embracing change

Bret L. Simmons, Ph.D.UNR Extended Studies

October 23, 2014

Embracing Change

www.bretlsimmons.comhttp://www.slideshare.net/BretLSimmons

What do you want to learn

today?

Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games

Babe Ruth

Sigmoid Curve (Charles Handy)Sigmoid Curve (Charles Handy, 1995)

Discipline of The Second Curve

“..always assume that we are near the peak of the first curve and should therefore be starting to prepare for the second” (p.57)

Exercise 1

Identify a change that is happening right now at work. Why are you resisting that change?

Integrity

Primary Sources

For anything to change, someone has to start acting differently. Can you get people to start behaving differently? (p.4)

If you want to be effective at helping others change their

behavior, then build a reputation for

proactively changing your own behavior

Change Metaphor

Rider - Rational – Deliberates,

analyzes, looks into the future

– Provides planning and direction

Elephant – Emotional

– Feels pain and pleasure

– Provides the energy

Direct the RiderFollow the bright spots:

Investigate and clone the successes

Destination postcards:Shows the Rider where you are headed and the Elephant why the journey is worthwhile

Change is easierwhen you know whereyou are going and whyit is worth it

Script the critical movesBe specific about the behavior you want to change

Direct the Rider• What looks like resistance

is often a lack of clarity• Clarity dissolves

resistance

Motivate the Elephant

Find the feeling

Motivation comes from confidence. The Elephant has to believe that it’s capable of conquering the change

Shrink the change:

Break down the change until it no longer spooks the Elephant

Sense of progress is critical

Make change a matter of identity, not consequences

Who am I? What kind of situation is this? What would someone like me do in this

situation?

Grow your people

Encourage a growth mindset by

praising effort rather than skill

Growth Mindset

• Talent is NOT fixed unless you believe that it is. Treat talent as something almost everyone can earn, not that just a few people own.

• Everyone can learn to work smarter

27

Motivate the Elephant

Change is hard because people wear themselves out.

What looks like laziness is often exhaustion

Shape the PathTweak the environment. When the

situation changes, behavior changes

Build Habits

Supportive habits that are easy to embrace and advance the new

behavior

Action Triggers: Decisions you make to execute a certain action when you encounter a certain situation

Checklists help educate people about what is best by showing then the right way to do something

Rally the HerdBehavior is contagious; help it spread

Shape the path

What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem. When you shape the path, you make the change more likely, no matter what’s happening with the Rider and the Elephant

The law of crappy systems trumps the law of crappy people

35

How can you partner with others to help fix crappy systems?

This sucks and so do you

Here is my suggestion

This system does not work as well as it could. I have a few suggestions. Here are some things I can do to help make

it better

Organizational CitizensTaker, Matcher, or Giver

Takers view success as attaining results that are superior to others

Matchers see success in terms of balancing individual accomplishments

with fairness to others

Givers characterize success as individual achievements that have a

positive impact on others

How you give determines if you will achieve long term success or languish at the bottom

Concern for Other’s Interests

LOW HIGH

Concern for Self-Interest

LOW Apathetic Selfless: Self-sacrificinggivers

HIGH Selfish:Takers

Otherish:Successful Givers

Exercise 2

How can you improve the citizenship behavior in your organization?

Discuss ways you can direct the Rider, motivate the Elephant, and shape the Path to create more otherish givers in your organization.

Questions?