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Leadership Dynamics Group [281]
463-9111 Houston, Texas |
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JUNE 2004 |
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WHO MANAGES CHANGE?
Challenges in a business can often be divided into
two major categories: Systems challenges, and People
challenges. Similarly, the same two concepts may be used
to divide organizational change into two broad types.
If, ultimately, most systems challenges (or changes) can
be traced to people challenges (changes), an interesting
question must be considered: What part of a business is
responsible for managing change?I would suggest that
if we are to be good at managing change, the
responsibility must lie with Human Resources. Other
areas of the company may mandate it (C-level
individuals, stockholders, outside influences) and still
other areas of the business may claim ownership of it
(Accounting, Purchasing, Engineering, Sales) You get the
idea!
Ultimately, HR gets to calm the troubled waters,
bandage the wounded, and replace the departed, all in
the interests of making change work for the benefit of
the business.
In managing organizational change, careful planning
is required to insure buy-in, support and commitment at
every level. HR is uniquely equipped to accomplish these
processes without the barriers faced by
line-of-supervision managers.
Another key responsibility of a change agent is to
reconcile and resolve inevitable conflicts between and
among disparate (and sometimes desperate) points of
view. The nature of change is to treat employees
unequally, which may be unfair. The “softer side” of HR
may allow mitigation and reduction of these negative
perceptions for the people most impacted by the changes.
HR professionals, who are charged or who would like
to be charged with change management, can find help and
some practical tools on the internet, at
www.change-management.com.
For a rather radical view of how to handle change
management, try
www.brandon-hall.com.
Being seen as your company’s primary resource for
managing change may be an important part of the future
of your HR department and its budget! |
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POISONING YOUR OWN WELL—OVERPROMOTION
The Peter Principle—it’s so well known, it’s accorded
the status of a noun in the American Heritage
Dictionary! It’s been written about, trained on, and
just about beaten to death. Still, it’s as common as
dirt, and one of the most costly mistakes a business can
make: promoting a top performer to a job where they
fail. They cannot succeed in the new job (no matter how
much you invest in training) and they cannot go back to
the old job (because of ego, or someone else already
sitting in that place); so, where do they go? Usually?
To your competitor, where they can again be a top
performer, doing what they used to do so well for you!
Alternatively, they might just stay with you in the
failed position, costing you dearly every day they show
up for work! You can avoid this costly mistake by
establishing a program of scientific assessments and
success patterns and using them to plan all promotions.
What could it mean for your business, if you never had
to experience this expensive catastrophe? |
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| MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL—A 360
DEGREE VIEW |
| When you stand in front of fitting room
mirrors at your favorite clothing store, you get a 360°
perspective about your "look." You receive visual
feedback from all sides and can readily see if what
you're trying on is a good fit. Much like that fitting
room mirror, a job-related view of a key employee from
all angles can be valuable. Such a view can be
accomplished with a multi-rater, 360° feedback review.
Understanding is gained by managers when feedback comes
from supervisors, direct reports, and peers, with each
giving a view of management skills and competencies from
their own unique perspective. Unlike a mirror, which
tells the truth (and nothing but the truth) a 360°
assessment has the potential of biased feedback. To
minimize the potential for bias, the individual
administering the assessment should provide the
framework for productive use of the evaluation. The
administrator must insure that participants understand
the importance of providing honest evaluations. They
must promise and deliver the protection of anonymity.
Participants must understand a 360 evaluation is not a
time for paybacks and vendettas! They must feel they are
affecting and supporting the development of a
productive, employee-focused company culture.
The assessment instrument structure, like that of a
form-fitting garment, is also critical. What should a
comprehensive 360° evaluation measure? It should present
a balanced picture of both the individual's strengths
and areas of opportunity for improvement. It should
provide an opportunity for people to see themselves and
their competencies as others view them.
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In a well-constructed 360° assessment,
evaluation is not based on personality. Participants
rate skills and behaviors based on actual performance to
enhance the performance of the entire team. A good 360°
process, which includes an effective developmental plan
for the manager, can lead to better team cohesion and
performance and better retention of good employees. Some
key competencies include:
- Communication
- Leadership
- Adaptability
- Task management
- Production
- Developing others
- Personal development
- Relationships
For example, the competency of “Leadership” could
include measurement of how well the individual instills
trust, provides direction, and delegates responsibility.
With Internet-based assessment tools, the
administration of a 360° is vastly simplified. Web-based
administration allows tracking of assessment completion,
while maintaining anonymity of participants. A Web-based
instrument also saves time and provides quick analysis
of the outcomes. The objectives of a 360° evaluation are
to provide
a "mirror" for the manager and his supervisor, that is,
a view of skills and behaviors from a well-rounded set
of perspectives, providing the framework for developing
action plans for
self-improvement.
Finally, significant improvement of management cannot
be accomplished with a one-shot approach. Repeating
cycles of assessment, intervention, and reassessment are
the key to long-term gains. |
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| IMPROVING MANAGEMENT SKILLS—WHAT KIND OF
EFFECT? |
| Therapists, and others who devote their work to
effecting change, talk about two kinds of change:
Prosthetic change, and therapeutic change.
Prosthetic change is relatively easy to effect, and
usually short-lived. It is exemplified by the sales
force attending an inspirational sales seminar and
then breaking new records for sales...for a few
weeks. Therapeutic change, difficult to produce and
long-lasting, is what business owners and managers
usually seek, but seldom find. In using 360°
assessments to produce change, look for ways to
produce therapeutic change in management behavior.
Research shows this to be more likely if
development activities are tied to “on-the-job”
training and change, rather than traditional
classroom learning. As you implement training and
development to improve your managers’ competencies,
produce therapeutic change with an “on the job”
focus to your programs. |
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