1. When talking to a labor lawyer throw the following phrase into the conversation: “You know, 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name”
2. When discussing workforce productivity mention that: “hard work pays off in the future, but laziness pays off now”; or “eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines”; and even, “the early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap”
3. When attending a market research presentation, throw in the following phrase: “did you know that 42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot”
4. When discussing how smart your workforce is you can mention that: “light travels faster than sound and that’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak” or “he who laughs last thinks slowest”
5. On the topic of age discrimination you might mention that: “Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened”
6. When talking about organizational change mention that: “change is inevitable, except from vending machines”
7. On discussing emotional intelligence you might throw this into the conversation: “depression is merely anger without enthusiasm”
8. On business ethics: “a clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory”

Hope you get a kick out of these and that they serve you well! WARNING: It’s probably not a great idea to use them in serious meetings with the company’s CEO

The “Change Management Iceberg” developed by Wilfred Kruger offers an explanation of why many organizational change efforts fail. Above the waterline are the three areas of concern of most managers–doing things faster, better, or cheaper. Below the waterline are the hidden areas of resistance which cause organizations fail!
So where are the areas of main resistance? About 20% of employees will go with the change. About 60% sit on the fence and wait to see what happens, and about 20% of employees will be resistant. Perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, power, and politics all play into resistance. But this is hard to pinpoint (after all it is below the water line). So how do you deal with the areas of resistance? 3 words COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION!

Here are five key messages to give focus on:

1. Explain the conditions that have brought about the need for change
2. Explain the detail of the change and how it will affect the employee
3. Include a practical demonstration or teach the employee how to succeed in the new environment
4. Ask the employee how s/he feels about the proposals; identify his/her major hang-ups and recognize any new problems
5. Ask for his/her suggestions for overcoming the problems and implementing the change using a joint problem solving approach

Communicating these message may not do much for climate change, but it may be key in successful organizational change!

Margaret looked at the natural world and asked herself: “how can there be so much order in a nature without anyone in control of it?”. For example how is there so much symmetry in a plant such as a fern?

This insightful question led her to write her seminal management book “Leadership and the New Science.” One of the main themes in the book is that order and control in organizations are opposite concepts. Wheatley points out the phenomenon of self-organization in nature, in which nature, left to its own devices, organizes itself into ever more complex and productive systems. According to Wheatley the same is true for our business organizations.

In mathematics this self organizing phenomenon is called “fractals”. A fractal is a simple geometric figure that repeats itself to make ever more complex patterns (think of ferns). According to Wheatley managers do not need to be obsessive about control. Instead they need to trust the fractal process and allow organizational systems to self regulate. Clearly many managers have a long way to go to accept this approach. A good start would be for them to read Margaret Wheatley’s excellent book “Leadership and the New Science.”

Two years ago Mr. Kaczynski got into an argument with the pilot flying his plane and demanded that the pilot land despite dangerous conditions. The pilot disagreed and diverted to neighboring airport. Mr. Kaczynski then threatened the pilot saying, “If someone decides to become a pilot, he cannot be fearful … we shall deal with this matter when we get home.” Actually, that pilot was not disciplined but apparently suffered depression in the wake of the incident.

There is speculation that this incident two years ago affected the judgment of the pilot last Friday, who may have tried to land despite being advised by air traffic control not to do so. The speculation is that the pilot may have thought that if he did not land he would be chastised by the president. We know the tragic outcome.

By all accounts Mr. Kaczynski was a pretty tough guy—a hero of the Solidarity movement in Poland’s resistance against the Soviet Union – but he was not a pilot. It seems, however, that his ability to intimidate a highly experienced professional may have literally brought the ship down. How many other tough guy bosses create a culture in their organizations in which experienced professionals feel intimidated to make decisions against their better judgment? Lehman Brothers, Enron, AIG, GM all come to mind!

A metaphor is a figure of speech which imaginatively compares one complex thing with another that is well known. Metaphors are an integral part of our business language that both defines and reflects reality—and in an organizational setting we are often unaware that we use metaphors all the time.

Coming up with a metaphor for your organizational change may be helpful in communicating to employees what the organization is trying to become.

Spending time thinking through your organizational metaphor can be time well spent. Here are a few examples. Your organization may wish to become a:

• a goal-seeking machine with interchangeable parts
• a biological organism that continually adapts to change
• a central brain that can respond to, and predict, change

So don’t be an ostrich sticking your head in the sand (notice the metaphor)—think how metaphors can help communicate that important change message to your employees more clearly!

• 22% of workers understand their organization’s goals
• 10% of workers said their teams have clear, measurable, deadline driven work goals
• 17% of workers said their teams try and solve problems creatively
• 15% of workers said their teams have trusting “win-win” environments
• 15% of workers said their teams have resources and freedom to do the job

So what can organizations do to become better at executing their plans and get results? The answer: get serious and apply the following eight steps:

1. Create a sense of urgency in the organization about the need to change
2. Form a powerful guiding coalition to guide the change
3. Create a vision for the organization
4. Communicate the vision to everyone who needs to know it
5. Empower employees to act on the vision
6. Plan for and create short-term wins and celebrate them
7. Consolidate improvements and produce more change
8. Institutionalize new approaches in the organization’s culture

Some organizations have the determination and grit to go through this process by themselves but many need the help of an external coach to guide them. This is like having a personal trainer at the gym or a golf coach to improve your swing. So if your organization is not getting the results it desires take a look at your organization’s “xQ”—it just might be the wake-up call you need to set the change process in motion!

Their book: “Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization” proposes that our deeply held and sometimes unconscious beliefs create a natural but powerful immunity to change.

The downside is that the greater our immunity to change, the less effective we are in our personal and professional lives. Deciphering our immunity to change, they say, lets us know what is holding us back and brings into focus our potential to move forward.

Their approach do diagnosing immunity to change is deceptively simple. You need to identify the following three factors:

1. Identify what you are doing now instead of what you need to do
2. Recognize the competing commitments that cause you to do the things you do rather than the stuff you should be doing
3. Diagnose the “big assumptions” (either conscious or unconscious) that drive you do what you are doing

Sounds simple, but using the techniques outlined in the book can lead to some pretty profound insights, and potentially some real personal and professional growth. Anyone involved in employee training and development should take a look at this book.

In their book Immunity to Change, Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey explain how our individual habits and mindsets—together with the collective norms and beliefs in our organizations—combine to create what they call an “immunity to change”. The authors show us what we can do to overcome these forces. Their conclusion is that what is required is a radical recasting of what most of us believe about making change a reality.

People disappointed with their current change efforts and who want guidance in knowing what to do to “turn things around” will find Immunity to Change a practical “how to” advice book that provides a road map of what you need to do to make deep change a reality—both personally and organizationally.

• As a manager in charge of a change initiative make sure to set short term wins and celebrate them with the team when they are achieved. Recognizing and rewarding employees when they are making progress toward the larger goal will encourage them to follow through to the end.
• Take the time to track and monitor the change process to ensure the right people and the right processes are in place and are making steady progress towards achieving the desired outcomes.
• Continuously check in with the key players to ensure they are on-board and that they are moving the change initiative forward. All parts of the change plan need to work together in order for the change to be successful.

• Do your homework and gather all necessary data. It will be hard to make any case for change if you cannot effectively show that change is necessary. And don’t solely rely on “gut feelings” and qualitative observations; numbers don’t lie (unless you are a tremendously talented statistician) so get the cold, hard facts to prove your point.
• Bring together the necessary players involved and present the case for change using the data you have collected. Explain why change is necessary and what the end vision is; give people a goal to work towards.
• Identify and assign tasks to managers and employees for implementing change. Make sure to follow up with them on their assignments and encourage them to meet progress goals. It is important that everyone involved in the change knows what their role in order to for efficient team work to take place and meet the change goals.