Essentials of Organizational Change – A New Webinar Series
September 1, 2010
Implementing a new system, tool, process or project?
Start with the fundamentals if you want to succeed.
When installing something new in your organization, it can feel like you are encountering resistance at every turn. No one seems to be listening or cooperating, even though it’s your job to get it done!
When I was a young engineer, I frequently became frustrated when coworkers would not just implement the new-and-improved processes I designed. After banging my head against the wall, I started to realize that my job was more than just making higher quality widgets more efficiently. Really, I was trying to change the way people work. After years of education, personal trial and error, and working with clients, I have narrowed down the change process to the ingredients that are essential to success.
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“Heather Stagl helped me see that the missing link in our Project Management Office was change management. By sharing just a fraction of her organizational change knowledge and insights, she put me on the right path.” Brian Horgan, Project Director |
Perhaps you, too, would love to improve your workplace and make others’ jobs easier, more efficient, or more meaningful. It doesn’t matter if you are in IT, HR, project management, strategic planning, engineering, sustainability or process improvement. Ultimately, to make a difference in your organization, your job requires that you influence and manage change.
I have no doubt that you are already good at figuring out what people should be doing differently. The challenge is knowing how to get them to do it. Once you know the fundamental ingredients to implementing change, you can move from being a discouraged professional to a bonafide change agent.
Introducing:
In this 2-part online series, you will gain clarity about your own project through the lens of organizational change. This unique series includes an assessment, a workbook, and three hours learning the fundamentals of change.
When you sign up for Essentials of Organizational Change, you’ll get:
- The Flash Point Change Assessment – Before you start the program, you’ll complete a questionnaire to evaluate your change initiative in 8 key areas. You will also receive a personal report detailing what you are doing well and where you might get stuck.
- Two 90-minute Group Webinar Sessions - Learn the essentials of organizational change and share experiences with fellow professionals.
- The Change Starts Here Workbook – As homework between the sessions, you will complete the workbook, which contains a 4-step process for gaining clarity about your initiative.
- Webinar recordings – A record of the webinars, so you can revisit all the valuable information we discussed.
- Bonus #1: Influence Factors – A checklist of 99 strategies to help people change, a quick-start guide for when you are feeling stuck.
- Bonus #2: Two article reprints – “Tips for Getting Your Project Approved” and “8 Fundamental Ingredients of a Successful Change Initiative.”
Register by Thursday, September 9, 2010 to receive the Early Bird rate: All this for just $159! That’s 20% off the regular price of $199.
I don’t believe in just teaching concepts in my programs. My goal is for you to gain clarity and make progress on your initiative even before the series is over. At the same time, you’ll learn a repeatable process for your next initiative.
After this program you will:
- Understand how change works
- Gain clarity about what you really trying to change
- Know the areas you need to work on so you don’t get stuck
- Step into the role of change agent
If your job requires changing the way people work, you won’t want to miss this concentrated dose of practical insights about how change really works.
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me.
The Three Clients of Change Agents
August 17, 2010
The standard definition of a change agent is someone who causes change to happen. The assumed meaning of the word “agent” is akin to the chemical agent, the catalyst that spontaneously transforms something from its current state into something different.
agent n. A force or substance that causes a change.
While being called a catalyst may be inspiring, there is another definition of “agent” that is far more realistic when describing the role of the change agent – the representative.
agent n. One empowered to act for or represent another.
Consider for example a real estate agent or an attorney, who does not act on his own accord but on behalf of his client. Likewise, a change agent is an individual within an organization who influences change without direct authority. As someone who gets things done mostly through indirect means, the change agent is often representing another entity who is essentially the client of the change agent’s services.
A change agent has three main clients for any change initiative, and will usually lean toward one as the primary entity he or she represents:
The Leaders
A change agent represents leaders to the rest of the organization. As someone who is implementing change on behalf of leaders, to maintain the integrity of everyone involved, a change agent’s behavior and attitudes should visibly align with those leaders. Change agents often act as translators, converting leaders’ vision and strategy into everyday activities for change.
The Employees
At the same time, since they are closer to the action, change agents are in a good position to represent the employees who are going through the change. Through surveys and conversations, a change agent can keep track of how employees are receiving and implementing the change. Change agents often advocate for employee points of view that might otherwise not be voiced.
The Change
Another point of view is that the change agent represents the change itself. Regardless of the other parties’ varying interests, your job is to get it done. Instead of choosing sides between leaders and employees, a change agent may advocate for what is right for the business, the mission and the values of the organization at large. From this point of view, the leaders and employees are both equal parties in the transaction.
As a change agent, be aware of the client you are representing in your initiative. Which way you lean will affect your point of view and how you approach the change.
Interview: Join the Adventure! Become a Secret Change Agent at Work
June 8, 2010
This morning on The Change Agent’s Dilemma radio show, I interviewed Dot Olonovich, MBA student and change management researcher at Lehigh University, who shared tips for how (and why) she transformed her life and organization by becoming a “secret change agent” at work.
Listen here (30 minutes):
Be sure to visit the radio show page to listen to past episodes and subscribe to the show.
3 Traps that Keep Change Agents from Getting the Support They Need
May 13, 2010
It is common knowledge that in order for your change initiative to grow beyond your own span of influence you need leadership buy-in. The truth is you need much more than approval; as a change agent you need leaders in your organization to take action that supports your initiative.
The trouble is, leaders often don’t do what is needed to implement change, even if they agree it should happen. You may think, If only they would (fill in the blank), you would be able to make some real progress.
This lack of proper leadership support is the top challenge for most change agents. It frequently stays that way because change agents get stuck by the following traps.
1. “It’s not my place.”
Allison was a supervisor who had been given a special assignment to implement the recommendations that resulted from an employee survey. The biggest roadblock to improvement, she decided, was her boss’s boss, the very person who had commissioned the survey. Allison’s boss agreed but would not do anything about it. “What can I do?” Allison asked, “It’s not my place to address the issues with my boss’s boss.”
The organizational hierarchy can seem like an insurmountable hurdle over which to affect change. When the person whose support you need is outside of one degree of authority, it can seem like political suicide to attempt to do something about it. From this position of helplessness, it is easy to get stuck hoping he will figure it out on his own.
2. “That’s just the way they are.”
Dan was a senior manager who worked directly for the CEO. Dan’s key initiative to improve the company was to develop and solidify accountability to procedures. The CEO, while supporting the initiative verbally, did not want to abide by procedures himself. It was the CEO who had embodied the previously lackadaisical culture. “I can’t do anything about it. That’s just the way he is,” Dan lamented.
We often assume that the behaviors of others reflect an inner character trait. This assumption is so common that psychologists call it the fundamental attribution error. When you consider that someone will not support you because it is part of his DNA, of course you would automatically chalk it up as a lost cause. You get trapped knowing it is impossible to change someone else.
3. “He just doesn’t like me.”
John was a project manager who needed key data from the manager of another department. However, John’s phone calls and e-mails requesting the information were repeatedly ignored. John asked his boss to request the same information, and it was immediately handed over. “Maybe she just doesn’t like me,” was John’s reasoning.
This trap is the mirror image of the fundamental attribution error. Instead of thinking the lack of support is caused by her character, you think the lack of support is your own fault. Whenever you interpret her behavior as a personal slight – she doesn’t respect you, she doesn’t like you, she doesn’t trust you – it traps you with self-doubt. Insecurity is a lousy place from which to exert influence as a change agent.
Allison, Dan and John are composites of real change agents who were stuck. But none of their traps were inherently real. The traps were assumptions they made about the leaders and the organization.
The first step in getting out of a trap is to recognize that you may be in one. Separate the facts from your assumptions about them. From there, you can select a new point of view and step out of the trap, so you can find new ways to get the support you need to implement change.
You can get the support you need to make a difference!
Join me for The Proper Care and Feeding of Leaders webinar series on May 20 & 27. I’ll be sharing practical ways to get unstuck from these common traps.
The Proper Care and Feeding of Leaders
So They Help You Implement Change
Dates: Thursday, May 20 & 27, 2010
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Cost: $149 (The first 5 tickets are only $99!)
Maximum attendees: 20
Are key leaders in your organization frustrating you?
April 29, 2010
Are you frustrated by one or more key leaders in your organization?
For whatever reason, they are not doing what is needed to implement change? Perhaps they say they believe that change should happen, but their actions indicate otherwise. Maybe they seem to dismiss it altogether. Or they just do all the wrong things with the best intentions. Either way, they feel like a giant roadblock in the path to change. If only they would (fill in the blank), you would be able to make some real progress.
As an internal change agent with less authority, you probably feel powerless to do anything about it. Until now, your main tactics have been dropping hints and wishful thinking. Maybe you have waited a while for them to get with the program — weeks, months, even years.
You are not alone. In fact, not having adequate support from key leaders is the top challenge for most change agents I talk to.
It doesn’t have to be that way. There are ways you can help leaders help you influence change, even from where you sit on the totem pole. Join me for a 2-part online course that will help you get the leadership support you need for successful change:
The Proper Care and Feeding of Leaders
So They Help You Implement Change
Dates: Thursday, May 20 & 27, 2010
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Cost: $149 (Only 3 more $99 early bird tickets remain!)
Maximum attendees: 20
Course Description
During this 2-part online training session, you will learn:
- Whose support you really need, and who you ignore at your own risk
- What leaders need from you most as a change agent
- How to tell which of five levels of support you have, and which you need
- Six reasons why leaders don’t do what you need them to do, even if they want change to happen
- What you can personally do to gain the support you need to successfully implement change
All attendees will receive:
- Two 90-minute interactive webinar sessions
- Access to the webinar video recordings
- Influence Factors: A checklist of 99 strategies to help people change
- Two article reprints: “Tips for Getting Your Project Approved” and “How to Deal With a Clueless Boss”
- BONUS: You will receive the Beyond Buy-in Workbook, a $34.95 value, when you register to attend.
Who Should Attend
Mid- to senior-level managers and individual contributors who are responsible for implementing change in their organizations won’t want to miss this series. Specifically, this webinar series will help people who need to influence change without having direct authority over people going through the change. Examples of roles that typically require the support of leadership to get things done include (but are not limited to): IT, engineering, human resources, strategic planning, internal communications, process improvement, and project management.
Without real leadership support, your change initiative will have diminished impact. Register today to learn practical ways to help leaders help you implement change.
Tickets are regularly priced at $149. Only 3 more early bird $99 tickets are left. Register while they last!
Interview: Operating Excellence at Lockheed Martin
April 27, 2010
This morning on The Change Agent’s Dilemma radio show, I interviewed Christian Kress, Six Sigma Master Black Belt and 23-year employee at Lockheed Martin.
Chris shared the story of his career as an internal change agent within Lockheed Martin. It’s an interesting story interwoven with the path of a long-term initiative to continually build operating excellence in the company through Lean Six Sigma. He shared a number of tips for how to influence change without authority.
Listen here (30 minutes):
Be sure to visit the radio show page to listen to past episodes and subscribe to the show.
The ownership paradox
April 15, 2010
I had an interesting conversation this morning with the director of a Project Management Office. One of the key points of the discussion was a distressing paradox:
If you want organization change to stick, you need someone with authority to take ownership of the change.
When they take ownership, they tend to want to do it their own way, or at least add their personal stamp to it.
Being a change agent ultimately means letting go of what you are trying to implement in order for it to actually happen. If the new state requires your presence for it to continue, then nothing has really changed.
What might you do to give up control of your change initiative to someone who can carry it forward?
Implementing Change from Inside? Watch Out for Blind Spots
March 24, 2010
Due to human nature, sometimes we make assumptions that are so ingrained in our minds that we don’t even realize we are making them. When it comes to implementing change, these blind spots can get in the way of taking proper action – or even realizing that action is a possibility. Read more
On the Radio: Ten Essential Tools for Change Agents
March 16, 2010
This morning on The Change Agent’s Dilemma radio show, I shared Ten Essential Tools for Change Agents.
The Ten Essential Tools include personal influence and structural influence methods, plus a focused foundation that every change agent needs to start with. If your change initiative is stalled, use the Ten Tools as a checklist to see what areas might be in need of a boost.
Listen here (30 minutes):
Be sure to visit the new radio show page to find other ways you can tune in to the show.
If you prefer to read a small synopsis of the list, see the previous post Ten Essential Tools for Change Agents. However, you will miss out on a special offer that is presented at the end of the show!
Knowing when to quit
February 11, 2010
Inevitably, when I coach change agents the conversation at some point turns into a career discussion. When you are banging your head against the wall, it is natural to consider that the organization is truly unchangeable, and perhaps it’s time to give up.
At the heart of the decision to stay or quit is a question. Is the organization really stuck, or have you just not tried the thing(s) that will work to make it unstuck?
In my experience, an organization is only truly stuck if someone with authority wants it to be stuck. I don’t mean that the senior leaders say they want change but unconsciously sabotage the effort. When that happens there is still an opportunity to hold up a mirror to show them what is going on. No, the organization is only stuck if the CEO (or equivalent) says to you, “We are ending this initiative.” In every other case there is something else you haven’t tried yet.
Consider this: when you are banging your head against the wall, the proverbial wall may not be the immovable organization. The wall might be your own internal barrier that is keeping you from trying the thing that will work. Whether it’s one of many available fears, or conflicting priorities, or imaginary or real inadequacies, an internal barrier may stop you from even considering something that might otherwise be an obvious step forward. If such an internal barrier exists, quitting now in the hopes that another organization will be easier to change will most likely end at the beginning of a similar cycle of frustration.
So go. Go until someone tells you to stop. Otherwise you’re stopping yourself.
What is the wall you’re banging your head against?
If you don’t know what is stuck or don’t know how to get unstuck, contact me to learn how we might figure it out together.
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