embracing change

Bret L. Simmons, Ph.D.

www.bretlsimmons.com

Training for

Barrick Gold Corporation

Embracing Change

www.bretlsimmons.com

http://www.slideshare.net/BretLSimmons

Agenda

• Session 1: Overview of Change

• Session 2: Progress Principle

• Session 3: Switch

• Session 4: Organizational Citizenship

• Breaks

• Lunch 11 am

• Wrap-up

Changes I need to make

• Add two items after each session

• Prioritize top two in wrap-up session

• When you return to work

– Apply the change formula you will learn today

– Invite accountability

– Make continual improvement a habit

What do you want

to learn today?

Yesterday’s home

runs don’t win today’s

games

Babe Ruth

Sigmoid Curve (Charles Handy)Sigmoid Curve (Charles Handy, 1995)

Discipline of The Second

Curve

“..always assume that we are

near the peak of the first curve

and should therefore be starting

to prepare for the second” (p.57)

Exercise 1

Identify a change that is

happening right now at work.

Why are you resisting that

change?

Integrity

Add two items to your list of

changes you need to make

Session 2

For anything to change, someone has to

start acting differently. Can you get

people to start behaving differently?

Person

+

Environment (system)

=

Behavior

Behavior at Work

Person

Personality

Attitudes

Values

Perceptions

Emotions

Motivation

System

Policies

Procedures

Equipment

Hiring

Training

Staffing

Rewards

Performance

Evaluation

Supervision

Daily Events

Behavior

Helping

Civility

Tardiness

Absenteeism

Turnover

Participation

Preparation

Performance

Inner Work Life Effect:

“People do better work when they are happy, have

positive views of the organization and its people, and

are motivated primarily by the work itself.” (p, 47)

Workday

Events

Perceptions/thoughts

(Sensemaking about

workday events)

• The organization

• Managers, self, team

• The work

• Sense of

accomplishment

Emotions/feelings

(Reactions to

workday events)

• Positive emotions

• Negative emotions

• Overall mood

Motivation/drive

(Desire to do the work)

• What do to

• How to do it

• When to do it

• Whether to do it

Individual

Performance

Inner Work Life System

Amiable, T & Kramer, S. (2011). The Progress Principle

Even seemingly

mundane events – such

as small wins and minor

setbacks – can

significantly effect

inner work life

The Progress Principle

Events signifying progress

• Small wins

• Breakthroughs

• Forward movement

• Goal completion

The Catalyst Factor

Events supporting the work

• Setting clear goals

• Allowing autonomy

• Providing resources

• Providing sufficient time

• Helping with the work

• Learning from problems

and successes

• Allowing ideas to flow

The Nourishment Factor

Events supporting the person

• Respect

• Encouragement

• Emotional support

• Affiliation

Positive

Inner

Work Life

Amiable, T & Kramer, S. (2011).

The Progress Principle

1

2 3

Daily

Events

The power of setbacks to diminish happiness is

more than twice as strong as the power of progress

to boost happiness. The power of setbacks to

increase frustration is more than three times as

strong as the power of progress to decrease

frustration. (p. 92)

Meaning Killers

• Dismiss someone’s ideas

• Make employees doubt the work

they do is important

• Assign people to work for which

they are overqualified

• Keep people from assuming full

ownership of their work

Inhibitors

• Unclear goals

• Micro-management

• Lack of resources (e.g. information, equipment,

funding, personnel, training)

• Time pressure

• Punishment (vs. learning) from problems or

mistakes

• Shut down open discussion

• Increased workload + decreased control

Toxins

• Disrespect

• Discouragement

• Emotional neglect

• Antagonism

Daily progress doing

meaningful work

Team Leaders /

Immediate Supervisors

Whatever your level in the organization … you bear

some responsibility for the inner work lives of the

people around you (p. 181)

Recommendations

• Systematic awareness

• Stay tuned everyday

• Target support

• Check in – don’t check-up

• Events change the culture

• Tend to your own inner work life

Exercise 2

What are the catalysts and

inhibitors in your work

environment?

List at least three of each

Add two items to your list of

changes you need to make

Session 3

If you want to be effective

at helping others change

their behavior, then build

a reputation for

proactively changing your

own behavior

Change Metaphor

Rider - Rational

– Deliberates,

analyzes, looks into

the future

– Provides planning

and direction

Elephant – Emotional

– Feels pain and

pleasure

– Provides the energy

Direct the Rider

Follow the bright spots:

Investigate and clone the successes

Destination

postcards:Shows the Rider

where you are

headed and the

Elephant why the

journey is

worthwhile

Change is easier

when you know where

you are going and why

it is worth it

Script the critical moves

Be specific about the behavior you want to change

Direct the Rider

• What looks like resistance is

often a lack of clarity

• Clarity dissolves resistance

Motivate the Elephant

Find the feeling

Motivation comes from

confidence. The

Elephant has to believe

that it’s capable of

conquering the change

Shrink the change:

Break down the change until it no longer spooks the Elephant

Sense of progress is critical

Make change a matter of identity, not consequences

Who am I? What kind of situation is this? What

would someone like me do in this situation?

Grow your people

Encourage a growth

mindset by praising

effort rather than skill

Growth Mindset

• Talent is NOT fixed unless you

believe that it is. Treat talent as

something almost everyone

can earn, not that just a few

people own.

• Everyone can learn to work

smarter

47

Motivate the

ElephantChange is hard because people

wear themselves out. What looks

like laziness is often exhaustion

Shape the Path

Tweak the environment. When the situation

changes, behavior changes

Build Habits

Supportive habits that are easy to embrace

and advance the new behavior

Action Triggers: Decisions you make to

execute a certain action when you encounter

a certain situation

Checklists help educate

people about what is best

by showing then the right

way to do something

Rally the HerdBehavior is contagious; help it

spread

Shape the path

What looks like a people problem is

often a situation problem. When

you shape the path, you make the

change more likely, no matter

what’s happening with the Rider

and the Elephant

The law of

crappy systems

trumps the law

of crappy

people

56

How can you partner with others to help

fix crappy systems?

This sucks and so do you

Here is my suggestion

This system does not work as well as it

could. I have a few suggestions. Here are

some things I can do to help make it better

Exercise 3

Identify a change that is happening

right now at work. Discuss ways

that you can direct the Rider,

motivate the Elephant, and shape

the Path to help improve the

success of this change

Add two items to your list of

changes you need to make

Organizational Citizens

Taker, Matcher, or Giver

Takers view success as attaining

results that are superior to others

Matchers see success in terms of balancing

individual accomplishments with fairness to

others

Givers characterize success as

individual achievements that have a

positive impact on others

How you give determines if

you will achieve long term

success or languish at the

bottom

Concern for Other’s

Interests

LOW HIGH

Concern

for

Self-

Interest

LOW Apathetic Selfless:

Self-

sacrificing

givers

HIGH Selfish:

Takers

Otherish:

Successful

Givers

Exercise 4

How can you improve the citizenship

behavior in your organization?

Discuss ways you can direct the Rider,

motivate the Elephant, and shape the

Path to create more otherish givers in

your organization.

Questions?