l. prasad, iim, bangalore

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT BANGALORE

ADDRESSING RESISTANCE TO

CHANGE:ISSUES OF LEADERSHIP AND GROUP DYNAMICS

Dr. L Prasad(Ph.D., Northwestern University)

Professor of Organizational Behavior

WHAT MAKES ONE A LEADER?

THE ABILITY TO REFLECT BEYOND THE OBVIOUS AND INCULCATE THE SOFT SKILLS THAT

TRANSFORM PEOPLE

Ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu wrote in his book: THE ART OF WAR:

 "If you know the enemy and know yourself,

you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, forevery victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

 If you know neither the enemynor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

DO YOU KNOW YOURSELF?

Are your people your partners or enemies

vis-a-vis the competition?

 If they are your enemies,

CLOSE SHOP! The war has been lost

even before the first shot has been fired!!

If your people are your partners, and:

 You know your people and your organization, you need not fear the result of a hundred

competitive wars. If you know your organization but not your

people, for every victory you will also suffer a defeat, with good people leaving.

If you know neither your people nor your organization, you will lose

every competitive battle, and ultimately even the organization.

THE NEED TO UNDERSTAND BEFORE WE CAN PREDICT & INFLUENCE BEHAVIOUR

DOUBLE LOOP LEARNING

DOUBLE LOOP LEARNING

SINGLE LOOP LEARNING

SINGLE LOOP LEARNING

CAUSECAUSE

EFFECTEFFECT

UNDERLYING DYNAMICS

UNDERLYING DYNAMICS

The Underlying Dynamics** WHY DO ORGANIZATIONS EXIST AND PROSPER?

** WHY DO PEOPLE WORK IN ORGANIZATIONS?

WHY ORGANIZATIONS? WHY PEOPLE WORK?

GOAL** COLLECTIVE

** SPECIALISTS

** WORKING TOGETHER

** SALARY, SECURITY

** FRIENDSHIP, IDENTITY

** CAREER, STATUS

INTERDEPENDENCE ENERGY/ENTHUSIASM

Are we channeling people’s ENERGY/ENTHUSIASM (both STUDENTS AND TEACHERS) constructively towards handling organizational

INTERDEPENDENCE, or is it being dissipated in all sorts of dysfunctional pursuits?

WHAT OF THE FUTURE?

** One could reasonably expect the Chairman of AT&T to know what his corporation will be ten years from now.

He doesn’t!

** One could within reason expect him to predict how technology will transform his business a decade hence. He

can’t!

** He should know who his major competitors will be. Stumped again!

But here is what he does know: something startling, intriguing and profound is afoot.

(F. Cairncross, The Death of Distance, HBS Press, 1997)

TO BE EFFECTIVE, WE MUST UNDERSTAND:

•How & why individuals behave the way they do•Roles in Teams•Individual’s personality

NATURE

SITUATION

NURTURE

Stereotyping

Cognitive limits

Excuses

NATURE

SITUATION

NURTURE

Stereotyping

Cognitive limits

Excuses

TASK ROLES

INTERPERSONAL ROLES

Few people, few task roles

Many people, many task roles

Few people, few interpersonal roles

Many people, many interpersonal roles

FLOUNDERING GROUP

PRODUCTIVE GROUP

COUNTRY CLUB

WELL MESHED TEAM OR CLAN

STAGES OF GROUP EVOLUTION

• MATURITY: Well-meshed team

• INTEGRATION: Unity of effort

• DIFFERENTIATION: Division of labor

• FORMATION: Collection of individuals

It takes 3-6 months for a collection of individuals to become a well-meshed team

WHY DO WE WANT TO BUILD A WELL MESHED TEAM or

CLAN?

MOTIVATING TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS

EDUCATING –A Calling!

EXAM PREP –A Chore?

TEACHINGA Job?

THIS IS THE MOST ESSENTIAL

INGREDIENT OF YOUR SCHOOL’S

STUDENT CENTRIC

APPROACH!

IN ORDER TO BUILD A WELL MESHED TEAM, WE MUST KNOW ITS MEMBERS’

PERSONALITIES.

QUESTIONNAIREUNDERSTANDING PEOPLE

• Frames of Reference• Intolerance of Ambiguity• Adaptors & Innovators• Internal Locus of Control

Frames of Referencep. 3 Items 1-29• Bureaucratic Mindset

AVERAGE of (1 to 5)Range:1.00-2.66 Low2.67-4.33 Medium4.34-6.00 High

Frames of Referencep. 3 Items 1-29• Group Orientation

AVERAGE of (6 to 11)2.67-4.33 Medium• Hierarchical Orientation AVERAGE of (12 to 17) 1.00-2.66 Low

Frames of Reference•Compartmentalization RCOMP= AVGE (18 to 24)

COMP= 7 – RCOMP1.00-2.66 LowGood schools and great Principals view teachers and students as human beings, not just cogs in a machine!

Frames of Reference • Obscurantism vis-à-vis Men, Women and Society

AVERAGE of (25 to 29)1.00-2.66 LowNeed for ANDROGYNOUS individuals who take on both masculine and feminine Gender Roles!

Intolerance of Ambiguityp. 1 Items A to NItem G is reverse scored, i.e., (7-x), where x is the number you have circled; For items A to F & H to N, please use the original scores.

Intolerance of AmbiguityDivide the total by 14Range:1.00-2.66 Low2.67-4.33 Medium4.34-6.00 HighDesirable score < 2.66, i.e., Low Intolerance of Ambiguity

Intolerance of AmbiguityHow does one learn to deal with Ambiguity?

First DISAGGREGATE

thenSYNTHESIZE

ABSENCE OF DEVELOPMENT

GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION

EXPLOITATION

GOVERNER- ANCE

PROVIDE INFRASTRUCTURE

(Schools, etc.)

FACILITATE INDUSTRIAL

DEVELOPMENT

ENCOURAGE ENTREPREN-

EURSHIPACCESS

TO FORESTS

ACCESS TO

MARKETS

FOSTER LOCAL

INSTITUTIONS

REGULATE MONEY LENDERS,

, HOOCH OUTLETS, ETC.

Adaptors & Innovatorsp. 2 (a to i)/9: Adaptors

(j to r)/9: InnovatorsRange:1.00-2.66 Low2.67-4.33 Medium4.34-6.00 High

ADAPTORSIf your approach to bringing about change is ADAPTIVE you will be more likely than Innovators: •to prefer improvement of existing structures over mould-breaking change •to start work only on projects or schemes that you can complete •to calculate decisions finely, taking care about the consequences of your actions •to accept change so far as it improves or strengthens the status quo •to be methodical and prudent •to ensure widespread support for proposed changes before offering them •to put a high value on being efficient within a system •to resist 'sticking your neck out' against prevailing opinion •to reject, or be very skeptical of changes that challenge the cohesion of the group •to be interested in solving problems rather than looking for them •to appear tolerant of boredom •to respond to criticism from close colleagues with greater conformity •to see innovative ideas for change as threatening or unsafe

INNOVATORSIf your approach to bringing about change is INNOVATIVE you will be more likely than Adaptors: •to prefer mould-breaking change over Improvement of existing structures •to be reckless or neglectful of the consequences of your actions •to see the 'status quo' as needing complete transformation •to be seen as undisciplined and reckless •to assume that ideas for radical change are self-evidently valuable •to put greater value on thinking up new schemes than on implementing them •to question basic assumptions about any problem that is being worked on •to feel free to criticize proposals for change from any source without regard for the subsequent cohesion of the group •to enjoy seeking out problems •to become bored with routine •to prefer to delegate routine tasks •to live with rejection and hostility •to see criticism from close colleagues as a challenge •to tend to see adaptive ideas for change as no change at all

Adaptors & InnovatorsKirton conceptualized Adaptors and Innovators along one dimension, i.e., High Adaptors are Low Innovators and vise versa

Hi Adaptors Lo Adaptors

Lo Innovators Hi Innovators

RECONCEPTUALIZING ADAPTORS AND INNOVATORS

HI

ADAPT MED ORS

LO LO MED HI

INNOVATORS

RECONCEPTUALIZING ADAPTORS AND INNOVATORS

HI BUREAUCRAT ARCHITECT VISIONARY

ADAP MED CLERK ADMINISTRATOR GENERNAL T MANAGEROR

LO SHIRKER PROFESSOR DREAMERLO MED HI

INNOVATOR

LOCUS OF CONTROLFor INTERNAL LOC score, give yourself one point for each of the following:

1B, 2A, 3A, 4B, 5B, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9B, 10A

Internal LOCRange:0-3 Low4-7 Medium8-10 HighDesirable Score > 8However, watch out if you are a perfect 10?

A WORD OF CAUTION!

WHEN ADDRESSING

RESISTANCE TO CHANGE,

please remember the organization is a

POLITICAL MINEFIELD

THE SMART TALK TRAP!

TO COUNTER THIS POLITICAL MINEFIELD

we must build a well meshed team or

clan

How can we work together as a well meshed TEAM

When you see the geese migrating,going to a warmer place,

before the start of the winter...

PAY ATTENTION

They fly in a “V” formation.Maybe you will be interested in knowing

why they do it this way...

By flying in a “V” formation....

The whole flock increasesthe flight efficiency by 71%...

Compared to just one bird flying alone.

Team Lesson 1:Sharing the same directionand working as a team, get

us to the destination quicker and easier.

By helping ourselves, theaccomplishments are

greater!

When a goose leaves the formation …

It feels the resistance of the air and the difficulties of flying alone...

Then, it quickly comes back to the formationto take advantage of the the flock’s powerin front of it...

Team Lesson 2:

By staying in tune and united beside those who

are going in the same direction,the effort will be less.

It will be easier and pleasing to reach the goals,

Everyone will be inclined to accept and give help.

When the lead goose gets tired of flying...

It goes to the end of the “V” formation,while another goose takes the lead.

Team Lesson 3:

To share the leadership,

There must be mutual respect between us

all the time...

Sharing the hardest problemsand tasks...

Gathering our abilities andcombining our faculties,talents and resources…

The geese flying on a “V” formation, they quackto encourage to the ones in the front.

In that way, they keep the same speed.

Team Lesson 4:

When there is courage and encouragement,the progress is greater...

A timely word of encouragement,always motivates, helps and strengthens..

It produces the best of benefits...

When a goose gets sick, is injuredor gets tired...

And it must leavethe formation...

Other geese leave the formation too,and they fly with it to help out

and protect it.They remain with it

until it diesor is able to fly again.They reach their bevy

or they just make another “V” formation.

Team Lesson 5:

Let’s staybeside each other

no matter what the differences.

Specially in times of difficultyand great challenges...

If we bond together and support If we bond together and support each other...each other...

If we make true the spirit of If we make true the spirit of teamwork...teamwork...

Regardless of our differences, we Regardless of our differences, we can rise to meet our challenge.can rise to meet our challenge.

If we understand the real value of If we understand the real value of working together...working together...

If we are aware of the feeling of If we are aware of the feeling of sharing and growting together…sharing and growting together…

WORK LIFE WILL BE EASIERWORK LIFE WILL BE EASIERAND THE PASSING OF YEARSAND THE PASSING OF YEARS

MORE FULFILLING...MORE FULFILLING...

FRIENDS…FRIENDS…LET’S BE LIKE THE GEESE AND LET’S BE LIKE THE GEESE AND

TOGETHER ENSURE WE TOGETHER ENSURE WE MAKE EVERYONE A MAKE EVERYONE A

PRODUCTIVE PRODUCTIVE MEMBER OF OUR TEAM!!!MEMBER OF OUR TEAM!!!

Thank You!Thank You!

THANK YOU