results?
Leadership not responsible for change is a new concept for me because there would still be no change if leaders would not want a change.
Twitter: TobyElwin
April 13, 2012 at 12:36 PM
Leadership has accountability for all that goes on within the organization they steward.
I’ll give an example of change that leadership is not driving, but is very much responsible for: when an organization votes union.
Culture trumps anything a leader hopes for. The more quoted version: culture eats strategy for lunch.
Have you looked at things that have happened or failed to happen that had no intention of leadership?
Toby Elwin invite’s you to read Fast Start – Is Your Organization Design Ready?
Toby, you make great points here.
I've built onto Kotter's 8 steps in my work (http://www.matchboxgroup.com). Like you, I believe the culture needs to be addressed from the beginning.
Step One: Leader understands what actually drives change (see your post).
Step Two: Create/identify your core ideology (see “Built to Last” by Jim Collins): core purpose, core values, etc. Make sure the change you desire actually aligns with the core ideology! If not, it WILL FAIL.
Step Three: Ignite passion for your goals. Create an energizing vision that includes the urgency to avoid something and the excitement of attaining something better. There must be something in it for everyone involved in making the change happen. Turn this into a “desired destination” that everyone wants to go to.
Step Four: List the assets your organization ALREADY has, and give credit to existing people, systems and processes that you will use as part of the change process.
Step Five: Involve people in meaningful ways so they can give input that helps guide the process and know their competence and importance.
Step Six: Inspire forward momentum. Remove obstacles, celebrate success, etc. Change policies, rewards, structure, etc., so that all support the new way of being.
Step Seven: Keep doing all six previous steps until the change is complete. Doing all this well imbeds it in the corporate culture.
Twitter: TobyElwin
June 17, 2010 at 3:17 PM
I think your modifications take Kotter’s 8 steps to an extremely tactical “go/no go” place for an organization to answer. Thanks for sharing them.
Bob, your comments and thoughts are really adding a lot to the site and to my thoughts. I think the collaboration and shared insight takes my examples and challenges as well as augments. Thank you for your contributions.