Surviving Change Strengthening Our Ability to Survive (and Thrive on) Organisational Change Transcript: Radio conversation of a US naval ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October, 1995. Americans: Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision. Canadians: Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision. Americans: This is the Captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course. Canadians: No. I say again, you divert YOUR course. Americans: This is the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln the second largest ship in the United States' Atlantic Fleet We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers and numerous support vessels. I demand that YOU change your course 15 degrees north, that's one five degrees north, or countermeasures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship. Canadians: This is a Lighthouse. Your call. Our Learning Objectives 1. Define resilience and its importance in an age of uncertainty 2. Describe the emotional roller-coaster of change 3. Identify the characteristics that enable someone to be resilient 4. Assess your RQ (Resilience Quotient) 5. Develop resilience in yourself and support its development in others It’s a VUCA World!! V.U.C.A. • • • • VOLATILE UNCERTAIN AMBIGUOUS COMPLEX The Context for Change Insert change slides THE WHY THE WHAT Environmental Shifts THE HOW Customers Organisational Responses Competitors Strategy Personal Implications Stakeholders Structures Roles Economy Mission Responsibilities Government Products Methods Technology Services Thinking Society Practices Values Technology Behaviours Belgard, Fisher & Rayner Inc Change Equation AxBxCxDxE>F Where A= dissatisfaction with the present B= a shared vision and shared aims C= capacity to change D= capability to change E= first steps F= organisational inertia/resistance to change Beckhard and Gleicher Reasons for Resistance • Fear of Loss • Previous bad experiences • Approach being taken • WIIFM? • Not convinced • Disempowering • • • • Fear of Failure Lack of conference Peer pressure Attachment to the status quo • Complacency • Too complex • Management wants it Attitudes to Change People who Hidersand Missionaries Believers pay Lip Service Refugees Members of the Honest Emigrants Underground Opponents Resistance The Journey Through Change Stability As we (individually and organisationally) move from stability to chaos , there is a greater need for resilience Learning, acceptance & commitment Comfort & Control Looking Forward Looking Backward Enquiry, experimentation & discovery Fear, anger & resistance Chaos After Leading Change model from Change Basics, Jeff and Linda Russell, (ASTD Press, 2006) Energy internally focused Energy externally focused Optimism and hope Shock Discovery and learning Denial Turbulence and blame Experimenting Holding on - Fighting disintegration Minimise shock; communicate intentions Be patient; discuss implications & observe reactions Moving on – re-integration Letting go Listen, empathise, support, protect; don’t personalise Get closure: rituals; create goals; coach Encourage risk taking; give feedback; develop people Evaluate and recognise progress; celebrate; prepare to move on Reasons for failure 1. Too much complacency 2. Absence of leadership 3. No vision 4. Poor communication 5. Fear of confrontation 6. No short terms wins 7. Ending too soon 8. Ignoring the culture John Kotter Change is personal – it’s about YOU! 1. Capacity to learn 2. Power and influence 3. Role effectiveness Roger Plant Human Nature • • • We want control over our lives. Self-confidence and psychological health results from stable and effective relationships with others. Our sense of control, comfort, and well-being being results from the degree of certainty we have about our life. • • • Change disrupts our ability to predict what’s in store for us. The greater the change, the greater our confusion, fear, anxiety and self-doubt. Resilience enables us to survive, even thrive, on the challenges posed by a changing environment. You respond to any storm the way you train 95% behaviour is unconscious 5% behaviour is conscious choice Energy “the capacity for vigorous activity; available power; an adequate or abundant amount of such power the ability to act, lead others, effect, etc., forcefully; the capacity to do work;” Energy is finite Great Leadership is Renewing Energy Great Leadership is Renewing Energy 1. We must manage our energy more than our time 2. Growth follows energy investment – where do you want to be extraordinary? 3. We give life to what we give our energy to – what are you creating? TYPES OF ENERGY Spiritual Mental Emotional Physical Force - strongest Focus - clearest Quality - highest Quantity - greatest How deep is your well? Resilience … • What does it mean to be resilient? • Why is resilience important in an age of uncertainty? – To us as individuals? – To our organizations? What Enabled Your Resilience? a) b) Reflect upon a time in your life that you found especially challenging and stressful . . . What specific capacities within you that enabled you to work through the trauma, rise above the turmoil and stress, and emerge as a stronger person. Resilience is a Mindset … • Resilience is less about who we are than about how we think. • Our mindsets or “mental models” directly influence and shape how we view the world and how we view ourselves in the world. • This view of self, in turn, influences how we respond (our behaviours) to adversity and stress — with a healthy/productive response or an unhealthy/unproductive response • The strength of our resilience mindset and the force of our behaviours enable us to, in turn, to influence or shape our environment. Dimensions of Resilience 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Feel Self-Assured Create a Personal Vision Be Flexible Get Organized Be Able to Solve Problems Be Socially Competent Get Connected Be Proactive Self Assured 5 Proactive Purpose 5 Connected 5 0 5 5 5 Adaptable 5 Interpersonal Organised 5 Problem Solver Developing Resilience in Yourself and Others . . . • What actions or new ways of thinking can you take/embrace to strengthen your resilience? • How might you help others strengthen their resilience? Strengthening Your Resilience • Know what’s important to you — define your personal vision and your core values • Reframe your mental models — challenge your assumptions about yourself and others • Identify what you can change/influence and what you can’t and focus on what you can influence Strengthening Your Resilience • Assume a “can do, can do,” proactive attitude • Take care of yourself — mentally and physically • Reach out to others — find new connections and strengthen existing • Create/build a discipline that gives you the structure/stability/order you need Helping Others Strengthen Their Resilience . . . • Remind people what ISN’T changing • Increase opportunities for social connections • Increase communication about the coming changes/challenges • Shift grousing and whining toward problem solving • Listen to their anxieties and fears • Acknowledge their losses • Engage staff in developing a shared vision of a realistically optimistic future Helping Others Strengthen Their Resilience . . . • Encourage a healthy work/life balance • Hold “brown bag” seminars on health, wellness, stress management, taking care of yourself, etc. • Promote EAP (employee assistance program) services • Explain the “whys” of the of the change/challenges • Celebrate the little victories along the way • Keep the team together • Break problems/challenges into bite-size pieces Change is inevitable, growth is optional . . . . . . (Resilient people choose growth) www.annemcmurray.com [email protected]