Strategies for Acting Politically

After having completed the worksheet for Strategies on Acting Politically (Heifetz, et al., 2009, p.147) what sticks out the most is how easy some of it was, but how difficult it was to come up with thoughts on how to neutralize the opposition in my world. Everyone is important, but handling them well seems like the biggest challenge and the most important out of all of them. I highlighted the line “accept that what you’re trying to do is not in their interest.” It’s hard to not think about how to use logic to bring them around to your thinking. I default to that instead of wanting to look at the change through their lens. Heifetz et al. says that “they have the uncanny capacity for asking the really tough key question that you have been unwilling to raise.” (p.145) It’s hard to grow and identify issues when everyone is either silent or agreeing with you through the process. That input can be very valuable and illuminate corners of the project that just hadn’t even occurred to you.
Getting those dissenting views seems like it would be tricky. To me, it’s been helpful to genuinely work on the relationship with that person who might be difficult. Trust leads to sharing. Heifetz et al. suggests expressing openness even when they might be subversive or revolutionary. They also suggest input box, awards for dissenting views, brainstorming sessions and retreats. I’d say just ask! Don’t skip an opportunity to get the truth by letting them sit silently. It’s usually pretty obvious who is having issue with a new change.

(Allies) Who might be your allies?	Why might they be allies?	What’s their main objective?	How can this ally best help you successfully implement your intervention?
Managers	They feel the pain	Help their groups navigate work better	Support ideas
Frustrated group members	They feel the pain	Reducing stress in work	Help others work through opposition
(Opponents) Who might be your opponents?	Why might they be opponents?	What do they stand to lose if your initiative fails?	How might you neutralize their opposition or get them on your side?
Frustrated group members	They want to get their work done that is in front of them that they know how to do.	Their job doesn’t get done.
Marketing group	Changes how they input	Change	Include them in design
(Senior authorities) Who are the senior authorities most important to your intervention’s success	Why are they important?	What signals are they giving about how the organization perceives your intervention?	What might you say or do to secure their support as your initiative is being implemented?
Group director	Responsible for group	Positive	He’s pushing it.

Heifetz. R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership, tools and tactics for changing your organization and the World. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

Shifting Interpretations and Selecting Interventions

As I was reading chapter 8 it reminded me of an ornithology (bird) class I had years ago. The teacher said that birds will go for food where it is the easiest to obtain. “Default interpretations work much of the time because they do capture elements of reality, at least superficially”. (Heifetz et al., 2009, p.119) We're grabbing at what is the easiest to obtain. Heifetz et al, suggest that we step away from the problem and look at it from “the balcony” and lead others to do the same. Heifetz et al. Suggest we find the groups default interpretation, call and it out We can also “explore the perspectives and interests of people outside their normal range of vision” (p.117).
I've been thinking quite a lot about how to help a manager get a group I'm working with to change. The change is not identified and I think this process would be a good one to lead them through. But I wonder if the scope would be too narrow. Beyond that, this group is very set in their ways and it sort of works for them. I would like to sit down with them and call out the issues. Then work with the team leaders to interpret the situations and identify the adaptive elements. Then split up into groups for each situation to have a look at what the shifted interpretation might be to help solve the issue. The group as a whole is made up of subgroups who know the issues, but see them through different lenses, so I think that would help bring some good discussion to the table. I'd also like to involve the people who provide input to this system for a different view. From that discussion we should be able to ferret out a good plan for action.
Reference:
Heifetz. R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership, tools and tactics for changing your organization and the World. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

Developing Individual Immunity to Change

Build your personal immunity X-Ray and immunity map.
Discuss how this process would be useful for you as a change leader or change recipient.

Mike’s Personal X-ray

Visible Commitments	Doing/Not Doing Instead	Hidden Competing Commitments
·         Be more confident in my opinions ·         Become more engaged in the subject matter of projects ·         Become better at thinking through the mechanics of projects ·         Do a better job of preparing for meetings	·         Shying away and missing opportunities ·         Avoiding becoming attached ·         Doing enough to get by ·         Avoiding thinking about what needs to be said until I get there	·         Not being embrassed if I’m wrong ·         I don’t have to propose a solution ·         I don’t have to spend the time on it and can do other things ·         I can let others take the reigns

I think that this shows some issues I’ve been struggling with and cycles I need to break free from.  I tried to stay away from “trying to solve a problem by technical means”.  (Kegan & Lahey, 2009, p.34).  These are not things that I can solve technically, I’ve tried that and it’s been like Heifetz et al (2009) described as a “Cycle of Failure”.  Looking at it from this lens, by looking at the competing commitments, shows how we sabotage ourselves.

Personally, I need to get over some things.  I think I know the root cause of some of them, and they may just be issues I have to compensate for mindfully in the future.  Others seem like they could be technical, for example, “Do a better job of preparing for meetings”.  That sounds so easy, but I don’t do a good enough job of it.  It sounds mechanical, but when I think about why, why I really don’t get my stuff together it feels like I want to lead up to others to lead it, when what am I studying?!  Can I roll my eyes at myself?
This process is useful in that helps give us a clue about what’s really going on.  I can make agendas and print off copies for a while, but unless I realize what’s really holding me back that technical solution is always going to fall by the wayside.   
References:
Heifetz. R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership, tools and tactics for changing your organization and the World. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.
Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2009). Immunity to change: How to overcome it and unlock the potential in yourself and your organization. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

Reactions to Change

How do you see yourself in terms of your tolerance for change?

Who are you as a change agent?

How do you see yourself as change agent within your current and future leadership domains?

When I think about my tolerance for change I think I handle it pretty well.  When there has been an opportunity, especially at work, to do something different and be the recipient of change I usually jump in.  When I took my current position I was very apprehensive, but it’s worked out and been valuable experience for the future.  In my personal life I am less tolerant of change unless I can see the advantage clearly.  I won’t stick my neck out very far.
After trying out the exercise and looking at the Miller’s Stages of Change Beliefs (Cawsey & Deszca, 2007, p.253) it feels like I’m a fairly aware change agent.  As a project manager my work always revolves around making one change or another.  However, I can be shy when asked to share opinion, which I really need to work on.  It is detrimental to my communcations and sometimes to the projects as a while.  Looking over the change agent types I identify most with the developmental strategist.  Not exactly ideal, but usually I’m implementing someone else’s vision and may not be as connected to the issue as the champion.  I do however, have to learn about it and be able to communicate the big picture.
In the future I want to be managing and through my team, setting stakes in the ground for the company to move to, whatever that corner of the world may be.  Right now, I think that I lack the passion to bring people along, I prod them, and I almost typed “life as a project manager”.  But I should be more passionate about the initiatives I’m leading I’ll have to address in the Immunity X-Ray from the Kegan & Layhey book (2009) my need to find passion for what I’m doing!  

References:
Cawsey, T. F., & Deszca, G. (2008). Toolkit for organizational change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.

Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2009). Immunity to change: How to overcome it and unlock the potential in yourself and your organization. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

Building adaptive capacity in people

One key aspect of successful change is the way in which leaders enable people to successfully participate in change and gain skills which are adaptive.

What do individuals need to do to engage successfully?  Speak up!  Okay, maybe it’s not that easy, but diverse opinions are important.  I think that it’s important to instill that shared feeling of responsibility for the organization’s future.  Heifetz et al (2009) says that “In an organization with a high capacity to adapt, people share responsibility for the larger organization’s future”.  So, we need connected people.  That feels like a function of how the organization cares for the individual as much as the individual’s responsibility to engage.

I’ve been working lately with a leader who is really good at developing his people.  One of his stated priorities is developing talent from within his groups.  He has regularly scheduled meetings to talk about how they’re developing and who they are working with to develop.  They all go through a formal development process we have here and it’s developed some really good leadership who have moved up throughout the company.  The attention to their careers has developed that sense of responsibility and they’re very engaged.

It seems the difference between the two tacts is that Cawsey & Deszca (2007) push for the organization to move people to a better place to be receptive to change.   I really liked a quote from the Cawsey & Deszca book (p.211) “managing change is less about directing and controlling and more about facilitating recipient sense-making processes to achieve an alignment of interpretation”  Heifetz (2009) puts more emphasis on development and creating a sense of connection. 

Cawsey, T. F., & Deszca, G. (2008). Toolkit for organizational change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc.
Heifetz. R., Grashow, A., & Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership, tools and tactics for changing your organization and the World. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

When I was in the Army

I ran across this story that is internal to my family about a relations (Kelly) experience in the Army from 1941 - 1946.  It is not published, nor is there copyright concern.  I thought it too interesting to not commit to the digital world.  I will publish it as written, but without last names.  These are not my words and I will pubilsh as I have time, there are several pages.

I join the Army

     It was in October 1941.  I had just blown the engine of my 1940 Indian Chief motorcycle, I was out of a a job, and wanted to do something different, so I wnt to the draft board and volunteered to go early.  Men were being drafted for one year's duration at that time.  The war in Europe had started in 1939 and all men from 21-30 years of age had to be regtistered, and I already had a number and expected to be called within a couple of months.  The man whose turn I took was Arnold, a local farmer who needed more time to finish harvesting.  He later became my brother-in-law, and during his time in the Army was sent to Italy, where he was wounded.

     It was a hard departure for my folks since my dad was sure they'd never see me again.  Ma never showed much feeling (except impatience!) but I suspect shed a few tears after I left.  Francis, who was 15 and later talked his folks into signing so that he could join the Navy because he "was tired of looking at the ass end of a horse," drove me to Allegan in 1931 Model A Ford.  We left home at 6 AM so I just put my head in their bedroom and said, "Goodbye, I'm leaving."  I didn't wake up the younger kids.
     About thirty other guys were waiting at the Allegan Courthouse.  We got on a steam engine train and headed for Camp Custer near Battle Creek.  We were sworn in, issued our uniforms (which, me being 6'4", were always too short) and assigned a bed.  We filled out a raft of questionaires and papers, aptitude tests, and had physicals.  They taught us how to make a military bed, sweat out chow lines, how to salute and say, "Yes sir" and "No sir."

Basic Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma
     With other large men, I was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma.  Travelling by train, we arrived in early November.  Although Fort Sill was old and established (In fact it was where Geronimo was held captive), it was being enlarged and we lived in big Army tents.  There were no sidewalks but lots of wet clay.  It was raw, cold, windy weather out in flat country, and not many trees - nothing at all like Michigan.
     Eleven weeks of basic training followed.  Here was harsh reality, sorting out the men from the boys.  We did calisthenics and marched double time, and woe betide anyone the drill sargent took a dislike to!  There was an obnoxious Polish football player who opened his mouth once too often and found himself "volunteered" for all sorts of disagreeable jobs.
     Things got harder as men got tougher.  There were twenty-mile forced hikes with full sixty pound packs.  We had to run through tires that were laying flat without tripping or falling.  We climbed ropes over a ten foot wall.  At night we crawled on our stomachs with tracer bullets flying overhead.  The officers said, "You weren't sent here to be prima donnas.  We'll make soldiers out of you!"
     We learned to look and act like soldiers.  Good personal appearance was imperative, and you were gigged if you didn't pass inspection, which meant extra duty on Sunday "volunteer" jobs.  You had to be shaved, have spit shined your shoes, all buttons had to be buttoned, and know your serial number (edited out - I still remember mine!)  Your gun had to be cleaned (a 30.006 bolt action); your bunk had to be made up so tight that a nickel would bounce on it:  and your foot locker was inspected weekly.
  We learned to shoot pistols, rifles and machine guns.  I was lucky to have been around guns around home and didn't have any trouble but lots of guys from big cities did.
     Marching was easy for me since I knew my right from my left from driving horses.  Being tall, I was often pivot man, which meant taking shorter steps or even marking time, as the rest of the men made the circle or did flank movements.  Commands were:  March!  About face!  Right flank!  Left flank!  Rear march!  Sometimes we marched double time - almost a trot - until the seargent yelled, "resume march."  In the Army you worked fifty minutes, then got a ten minute break.  "Smoke if you got 'em, otherwise borrow."  Smoking was almost universal, but it never appealed to me.
  First call was at 6 AM and we had about fifteen minutes to shave, dress and get things presentable.  Then off we went out to parade ground for roll call, raising the flag while we all saluted.  Afterwards we were dismissed for breakfast.  There were long lines at the Mess Hall but everyone (100 men) was done in about 45 minutes.  The usual menu included cremed chipped beef on toast (shit on a shingle), pancakes, powdered eggs, cereal and strong coffee.  I didn't mind the food:  I wasn't used to living high on the hog.
     I had formed a friendship with Paul who had grownd up in Houghten Michigan, where he was raised by his woodsman dad.  He liked to tell the story that his dad gave him one shotgun shell and pointed to a rabbit track and said, "Son, there's your breakfast."
     We were quarantined for six weeks, so we couldn't leave the fort, and then got weekend passes.  The nearest big city was Oklahoma City, eighty miles by bus, and the nearest town was Lawton, twelve miles.  It was a G.I. town and pretty wild.  Units would gang up on each other and brawl, and there were lots of beer joints and loose women.  Quite an eye-opener for a farm kid.  Once Paul and I went to Oklahoma City and walked around just looking.  Later we took a movie, ate civilian food, maybe had a beer or two.  Paul showed no signs of the drinking problem that eventually destroyed him.
     Once a month we were paid $21 in cash and had the rest of the day off.  Lots of guys played craps until they lost it all.  I didn't care to gamble so I had money to lend to the guys that did.  My only expenses were for laundry and such.  Insurance was voluntary but I made mine out for $10,000 with Ma as beneficiary.
     We worked very hard, and were tired and sore and glad when Basic Training was over.  The last day they lined us up, took our pictures, and told us where we were assinged.  For me, it was to Field Artillery, Battalion Pack at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Recipients of Change

People respond to change initiatives in many different ways. There is an assumption that people resist change, but this idea oversimplifies issues of helping people adapt to and adopt change.

As I was reading the Cawsey & Deszca text this time I reflected on how I felt when I was asked to change.  I also thought about the defensive and suspicious questions asked internally on my company’s question and answer forum.  There are a lot of factors that can determine how recipients view change situations.  The Fishery Product International example (Cawsey & Deszca, 2007, p.212) reminded me of a change made here, where an official change announcement talked of a domestic plant closing shortly after internally we all knew we opened a new plant out of country to take that work.  A direct communication may have been painful, but wouldn’t have contributed to mistrust and resentment.  So, conflicting messages are a factor.  Other factors can be that they may think the change is flawed as seen from their position, they may have doubts about the effectiveness (“we’ve tried this before!”), they may have had negative experiences in the past, or they may not have experience with change of the level proposed.

Cawsey & Deszca (2007) outline several options for helping people navigate change.  Off the top of my head I know it’s important to involve people, keep them informed and be sensitive to their perceptions.  Nobody likes to be surprised with change.  From the official list, reward those who enact change well, be honest about what’s happening, put thought to credibility, publish your successes and admit and talk about mistakes made.  One of the biggest is keeping the line of communication open and try to make people comfortable with providing honest feedback.

(I work for an office furniture company)  Successful change I’ve seen lately has been with corporate facility moves.  We do them often and sometimes with new strategies we test on ourselves before we start talking about them with customers.  So, picture gutting a large space and creating a new environment.  Then packing up some number of people and moving them into that space.  There may be change in who you sit next to, what your desk looks like, maybe you don’t have a desk (I’m moble as of the last move- blog link about it below), what is the new technology, will it all be ready, what is the schedule, etc., etc.  Our facilities group is very good at gathering information, presenting the options and communicating throughout the process.

Reference:

Cawsey, T. F., & Deszca, G. (2008). Toolkit for organizational change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc

Howard, M, (ND). Day 1 of mobile working.  http://zipmike.blogspot.com/2011/08/day-1-of-total-mobile-working.html