Development

Change Capability Dimension #6: Involving

April 14, 2012 by robertsrobson Leave a Comment

What do I mean by Involving?

My previous Change Capability dimension, Executing, was about change leaders taking control when necessary. My sixth Change Capability dimension, involving, means knowing when to give control to others and allow them to take responsibility.

Involving is about giving employees the opportunity to influence the decisions that affect them, empowering them formally (though decision making processes) and informally, through ‘coaching’ line managers. It is also about providing the opportunity for people to develop and grow through change.

How is this Change Capability manifested?

People that are involved in the implementation of change:

Are able to exercise professional discretion and autonomy to make decisions
Are disciplined and determined to deliver
Are confident and resilient in overcoming difficulties; including escalating where required

People that are impacted by the change:

Feel that their views have been listened and expertise recognised
Have the opportunity to influence the decisions that affect them
Feel proud when the change / organisation is a success

How is the capability supported?

As with all of the capability dimensions, this is not an exhaustive list but Involvement is supported by:

Talent Management: Leaders understand their bench strength, value expertise, and are willing to create developmental opportunities through change
Engagement: Gathering and distil the views of a diverse group of employees and stakeholders to ensure that people feel that they have been heard, as well as actively involving smaller groups in decision making processes
Coaching: An essential skill, but also a mindset, for line managers to encourage and empower direct reports to exercise discretion and take personal responsibility

What happens if you overplay this strength?

Without balance, strengths can become weaknesses. Over-focusing on Involving can occur in two ways:

Dithering: Progress is delayed or decisions are watered down through compromise because a consensus is required before any decisions can be made
Drowning: Too much power and control is delegated, perhaps without adequate support, and people can feel overwhelmed by the decisions or responsibilities that they are given

Filed Under: Change Capability Tagged With: change capability, coaching, consultation, control, decision, Development, empowering, engagement, involvement

Making the Change – Learning from Post-MBA Transitions

November 20, 2011 by robertsrobson 2 Comments

Research recently published in the Academy of Management Learning and Education journal, by Beth Benjamin and Charles O’Reilly of Stanford University, shares the experiences of MBA graduates as they transition into the business leadership roles that they have been working towards.

The research indicates a high degree of personal change is required to make this transition successfully and that programmes could do more to help their candidates prepare for life after an MBA.

The themes themselves are pretty consistent with the leadership transitions literature such as the Leadership Pipeline (Charan et al.) and ‘maturity’ themed leadership development models such as Torbert’s Leadership Development Framework; such as changing mind-set to value and skills to deal with the social dimension, managing people with a broader range of interests and motivations than ‘business excellence’ and being concerned with stewardship of something greater over one’s own personal achievement.

The implication of this is that perhaps MBAs might need to focus less on the intellectual and technical ‘what’ of business management and do more to prepare candidates for ‘how’ of business leadership.

Benjamin, B., & O’Reilly, C. (2011). Becoming a Leader: Early Career Challenges Faced by MBA Graduates The Academy of Management Learning and Education, 10 (3), 452-472

Charam, R., Drotter, S., and Noel, J. (2001). The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company. Jossey-Bass.

Torbert, W. (2004). ACTION INQUIRY The Secret of Timely and Transforming Leadership. Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Filed Under: Business Psychology and Change Books, Leadership, Organisational Development Tagged With: change, charan, Development, leadership, leadership pipeling, management, MBA, research, torbert, transition

On Change Managers and Change Junkies

August 30, 2011 by robertsrobson 1 Comment

It’s no surprise that, as a Change Manager, I’m attracted to change and so, as I look forward to my next assignment I’m reminded that a Change Manager can’t just be a ‘change junkie’ and has to see through the old before taking on the new.

It’s easy to assume that the best Change Managers, and indeed change agents, should be change junkies. However, while such people thrive on the excitement of new challenges and opportunities, their weakness can be in delivering the end product. I have to admit that it’s something I’ve learned to be conscious of.

An interesting tool for developing change managers and agents is the Apter Change Agent Profile. It is based on the notion that change managers have to have a flexible mindset and pull on different ‘strands’ at any point in a change programme (rather than moving through a linear process) in order to be successful.

Apter Change Agent Profile - Strands

These strands require different motivational styles (a core element of the underlying framework, Reversal Theory), or values, as well as skills:

Initiation: Creating initial impetus (or ‘renewing’ the change), requiring energy, creativity and a challenging mindset

Organisation: Looking to the future, creating plans and structures required to underpin delivery of the change

Implementation: Getting the job done, working through issues and focusing on delivery

Impact: Paying attention to the impact of the change upon the organisation and its people, focusing on hearts and minds

All of these strands are important to the successful delivery of change and, according to the approach, a Change Manager should be aware of their strengths and potential weaknesses as they move through change.

The good news, however, is that the approach also fundamentally asserts that none of us is fixed – this is not about ‘traits’ but ‘states’ – and can all learn to access the styles required to manage each strand.

Filed Under: Leadership Tagged With: Apter, Change Leadership, Development, Reversal Theory, Tools

Change Capability Dimension #6: Involving

What do I mean by Involving?

How is this Change Capability manifested?

What happens if you overplay this strength?

Making the Change – Learning from Post-MBA Transitions

On Change Managers and Change Junkies

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