Aug
7
Written by:
ctaylor
8/7/2009 12:43 PM
Solving the Mystery of Leading People Through Change
This past month I sat in on a one hour teleconference with co-author John Britt who wrote (along with Ken Blanchard and others) the book "Who Killed Change?" In typical "Blanchard" fashion, the book is written as a story with much to teach on the subject of change. After spending an hour with John Britt I decided to buy the book and read the story for myself. It was well worth it.
The book tells the story of a Columbo-style detective, Agent Mike McNally who is found investigating the murder of yet another change in an organization. One by one, Agent McNally interviews thirteen prime suspects to see if he can figure out who murdered Change.
Several assumptions stand underneath this story about change. Some of them are:
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People leading the change think that announcing it is the same as integrating it.
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People's concerns with change are not surfaced or addressed.
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Those being asked to implement change are not involved in the planning.
The thirteen murder suspects are always the same. They are:
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Culture - the predominant attitudes, beliefs and behavior patterns that characterize the organization.
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Commitment - builds the person's motivation and confidence to engage in the new behaviors required by the change.
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Sponsorship - a senior leader who has the formal authority to deploy resources (time, money and people) towards the change initiative - and who ultimately is responsible for the success of the change.
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Change Leadership Team - actively leads the change into the organization by speaking with one voice and resolving the concerns of those being asked to change.
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Communication - creates opportunities for dialogue with change leaders and those being asked to change.
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Urgency - explains why the change is needed and how quickly people must change the way they work.
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Vision - paints a clear and compelling picture of the future after change has been integrated.
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Plan - clarifies the priority of the change compared to other initiatives; works with those being asked to change to develop inplementation; defines and builds the structures needed to support the change.
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Budget - analyzes proposed changes from a financial perspective to determine how best to allocate resources.
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Trainer - provides learning experiences to ensure those being asked to change have the skills needed to follow through wiht the change and eventually succeed.
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Incentive - recognizes and rewards people to reinforce desired behaviors and results that enable change.
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Performance management - sets goals and expectations regarding behaviors and results that enable change; tracks progress; and provides feedback and training.
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Accountability - follows through with people to ensure their behaviors and results are in line with agreed upon goals and expectations; ensures leaders are walking their talk.
It would be safe to say that I read this book looking for some insights on how to successfully lead people through change. One insight I gained was to learn that the characters who can kill change are the same characters who can help change thrive in an organization.
Churches going through transition sometimes see their change initiatives stalled or killed because of one of these characters. As leaders and facilitators of change, being better equipped will increase your changes of success in this important work. What you'll find in this easy to read book is both a good story as well as some practices that will help you succeed when wading into the change arena. After all, there comes a time when status quo just isn't good enough!
Take Action
1. Read over the list of 13 characters and reflect on which one (or two) may be killing change in a situation you are working with.
2. What that character in mine, write down 2-3 powerful questions you could ask those you are working with to aid in self-discovery and the development of a strategy to deal with the hindrance to change.
3. Reflect on the relationship between the 13 characteristics as it relates to the change process. What do you notice?
The name of the book is Who Killed Change? by Ken Blanchard and John Britt. If you are at all like me, you'll find the book both enjoyable and informative in helping to better equip you to be an effective leader of change. www.whokilledchange.com