Interestingly, this week I happen to have had two distinct conversations.

One person said to me ” When you say change, people don’t know what it means. It’s ambiguous. It doesn’t mean anything because they can’t get their arms around it”

Another colleague said to me, “In my very large corporate America organization, those who report to me have no clue about managing change. They run away from it because it seems so foreign to them but they would be the first to say they embrace change.”

That is the irony, most individuals I have spoken too regarding change, look you in the eye and say they are all for change, “We live in constant change everyday” and yet most organizations live in it but have very little awareness or knowledge about how to embrace it, use it or understand it’s accumulating affect.

The article below has very good concepts around “structuring or framing change” primarily planned change. However, one truth we haven’t spoken of yet is the Truth of the Unmanageability of Change.

In today’s complex environments, much change is occuring through small events, or through networks of individuals acting as a collective. However, those small events sometimes are not noticed until they accumulate through small actions. They aren’t noticed because these events are within the organization, possible due to individual actions or actions taken by a group of individuals. Most of the time these small events by the individual aren’t viewed as an “event of change”. 

 But, these events happen repeatively and the event itself may look different each time it occurs. Eventually, these small events result in an accumulated affect and now people notice. However, these small events leading to larger outcomes now have a life of there own. This is only one small example, change is no longer able to be managed with the same clarity or predictableness we thought was possible.

Change is enabled and supported, but the actions created through change, during change, and after the change event, are not managable or predicatable.

However, the principles below are good for understanding some important organizational concepts such as authenticity, transparency, willingness to speak the truth, the need for action or execution and watching for patterns of actions.

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Change Happens…
By Dave Ulrich

Change happens. It is in the technology that makes our cell phones, Internet devices and our seemingly new products out of date. It is in the demographics of the diverse workforce as baby boomers learn to work aside Millennials. It is in changing global economic cycles with simultaneous growth in some markets and recession in others. It surrounds us.

Change matters. An executive recently said that a business that took 50 years to build could be lost in two if it does not change. Individuals, teams and organizations that change succeed; those that do not fall behind, unable to ever catch up. As a distinct organizational capability, change goes by many names: agility, cycle time, flexibility, responsiveness and transformation. Organizations that change respond to external demands, create higher intangible market value, implement strategies, plan for the future and create excitement among employees. Change means doing things faster, and so change enables. Instead of winning through innovation, customer service and globalization, leaders demand fast innovation, rapid customer service and swift globalization.

So what does the inevitability of change mean for HR professionals? Let me suggest three principles HR can implement to coach, design, deliver and facilitate change.

Principle 1:

Make the unspeakable speakable

Anyone who has been in a relationship for a long period of time has discovered that without candid conversation, the parties turn away from each other instead of toward each other. This drift eventually widens and the relationship fades. To build a relationship, caring partners need to turn toward each other, which means they need to talk. They especially need to find ways to talk about the things they don’t want to talk about. They need to make the unspeakable speakable.

In almost every organization there are unspeakable viruses that limit successful change. These viruses are customs and norms that—without being talked about—shape how employees behave. In many cases, they hinder an organization’s ability to successfully change. In our work, we have identified over 30 such viruses (for a complete list of the viruses, visit www.rbl.net or e-mail me at dou@umich.edu). Here are some of them:

Activity mania: We like to be busy; our badge of honor is full calendars, even if it excludes thinking and results. We hide behind our “busyness.”

Have it my way: We don’t learn from each other, and the “not invented here” syndrome, in which outside ideas are devalued, rules the workplace.

False positive: We do “nice talk.” We are overly kind even if we disagree.

Authority ambiguity: In our organization, we are not sure who is responsible or accountable, so no one is.

Turfism: We defend our turf, sometimes to the detriment of the overall organization.

Over-changed, also known as the “full sponge”: We have a capacity problem. There are too many changes going on at once. We are burned out and stressed out on change. We cannot let things go.

Over-measure: We measure everything, even to a fault. Our dashboards are way too complex.

Under-measure: We don’t have indicators that track the important stuff. We measure what is easy, not what is right.

Going for the big win: We look for the mega change that will solve all problems instead of starting small.

When these viruses can be named, identified and talked about, they can be overcome. HR professionals can help their managers and teams detect and eradicate these viruses by daring to describe them, and then by having candid conversations about them so they don’t return.

We have found that new employees often see these viruses better than old employees do. When we visit a friend or family member, we more readily see the clutter in their house than they do themselves (and, unfortunately, vice versa). We have also found that teams can actually have fun naming, drawing and self-mocking the unspeakable change viruses that lurk in their organization. One team drew their most prevalent virus, and then posted these drawings in their offices until the virus went away.

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Creating a mind-set of change means that HR professionals model and encourage leaders to constantly learn, unlearn, improve and accept the inevitability of change.

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Principle 2:

Turn what we know into what we do

Those who have not seen me for five or six years almost always remark that I have lost a lot of weight. They want to know how I did it, and are surprised when I tell them that I have in fact discovered the secrets of losing weight (and hopefully sustaining the loss).

With bated breath, they listen to my secrets: “Eat less, eat right and exercise more.” As the reality of these “insights” sinks in, they are disappointed.

They have missed the point. The challenge of weight loss and other personal changes is not discovering a secret of what to do, but learning the discipline of doing it. Knowing what to do is much easier than actually doing it. In managing change in organizations, most leaders can accurately list within two minutes seven to 10 keys to successful change. In our work, my colleagues and I have identified a number of keys to successful change management, including:

Leadership: Have a strong leader who sponsors and champions the change by investing time and energy.

Need: Create a shared need so that the rationale for the change exceeds the resistance to the change (when people know the “why,” they accept the “what”).

Vision: Shape a future vision with direction, goals and behaviors.

Commitment: Engage and commit others to this vision by giving them information about the change and getting them to behave as if they are committed to the change.

Decisions: Build a decision protocol that segments the vision of tomorrow into decisions that are made today.

Systems: Institutionalize a change through wise investments in people, communication, rewards, information and data, and budget.

Measures: Monitor how the change is going so that learning and adaptation occur.

HR professionals help turn what we know into what we do by bringing the discipline of a change checklist to any project or initiative. Pilots, surgeons, merger specialists and fast-food restaurant managers find that the discipline of a checklist increases performance. An HR professional may regularly perform change audits by making sure that the key elements of successful change are diagnosed and implemented in a disciplined way.

When HR professionals use a change checklist within an organization, they can diagnose what investments should be made to make change happen. In many cases, this diagnostic can identify where not to invest change resources, since that one particular discipline is already sufficient for change, while other disciplines are in short supply. In one case, the first three dimensions (leadership, need and vision) scored high, but decision protocols and institutionalizing the change scored low. This team did not need to spend more time on discussing why the change should occur or what the outcome of the change was, but on how to make it happen. In another case, leaders scored high on the change disciplines, but employees did not.

HR professionals who do a change checklist make sure that knowledge about change is turned into action that delivers change.

Principle 3:

Make change a pattern, not an event

Ultimately, change is not about a single incident, but about creating a new pattern. People sometimes ask me when I am going to go off my diet, which is a misguided question. It assumes that my weight loss is tied only to a diet, not a way of life.

In organizations, HR professionals help make change a way of life by seeing that it becomes assimilated into how work is done. Change is not something that happens in a workshop, team meeting or process review, but ­occurs naturally and continuously during all work activities. Creating a mind-set of change means that HR professionals model and encourage leaders to constantly learn, unlearn, improve and accept the inevitability of change.

A pattern means that a new culture is created. We have found that organizations are more likely to change their culture when they begin the culture discussion by focusing on customers outside the company and what the company wants to be known for by their best customers. The changes employees and organizations make inside can and should be clearly and directly linked to the expectations of customers. Change is not an idle hazing meant to distract employees, but a means of serving customers. When inside change links to external expectations, HR programs (staffing, training, compensation, communication) and leader behaviors occur because they deliver value to the marketplace. HR professionals who ensure that internal changes are linked to external expectations see change less as an event and more as a pattern or culture.

In our research on competencies for successful HR professionals, the ability to manage change and be a cultural steward were among the most critical differentiators for an effective HR professional. Change happens and it matters. By following these three principles, HR professionals can help employees discover the excitement and energy that change brings.

Workforce Management, June 9, 2008, p. 22-23 –

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As soon as I read it, I cut it out and posted it in my Planner, so that each day as I planned my future both in hours and minutes, it reminded me of my greatest purpose.

If this is your first time exposed to this quote and its concept, may it become ingrained in you so that every choice, action, and decision you make is supported by the belief that you are powerful beyond belief. (As a note, the original magazine article is still posted on my bulletin board in my office right in easy view and anytime I move offices, this piece of paper is the first thing I pack).

Changeology of Leadership first starts with you… it is impossible to empower others to fly if you have not yet empowered yourself…. Here is to your own transformation!!

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR

Here was my response:

I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Hollon on reorganizing for change sake or the “Art of Doing Something for Nothing”

Yahoo is in CHAOS. CHAOS standing for:

“Continuous Havoc Agitating Organizational Systems”     versus operating from the CALM approach.

CALM meaning:

“Constant Adaptation with  Lucid Methods”

If we have the wrong people with inadequate skills in the seats of those who do the executing… do we take the time to teach, or train or mentor?  When the wrong people are sitting at the top of the organization, how much time do we have to “execute” strategies to make them better “executers”

In days gone by, I have committed to not implementing “reorg” strategies in order to improve internal and external business performance. My strategy would be to invest in those individuals or groups of individuals in developing stronger skills of strategy/action execution. Sometimes it worked… but only when I had the luxury of time and the sky wasn’t falling down around us.

Most often though, time was of the essence because the sky was just about to fall… the weaker employees were tired, frustrated and angry because they were working so hard but still not successful. They didn’t have the foresight or the courage to remove themselves from the “golden handcuffs”

So… Is it ALWAYS a good idea to keep everyone when systems, structures, and people aren’t meeting the performance stratgies of the company???  No…. then reorganizations are necessary.

However, There is not just one approach. Either the approach of “Improving execution over “reorg”…. or  “reorg” over proper execution” should be considered carefully and with integrity.

There is another approach worth considering… and that is a combination of both… again with deliberate thought, balanced elements of risk taking and again with great integrity considering the good of the whole while honoring  the good of the one.

As for YaHoo… It appears their struggles are due to the fact they dont have a clear idea of what they are suppose to do… and maybe why they need to do it. BOY that is stating the obvious.

So they reorganize… Has anyone looked to see if they have the right players all on the same field, on the right bases and has everyone shown up for the game?

Yahoo!   good luck…  They are fighting so hard they forgot to step back and look at what may be, a more simple approach.

However, Mr. Hollon’s thoughts on reorganizations and the lack of use of them, should not be generalized. There is a “reorg” fever when execution initiatives are too difficult, too risky or not understood. BUT…

The above link is an article in the Buffalo News, May 5, 2008 on the  June opening of the The Davidson House, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations. However, this one is different. Guests can actually stay overnight and have occupancy of the entire house. If you can image, sitting in the living room, drinking your morning coffee while pondering the genius of this man.

It allows one to stop and see the brillance of Mr. Wright. During museum tours, we don’t  have the opportunity of living in the space long enough to feel it, not just see. Experience is the essence of life. In this house, you have the ability to feel but to also appreciate the man, not just the inventor/architect.

Now, how do you like your coffee?  In a bustling coffee house or surrounded in the quietness of inspiration?

This article was contributed by : Dennis Wheeler, in “The Focus” 4/1/08 ( edited by gay rogers)

I read a funny story about Albert Einstein, the great physicist. Once he was traveling from Princeton on a train, when the conductor came strolling down the aisle punching the tickets of each passenger. When he came to Dr. Einstein…Einstein reached into his vest pocket. He couldn’t find his ticket! So He searched another pocket…still no ticket! He looked in his briefcase but just could not locate his ticket. As a last resort he looked in the seat beside him…still no ticket! The conductor said, “Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are are. I’m sure you bought a ticket. Don’t worry about it.” Einstein nodded with appreciation.

The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next train car, he turned around and saw the great physicist on his hands & knees looking under his seat for the ticket. The conductor rushed back, “Dr. Einstein, you must not worry…I know who you are. No problem. You don’t need a ticket. I’m sure you bought one.”

Einstein then replied, “Young man, I too know who I am. What I don’t know is … where I’m going!!”

There are many references to draw from in this story. The strongest one that spoke to me was: when the rest of the world may think we have it “all together”, underneath it all… we don’t know “what in the world” we are talking about.

Is it Ok to admit when we aren’t sure about something to others?… yes, most of the time it is the preferred practice. However, it seems transparency or authenticity is difficult for so many because of the “masks” we wear in business and in our personal lives.

However, let’s also be willing to admit that being so transparent in every situation might not be what is best for the particular situation either.

The point being, the “clear cut” assumptions we make are not always right and it is important for us to see the other perspective with new eyes… and have the willingness to remove our masks clouding our vision.

A respected colleague has created an opportunity of a lifetime. If you are a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, as I am,  you now have the opportunity to experience an overnight adventure ( at least two) at Wright’s  Davidson House in Buffalo, New York.

Wright’s work was not only that of an architect but of an inventor and artist. In today’s lanuage you would say he was about “being green” as he attempted to bring into his design the organic environment. This house displays Wright’s concept perfectly.

I keep thinking “what a great place to seclude oneself to write , reflect, or just hang out for a while”

It is the perfect excuse to visit Buffalo and the surrounding areas such as Niagra Falls, in addition to touring many of Wright’s historical venues in town. There are not many opportunities like this… just maybe if you stay long enough, some of Wright’s creative genuis will rub off.

There is a direct link on the blog roll to see more details, or just click WWW.http://www.thedavidsonhouse.com/info.html

Enjoy…

All hospices will be affected, but especially the Non-Profit community hospices (which are the majority of hospice programs to date in the country) will find it even more difficult to keep their doors open. The philanthropic dollar, at the same time, is diminishing for many reasons. Many of the community programs rely on this philanthropic donation to cover what the medicare benefit may not. So, if Medicare reduces its funds to hospice programs, it is a double whammy for hospice revenue generation.

The future of hospice is in the hands of the legislators and what they choose to do. Those who are dying have the right to die with dignity and peace of mind. 

The Medicare benefit has also saved the national healthcare system millions of dollars, if it is reduced, healthcare costs run the risk of increasing since most hospices will not be able to provide as much care as they once did. 

Please take time to contact your legislator.  The care of the dying may be up to you.

Read more below:

To: NHPCO Membership
From: Public Policy Team
Date: April 23, 2008

Earlier this year, as part of its annual budget proposal, the Administration gave notice of a proposed rule making that would cut hospice reimbursement rates by altering the wage index adjustment (phasing out the budget neutrality factor). If implemented, such a reduction would cut hospice reimbursement by more than $2.29 billion. Hospice programs rely on Medicare for a disproportionate share of their revenues, totaling 80-85%, and given the patient population that hospice serves, this reliance on Medicare is unavoidable. Cutting rates by billions of dollars would reduce the resources available to continue providing this necessary care. Congress needs to act to block this action; otherwise, CMS can proceed without appropriate oversight and regard to the effect that such an action might have.

NHPCO has already let Congress know that acting on the Administration’s proposal would have a devastating impact on hospice care, but now we need YOU to keep the momentum going by contacting your local representatives today through the quick and easy-to-use NHPCO Legislative Action Center.

Through customizable email messages that will go directly to congressional offices, we are simply asking representatives to add their names to a letter being circulated from Congress to the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, asking him to keep the current hospice rate structure in Medicare. This is the necessary first step to preserving the hospice benefit as we know it.  Your elected representatives need to hear from you that hospice is important to your local community and that you expect them to sign on to the letter to the Secretary. We are asking you to act quickly, as CMS is expected to begin the process to change the rate structure perhaps as early as next week. 

Please take a couple of minutes out of your busy day to customize your message to your elected officials by going to the NHPCO Legislative Action Center,http://capwiz.com/nhpco/home/, and taking action today. 

Also, please forward this message to others in the hospice community who are committed to preserving hospice.  We need a ground swell!

Please contact NHPCO’s Director of Public Policy Angie Montes,amontes@nhpco.org, with any questions – and welcome Angie to the NHPCO team!

This blog from Workforce Magazine discusses a PR strategy of a megasize pharmaceutical company. You will read my comments, but I would like to hear from you?  When reading the blog from John Hollon, Editor of Workforce Magazine, what were your initial reactions?

 Posted 4 6 08:

Schering Plough used the term “Productivity Transformation Program” to describe a downsizing and budget reductions. The editor of Workforce Magazine provided great insight as to the insulting nature of this type ofcorporate “phraseology” to hide reality or to soften the message. But, it doesn’t work.

To me, the term “productivity transformation program” does everything management or key leadership theories are against. We preach meaning -making, we state we are transparent and authentic leaders, we pride ourselves in open communication channels. This PR strategy is not any of that.

So how does Schering Plough believe this PR strategy will enhance their image? 

Layoffs, downsizing, reducing budgets are indeed difficult on companies and the workforce in them, both those left and those leaving.  However, a straight-forward, honest, “look you in the eye” approach would be much more acceptable to the workforce and the general public this company states to serve.

It is my assumption the Community, Wall Street, Future investors, and the existing employee base will now have diminished  trust for Schering Plough’s future communication.

Strategies in times like this are not easy to state it mildly, but requires much thought and deliberation. It requires the leaders of an organization to take a courageous attempt to show their transparency and willingness to admit when a  plan’s actual outcomes are not optimal.  Instead, strategies like this, one that trys to cover up or state it as something new and innovative, is an insult to the  public by hiding behind meaningless and dishonest vernacular.

Is it possible Schering Plough does not have the culture of open disclosure and this strategy did not fall far from the vine?   They can repair this, if they choose to…however, will they believe it is important for them to do it?  I guess time will tell.

gay

Joining a Nonprofit Board
Is More Than a Labor of Love

You might accept the nomination out of solidarity with the cause or as a resume-builder, but there’s work to be done.

By ERIN CHAMBERS
Special to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Since so few of them pay these days, joining the board of a nonprofit is usually more about passion—or resume building—than making a little extra money on the side. And regardless of the organization’s mission, Terry Temkin, founder of Florida-based nonprofit consultancy Core Strategies for Nonprofits, says all nonprofits are simply looking for “bright, dynamic minds” to help get their organizations to the next level.

Your First 90 Days

Follow up on standard public relations efforts. Connect with the organization’s public relations department immediately to ensure they have an updated bio and photo for any standard press releases. Jim Kristie, editor of Philadelphia-based Directors & Boards magazine since 1981, also suggests reaching out to one’s personal network of alumni and business connections with a more casual announcement in an alumni newsletter or personal Web site. “It would be natural to do some self promotion by looking for ways to leverage that new board position in your own network,” he says.

Don’t blow off the orientation. This is especially important if there are multiple new appointments. It’s a mistake to assume that all boards function the same way, says Ms. Temkin. “You need to be there,” she says. And with so few board meetings these days—many organizations have ramped down to meeting just once per quarter—new directors need to take advantage of every face-to-face opportunity with fellow board members.

MORE 90 DAYS

The first board meeting: Observe the group dynamic. “[A] new board member has to find out where the power lies on the board and where the force of gravity is,” says Mr. Kristie who serves on several nonprofit boards. “It’s like any other group. There are cliques, there are leaders, and then there are other directors who aren’t pulling their weight.” Much of a director’s first board meeting should be about deciphering who’s who.

Look outside the boardroom. Find out if any of the directors live or work in your area, and make to plans to meet for lunch. “Try to ride to the airport together,” if you’re both flying in from another city, says Mr. Kristie. Ms. Temkin advises scheduling a one-on-one session with the organization’s chief administrator directly. Casual conversations can be more informative than formal meetings when trying to understand the unique challenges involved in running a nonprofit.

Ask questions. Experts agree that the primary function of any board, nonprofit or corporate, is to ask the tough questions. “Be somebody who asks questions, who doesn’t take things at face value.” Says Ms. Temkin. “What you really require from directors is a community perspective. Someone who is out in the field hearing and doing and seeing things.”

Write to Erin Chambers at cjeditor@dowjones.com