by Peggy
Holman
Think about a time when you were part of a
group achieving exceptional results. What was happening? People respond very consistently
to this question: The purpose was clear and meaningful; everyone pulled
together to make the project a success; natural leaders emerged; people did the
work they felt best able to perform; and participants willingly took risks.
Later, when the team reflected on the experience, they were often astonished by
their accomplishments. What if this deep sense of community and ability to
produce extraordinary results were the norm for how organizations and
communities worked on a daily basis? What principles can we follow to make this
goal a reality?
Sustaining
High-Impact Efforts
Over the past 30 years, the number of stories
about groups that have created and sustained such experiences over time has
grown. Examples range from curriculum redesign and faculty development at
Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn, New York, to an award-winning
change initiative at GTE involving front-line staff, to successful efforts in
Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to find creative ways to overcome a tax-limiting
referendum.
In most of these efforts, people worked in
new ways to achieve ambitious and fundamental changes. The organizations or
communities in which they operated shared a belief that knowledge primarily
comes from the people working within the business, not from experts or outside
consultants. Participants in such projects expanded their horizons to view the
system as a whole, rather than simply focusing on their own small area of
operation, resulting in commitment to a shared, desired outcome. This common focus
moved people to act, with significant and lasting results.
These stories of successful organizational
transformation provide clear evidence of better ways of working together. The
approaches used in these cases fill two huge voids that most large-scale change
efforts miss. The first improvement entails intelligently
involving people in changing their workplaces and communities by shifting
power and control from the hands of a few to the hands of the many. The second
involves approaching change systemically.
This approach can optimize the whole organization’s performance, not just that
of an individual department or branch.
Organizations that undergo successful,
long-term change processes seem to share seven characteristics:
A
vision of the future that provides people with an opportunity to contribute to
something larger than themselves. When people see the possibility of making
a significant contribution, they operate differently. The emphasis shifts from
focusing on “why it can’t be done” to “how can we make this happen?” There is a
tangible difference in the atmosphere of organizations that have made this
shift—they feel alive with possibility and excitement.
Involvement
of the whole person—the head, heart, and spirit of the members of the
organization. Over the years,
words such as “hands” or “heads” have become a way to count numbers of people
in organizations. They reflect a focus on what is considered important—hands to
do the manual work; heads to do the thinking work. A successful approach to change
reengages the whole person: hands for doing, heads for thinking, hearts for
caring, and spirits for achieving inspired results.
Understanding
that knowledge and wisdom reside within the organization’s people. This
belief, that the people in the system know best, represents a profound shift
from the days of bringing in outside experts with “the answer.” Instead,
successful change strategies engage people in the organization in making
choices about what’s best for them.
A
perspective that change is a process, not an event. Events help focus
people’s attention, but they are only one part of the change equation. It is
ongoing practice that enables long-term success.
A
systems view of the organization. When people understand that they’re
collectively creating their organization, they begin to understand that system
at a deeper level. They see interconnections among departments, processes, or
relationships. Because more people understand the whole system, they can make
intelligent, informed contributions to substantive decisions.
An
effort to make critical information publicly available to members of the
organization. What keeps the
system whole over time is a commitment to sharing information that is
traditionally provided on a “need-to-know” basis. When people are informed of
what is important to the system and how it is performing, they make better
decisions about their own activities.
A
sense of the power of the individual to make a difference. When people
understand the whole system, when they feel that their voices matter, they are
more inclined to make a commitment to the change process.
Pulling
It All Together
This kind of all-encompassing, high-leverage
change process begins with two questions that can help participants gain a
broader view of the system in which they operate:
What is
our purpose? By exploring this
question both intellectually (What do we what to accomplish?) and emotionally
(Why is it worth investing time and energy?), people begin the shift to
thinking systemically.
Who
participates? Understanding the
system requires knowing who is involved: Who affects it, who cares about it,
who holds responsibility for its health and well-being.
Having established a view of the organization
as a whole system, the group is well positioned to choose a change process that
suits its needs (see “Tips for Undertaking Change Initiatives”). A successful
approach will create conditions that help an organization or community improve
by enhancing the quality of the interactions among people. In addition to
developing a strategic plan, restructuring an organization, or directly
improving traditional performance variables such as cost, cycle time, and
quality, such methods seed participants’ minds with new concepts and offer a
safe environment in which to practice new communication skills and patterns of
interaction. A wide variety of innovative change methodologies, including Open
Space Technology, Appreciative Inquiry, Dialogue, and Future Search, can help
guide and sustain the process.
Moving
Boldly Forward
When organizations view change from a systemwide
perspective and make the effort to involve those affected by the process in the
process, the potential for unimagined results is within reach. As Goethe so
eloquently reminds us, “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” So, what are you waiting for? A
more successful, more sustainable future is within your organization’s grasp.
Peg Holman is co-editor of The Change Handbook: Group Methods for
Shaping the Future (Berrett-Koehler, 1999). She is a writer and consultant
who works with organizations to help them achieve cultural transformation.
LEVERAGE
POINTS
Tips for
Undertaking Change Initiatives
·
Be Clear About Your Purpose. Not only is this the key to mobilizing meaningful
involvement, it is also vital for sustaining the work when the going gets
rough.
·
Know Where Your Support Is Coming
from and Plan Accordingly. Different
strategies for getting started make sense depending on whether support is from
the top, middle, or grassroots level.
·
Mean What You Say and Be Prepared to
Be Tested. People have an uncanny
ability to ferret out underlying intentions. If the stated purpose for
high-involvement change isn’t authentic, participants will know and won’t make
the needed commitment to the effort.
·
Believe That You Can Create the
Culture You Want. Change is not
always comfortable, so accept the fact that the process may be messy and focus
on how best to bring people into a future that they desire.
· Communicate with Everyone Involved Early and Often. Engaging those affected by the process will help to generate much-needed momentum.
· Get the Support You Need. If you’ve never taken part in a large-scale change effort, involve someone who has—they can save you much anxiety when you’re not sure how to proceed.
Draft for
Holman, Peggy, (1999, November). “New Perspectives on Organizational
Success”, Leverage, No. 35.
For more information, contact Peggy Holman
peggy@opencirclecompany.com
www.opencirclecompany.com