Transformation as Social Movement (BetaCodex04)

1. Make it real! TRANSFORMATION AS SOCIALMOVEMENT Howdecision-makingfororganizationmodeltransformation differsfromconventionalchangeinitiatives 04 BetaCodexNetworkAssociates GebhardBorck&NielsPflaeging Whitepaper,Apr2008.Thispaperwasoriginallyentitled„DecidetoChange“

2. Recently,theCEOofapubliclylistedcompanyasked himself (andus):“ “WhyDoubleHelixtransformation?” ” Sowhat'sthedifferencebetween atypicalchangeprojectandthis „DoubleHelix“transformation? AndwhyshouldIasCEO buyintothisapproach? BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 2

3. Afairquestion.Why“ “DoubleHelix” ”transformation? Thispaperisabouttogiveyouacoupleofanswerstothisquestion. Firstandforemost,itisimportanttoacknowledgethenatureofchange. Wheneveracompanychanges,twodimensionsofchangecanbeobserved: 1.theorganizationaldimension, 2.andtheindividualdimension. Consequently,trulysuccessfulchangeeffortsneedtopayattentiontothespecial characteristicsofbothofthesedimensions. Now,theproblemisthatintoday'schangeinitiatives,usuallyonlyonedimensionofchange isconsidered-theorganizationalbit.Changeprojectsquiteoftenassumethatchanging organizationsischangingorganizations.Fullstop.Individualchange,ontheotherhand,is mostlythesubjectof“softskills”training,andcoachingactivities,andthesearerarely linkedintoorganizationalchangeinitiatives.Theyaremostlyactuallytotallydecoupledfrom what'sreallygoingoninthecompany. Sothislackofacknowledgementofthelinkbetweenorganizationalchangeandindividual changeiswhymostchangeprojectsfail,eitherfullyorpartially. TheDoubleHelixTransformationFramework (short:DHTF),incontrast,fullyconsiders bothdimensionsofprofoundchange.Andthusmakeschangesuccessful. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 3

4. Aboutthispaper Thispaperaddressestwotopics: 1.Therationalefor“DoubleHelixTransformation” 2.TheDHTFinpractice Let'sstartwithanoverviewoftheDoubleHelixTransformationFrameworkconcept. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 4

5. Helixstring1:Theorganizationalchangedimension References Organizational changeprocess 1. 2. Pull 3. 4. 5. Createa senseof urgency 6. Develop change visionand strategy 7. Don't let up! Communi- cateforun- derstan- dingand buy-in 8. Empower allothers toact Produce short-term wins togethera guiding coalition Create anew culture JohnKotter (HBS)presentedthischangemanagementmodelfirstinaHarvardBusiness Reviewarticle,in1994,andtheninhisgroundbreakingbook“LeadingChange“.Since then,Kotterhaselaboratedonthatconcept,publishingbooksonpracticalcasesandtools, andalso,recently,afableonchangecalled“OurIcebergismelting“. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 5

6. Helixstring2:Theindividualchangedimension Reference 3.Beginning 2.NeutralZone 1. Ending Individual changeprocess ConsultantWilliamBridgespublishedhislandmarkbook“ManagingTransitions”in1991. Hisconceptisbasedupontheobservationthatinordertochangeasapersonorstart somethingnew,youhavetogofirstthroughastageof“Ending”or“unloadingyour baggage”,followedbyapaththroughso-called“NeutralZone”. Individual changeprocess (WilliamBridges, “ManagingTransitions”) 1. Ending BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 6

7. Helixstring2-individualchange:Whatitmeans Contentment “Everything isfine asitis!“ Beginning “Idothingson myown,Iknow whyI'mhereand itfeelsgood“ Ending-Denial “Hohoho–whydo theycomeupwith allthisstuffrightnow? I’mnotaffectedbyit– justleavemealone!“ NeutralZone “Oh,comeon, everythingis changing. WhatdoIdo– joinin,orleave?“ BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 7

8. TheDoubleHelix–whenthetwostringscometogether… Organizational changeprocess 3.Beginning 2.NeutralZone 1. 2. Pull 3. 4. 5. Createa senseof urgency 6. Develop change visionand strategy 7. Don't let up! Communi- catefor under- standing andbuy-in 8. Empower allothers toact Produce short-term wins togethera guiding coalition Create anew culture 1. Ending Individual changeprocess frameworkemerges:Oneinwhichthetwodifferentdimensionsofprofoundchange– organizationalandpersonal–areintertwinedandinseparable.TheDoubleHelixFramework allowsforafarricherandmore“realistic”perceptionofprofoundchangeprocesses. Bycombiningoneconceptwiththeother,acompletelynewkindofchangeinitiative 1. Ending BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 8

9. Decidetochange:Theimportanceofhowthedecisionistaken. Successfulchangestronglydependsonhowthedecisionforchangeis taken.Twomainaspectsneedtobeconsidered: 1.Themomentintimewhenthedecisiononchangeisbeingtaken. 2.Thecommunicationthatgoesonuntilthedecision. Inmostchangeinitiatives (wewillcallthisthe“traditional”approachtochange,in thispaper),thedecisiontochangeistakenattheverybeginningoftheproject.Itis takenevenbeforeallpeoplerelevantfortheprocessareawarethattherewill be change.Mostpractitionersactuallybelievethatthedecisiontochangeshouldbe taken“asearly-onaspossible”,inorderto“putastickintheground”. Butthereisahugeproblemwiththatapproach.Because,ifthedecisionisbeing takenbeforeallthoseinvolvedhavetheopportunitytoinfluencethedecision,then usuallystrongresistanceandtime-wastingpoliticalgameswillresult. TheDoubleHelixTransformationFrameworkappliesspecialcommunication techniquestoinvolveallpeoplerelevanttotheprocessearly-on,beforethedecision onchangeismade,andtoenabletheorganizationtodecideaslateaspossible. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 9

10. Thetraditionalapproach: Howthedecisionforchangeistaken-andtheconsequences Inthetraditionalapproachtoproducingchange,managementtakesdecisionsaboutthe changeprocessrightatthebeginningoftheprocess.Afterthedecisionistaken, communicationandchangeprocessesstarttoinvolvethepeoplewithintheorganization. “Convincing”,and“cascading”effortsfollow. Becauseofthefactthatthedecisiononchangeisalreadytaken,peoplewhoareaffectedby thechangedon'thavemuchchoicethan (1) toagree, (2) tobuildupresistance, (3) tostay indifferent,or (4) tostartpoliticalgaminguntilthechangereallytakesplace. Becauseindifferenceandresistancebuildupovertime,manychangeprojectsfail,or ultimatelyfallshortofexpectations. Change reallyarrives atthose concerned, resistance and indifference takeover Changeis decided Someone influential noticesthe needfor change Developmentof investmentcosts Resistance $ Indifference recognition decision diagnosing,planning,customizing, implementationdesignandredesign projectfailure/ taskforce t 0 t 1 t2 BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 10

11. Decidingearly-on:Upsidesofthetraditionalapproach •  Strengthensthepowerofmanagement. •  Offersaplayingfieldforambitonedcareerseekerstoprovetheirproject managementskills. •  Helpswinbattlesandentirewarsagainstawholelotofpeople. •  Makesthechangeteamfeelpowerfulandheroic. •  Allowsplayingwithlargeamountsofmoney. •  Offersopportunitytocreateasmarttaskforce forrescuingadamagedproject. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 11

12. Decidingearly-on:Downsidesofthetraditionalapproach •  Causeshighinvestmentcostsrightatthebeginning,basedonrough estimationsandpoorspecifications,becausethesolutionidentifiedby managementrightatthestarttypicallyisnotconsistentwithwhatisactually needed. •  Buildsupresistance,whileacommonunderstandingfortheneedanda commonwilltochangeshouldbecreated. •  Causesunforeseeableadditionalcostsrightfromthebeginning,becauseof repeatedredesignsandapparentlyneededspecializations/customizing. •  Wastestimethroughendlessdiscussionsinbothbilateralandgroupmeetings, whichhoveronaboutthe“why”,notthe“how”ofchange. •  Installspoliticalbattlefieldsforambitionedcareerseekersandburned-out middlemanagers,andwiththatcreatesevenmorewasteoftime. •  Failstimelinesandcosttargets. •  Changegetscaughtinthe” ”whatever” ”-trap,whichbecomeswide-spread amongemployeeswhofeeldisempowered. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 12

13. Thetransformationalapproach: Howthedecisionforchangeistaken-andtheconsequences Inthetransformationapproach,decisionsaretakenaslateaspossiblebytheresponsible guidingcoalition.Untilthedecisionistaken,thereisalotofstructuredcommunicationand adjustmentwithallinvolvedaboutthenecessities,possibilities,mustsandnice-to-havesof thechangeeffort.Peoplebringintheircreativitybefore theactualdecisionistaken.Before thedecisionisdue,everybodyalreadyknowswhatthechangeprojectmeans,andalsowhat willnothappen. Thisway,peoplegetwhattheyexpect.Implementationiswanted,notbattledagainst. Implementationisdrivenbyafarlargergroupofpeople. Someone influential noticesthe needfor change Thereal needsofthose involvedare clear,common solutionsare found Implemen- tationis donebyall involved Theneed forchangeis communi- catedwidely “Weekof truth” (resi stance peaks) Resistance Developmentof investmentcosts $ Indifference resistance, creativity,doubts, suggestions recognition decision implementation startofbroad communication t 0 t 1 t 2 t 3 BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 13

14. Decidingaslateaspossible: Upsidesofthetransformationapproach •  Itreducescosts,becausetheguidelinesarehighquality (actionplanningisdoneatthe latestpossiblemoment),estimationsaresustainedandtimelinesareadheredto. •  Itcauseslessornoredesigns. •  Itsupportsproducingstandard-andprinciple-basedsolutions(“simplicity”). •  Itinvolvesallpeoplewithintheorganization,rightfromthestart. •  Itguaranteesthatpossiblesolutions,aswellasimplementationrisksandobstaclesare beingidentifiedbeforeacting-bymakinguseoftheintelligenceofalargergroup. •  Itcreatesacommonunderstandingaboutthereasons&theaims oftheneededchange. •  Itcreatesahugesupportbaseforimplementation, andthusshortensactualimplementationtime. •  Itbringsuppracticalandwantedsolutionsforthepeopleinvolved. •  Itsupportsgettingthingsdone– asitminimizesthedivisionbetween“thinking”and“doing”. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 14

15. Decidingaslateaspossible: Downsidesofthetransformationalapproach •  Itdisempowersmanagement. •  Itdoesn’ ’tcreateaclear“ “winningmoment” ”, andnoindividualherotobecelebrated. •  Itrequireshighlymaturebehaviorinmeetingsandstructured communication. •  Itbringstolightunresolvedconflictsbetweenpeople, departments,orbusinessareas. •  Itrequiresastrongguidingcoalition,notjusttopmanagementpower. •  “ “Nothavingthegutstoconfrontresistance” ” posesariskfortheinitiative •  Itrequiresatoughstancetowardspoliticalgamingwithintheorganization. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 15

16. Thetraditionalapproach:Howtocommunicatethechange Inthetraditionalapproach,decisionsmarkthebeginningofthechangeprocess. Thedecisionsaretakenbyasmallgroupof„powerful“people.Itdoesn‘tmatterifthey areallmanagers,orifsomeofthemareinformalleaders.Becauseintheend,therehas tobeamanagementboardorevenmorecommonlyasinglemanagerwhodecideswhat kindofchangewilltakeplace. Basedonthedecisiononwhattochange,severalactivitiesstart: • Selectionofprivilegedcolleaguessuchaschangeexperts,managementteam membersorinformalleaders. • Planningofressources,timelines,milestonesetc. • Lookingforexternalsupportlikeconsultants,coaches,trainers,implementers, technologyspecialistsetc. • Definingofthechangevision,missionandscope. Untilthedecisionistakenanduntilmostofthepreparationworkisdone,communication aboutthechangeeffortisconsideredconfidentialandkeptwithinaselectedgroupof priviledgedpeople. Onlywhenallimportantissuesareplanned-throughanddecidedupon,thoseaffectedby thechangewillbeinformedabouttheconsequencesofchange. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 16

17. Thetraditionalapproachtochange: Commonreactions resignation resistance Mostofusareusedtothetraditionalapproachtochange.Wearethusalsousedtotheresulting resistanceand/orresignation,andweareusedtoreactingonit,usuallybycommandand control.Besidesthis“official”reaction,thoseamongwhoaremoreambitiousstartpolitical intrigues,inordertotrytoprofitfromchangeprocess. Seenfromthisangle,traditionalchangeprocessesareahugeopportunityforindividualswho focusonmakingacareer.Whiletherearealwayssometruewinnersamongtheseindividuals, thewealthofthecompanyisusuallyfarlessremarkablyimproved. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 17

18. Thetransformationalapproach: Howtocommunicatethechange Inthetransformationalapproach,decision-makingisnotthefirststep.Instead,the firstmoveistomaketheneedforchangeexplicit:tobuildasenseofurgencyfor doingthingsdifferently.Oncethisneedisclearandcanbeexplainedandemotionally understoodbyall,thenactionslikethishavetobetaken: • Identifythosecolleagueswhoarenoticeablyreallylookingforwardtochange. • Builda“coalitionforchange”thatincludesthefollowingtypesofpeople: apowerfulleader,animplementer,a“buddy”,aprofessor,aknowledge-seeker (for moreinformation,read“OurIcebergisMelting“byJohnKotterandHolgerRathgeber). • Definewho,attheend,willdecidewhatandwhy. • Keepinmindthateverysinglepersonhastogothroughhisorherowntransition (read“ManagingTransition”,byWilliamBridges). • Beforeeverydecision,consultwithalloratleastmostofthecolleaguesaffected. Untilthemaindecisionsaretaken,thecommunicationaboutthechangeisspreadwidely. Peoplearealreadyconfrontedwiththechangebeforeadecisionistaken.Therelevant ideas,needsandfearsfindaplaceinthechangeprocess.Whenthedecisionisultimately taken,bytherightpeople,thentheexecutionofchangeshouldhappenratherquickly. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 18

19. Thetransformationalapproachtochange: Commonreactions neutrality/confusion/fear enthusiasm InaDoubleHelixtransformation,neutrality,confusionand/orfearwillappearearly-on,andthey arebeingdealtwithduringanintensecommunicationphase–whichoccursbeforedecisions abouthowtochangewhataretaken.Fewofusareusedtothisapproach,afactthatcan producesomeanxietyandmisunderstandingsamongstthoseaffectedbythechange. Usually,peopleinorganizationshaveneverbeenconfrontedwiththeneedforthem todesign thechange.Mostaremoreusedtojustfightingit,ortoswallowit,ortouseitfortheirpersonal interests.InaDoubleHelixtransformation,thebenefitforthecompanyisthefocusofthe changeeffort,andthankstotransparencythereislittlespaceforpersonaladvantage. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 19

20. Conclusions TraditionalChangeProcesses DoubleHelixTransformation • Changeisbeingdecidedupon early-on,andonlythenitinvolves alargergroupofpeople. • People´sfearsandideasareinputs totheinitiative´sdesign.Peopleare involvedinanintensecommunication process,beforethedecisionsabout changearetaken. • Resistanceandpolitical gamesaredealtwiththroughouta broadcommunication phase,virtually,beforeexpensive, specificchangestakeplace. • Bothorganizationalchangesand processstepsarefixedindetailat thebeginningandmadeeffectiveina rush.Resistance,fearandcreativity duringthechangeinitiativearethen dealtwithbymakingcostlyredesigns. • Afterahugeinvestmentintotheinitial design,whichoccursbehindclosed doors,changeisbeingforceduponthe organization,againstallobstacles.This causesmassivereworkandredesign, considerednecessarysinceearly spendingisperceivedas“sunkcost”. • Majorchallengesbecometransparent duringthecommunicationphase, longbeforehighprocessand technologyexpensesoccur,thus reducingrework,redesignandwaste. BetaCodexNetworkwhitepaper–DecidetoChange ©NielsPflaeging&GebhardBorck–Allrightsreserved 20

21. TheBetaCodexNetworkwhitepapers-sofar Special   Edi+on   Special   Edi+on   FindallBetaCodexNetworkwhitepapersonwww.betacodex.org/papersandonSlideshare. Whitepaper–The3StructuresofanOrganization ©BetaCodexNetwork–Allrightsreserved 25

22. The“OrganizeforComplexity”book Paperbackedition Deluxeedition (withbonuschapter) www.organizeforcomplexity.com

23. Make it real! ValéryaCarvalho mvaleriacarv@gmail.com LinkedIn SãoPaulo NielsPflaeging contact@nielspflaeging.com nielspflaeging.com NewYork,Wiesbaden SilkeHermann silke.hermann@nsights-group.de insights-group.de Wiesbaden,Berlin,NewYork LarsVollmer me@lars-vollmer.com lars-vollmer.com Hannover,Stuttgart betacodex.org GetintouchwithusformoreinformationaboutleadingBetaCodextransformation, andaskusforakeynoteoraworkshopproposal.