Leadership & Change A leadership training lesson from The Pennsylvania State University.

1. Leadership & ChangeA leadership training lesson from The Pennsylvania State University. *This powerpoint should be used in conjunction with the Change lesson plan found at http://leadership.cas.psu.edu/Training.html

2. Leadership & Change: Overview • Introduction • Lesson Objectives • Lesson Content • Reflection Questions • References

3. Introduction“The only thing that remains constant is change.” “Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.” King Whitney, Jr.

4. Introduction“The only thing that remains constant is change.” • Society’s changing needs surface because of: • Budget cuts • Greater accountability • The need to do more with less • The world is faster paced now more than ever before • Other external factors • Kotter (1996) in his work, Leading Change: • “The rate of change is not going to slow down any time soon…[it] will probably speed up even more…change is inevitable and to resist is at best unproductive…the key is in your response to change”

5. Lesson Objectives • At the end of the lesson, you should be able to: • Identify reasons why change wouldn’t work • Identify factors that could assist an individual in bringing about change

6. The 8 Errors That Cause Change to FailKotter (1996), Leading Change 1. Allowing too much contentment with the current situation • #1 mistake when people make changes in organization • The seller of idea does not make it clear to buyers how much this change is needed, or how it can change the organization • Individuals believe the current course is still viable

7. The 8 Errors That Cause Change to FailKotter (1996), Leading Change 2. Not creating a strong group to help implement the change • Individuals alone have a hard time implementing change • A group with no power will not be able to make a change • The key is for an individual or group to get in touch with other groups of individuals who have real power

8. The 8 Errors That Cause Change to FailKotter (1996), Leading Change 3. Underestimating the power of promoting a positive future • Common, positive visions give organizations a direction • Groups bond together when reaching for common goals • Without this positive vision, individuals can get caught up in any number of projects that have no similar purpose • In this case, change fails

9. The 8 Errors That Cause Change to FailKotter (1996), Leading Change 4. Not talking enough about our positive futures • Major change requires the commitment and sacrifice of individuals within the organization • Even people who dislike the current situation will not believe the change is important without the leader talking about the vision for change and the benefits to come

10. The 8 Errors That Cause Change to FailKotter (1996), Leading Change 5. Allowing road blocks to stand in our ways • Avoiding confrontation with road blocks weakens the team or organization and slows the change process • Confront blocks honestly and openly to keep the road to change free of these “blockers”

11. The 8 Errors That Cause Change to FailKotter (1996), Leading Change 6. Failing to take small steps to ensure the feeling of success along the way to change • Change takes time • Small steps that team members decide on and work towards allow people to feel they are making progress • Interest in the change may end without these feelings • A leader must create short term successes or risk losing the team’s commitment because they haven’t seen good results

12. The 8 Errors That Cause Change to FailKotter (1996), Leading Change 7. Saying that you’re done too soon • The job of creating change is a long process • Change comes when it is part of the daily routine • Telling the team you have completed the change when you first see success may be too soon • Saying you’re done too soon risks not making the change part of the routine, and therefore not sticking

13. The 8 Errors That Cause Change to FailKotter (1996), Leading Change 8. Not making the change a part of your daily routine • New behaviors are open to rejection until they are firmly rooted in the daily routine of your team • A leader must show how change has been positive • New people to the team must embrace the change

14. Consequences of the 8 Common Errors • Some of the more common consequences that could happen when instituting a change • New plans are not put into place fully or completely • Gaining new situations or positions don’t get you the expected results • Restructuring or creating change takes too much time and too much money • Limiting man power doesn’t assist with the spending limitations you have • Strong programming for staff doesn’t address the goals you had in mind

15. 8 Strategies for Successful Change 1. Make people believe that change is important and needed soon • Know the daily routine within your group • Know who the leaders are, and who the followers are • Know the current issues, areas of challenges, and places where opportunities are for change • Begin discussions about how important making changes are

16. 8 Strategies for Successful Change 2. Build a strong group that will help you implement change • The individuals in the group should have enough power to make the change happen • The leader should ensure the groups works together as an effective team

17. 8 Strategies for Successful Change 3. Develop a Vision and Strategy • Create a positive vision for where change will take the group • Include the opportunities change will bring and the hopeful future being created • Develop a plan for getting to the destination you have talked about

18. 8 Strategies for Successful Change 4. Talk about the new vision • Use every resource possible to always discuss the new visions and plans • The power group (#2) should act as role models for the behaviors of followers

19. 8 Strategies for Successful Change 5. Encourage action among all of your followers • Work hard to get rid of obstacles (both actual and perceived) • Change the systems that block change • Encourage followers to: • Take logical risks • Think outside the box • Use non-traditional ideas, activities, and actions

20. 8 Strategies for Successful Change 6. Create small steps where people can feel successful throughout the process • Change is a long term process • Create small steps where people can have successes • Reward the people who achieve the goals/small steps

21. 8 Strategies for Successful Change 7. Put together your small steps and successes to show change • Use credibility to change all of the policies that no longer fit the new vision • Hire and promote individuals with the talents to make the change real 8. Make sure that the change becomes a part of the daily routine in your group • Make sure the policies and incentives match the change

22. Reflection Questions • Discuss a time that you went through change • Is change easy for you? Why or why not? • Discuss a time where you experienced change that did not become a part of the routine. • Why did that change fail? • What would you have done differently in that situation?

23. References • Kotter, J.P. (1996). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.