Episodes
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When leaders decided to make a change, they hope it will improve performance. But, while it may do so, there’s almost always a dip. Maybe a small dip, but sometimes a large one. When that happens, the first impulse is to make another change. And then you’ve got churn.
Sorry this episode is late! I had a bad cold and wasn't up to recording. -
Why don’t ppl want to change? I hear this question a lot.
The assumption behind the question is clear: the impediments to change exist within people. But there's often friction in the context....situations that counter-motivate change. I find it more useful to ask: "How to reduce the friction for people to change?"
I'll talk about some of the sources of friction, and what you can do about them, in this episode.
For more on the adoption of antiseptic practices (ad other really interesting ideas about change, see Slow Ideas, by Atul Gawande. -
Episodes manquant?
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Blame shuts down problem-solving. Curiosity leads to greater insight. But the response to problems is often the former.
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You may think someone else needs to change. But approaching that topic is a delicate matter. If they haven't invited your input, your advice is likely to cause a rupture, especially when hierarchy is involved.
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Changing the paradigms—beliefs and assumptions about how things work—can be powerful in changing systems. But how can you do that? Sometimes it as simple as shifting what people focus on.
If you are interested in learning more about the SEEM model, drop me an email and I'll send you a copy of the paper where I first published it. esther at estherderby dot com.
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Systems reflect the beliefs and assumptions of the ppl & societies who create them. Changing those beliefs is a powerful way to change a system. So, it follows, if we want to change management, we need to look at the beliefs and assumptions behind the dominant system of management.
Donella Meadow's Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System
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Even when you have a big idea, you get there with little steps. This isn’t always satisfying to people who are in a hurry. It is understandable that people want big results and want them fast. But it doesn’t work that way. You have to cross the zone.
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There are a handful of things, that if you manage to shift them, you can start a cascade of goodness in your organization. Trust is one of them.
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In the course of observing, leading, and participating in many organizational changes, I’m discovering how to nurture change… in ways that are more effect than many of the prevalent methods.
Related:https://www.estherderby.com/the-forest-succession-principle/
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We experience and respond to events—what’s in front of us now. But often, if we want to change events, we need to take a longer view and see patterns and system dynamics.
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I talk a lot on this podcast about tiny changes, changing systems and creating environments where something new might emerge. But that involves working with other people. How you show up as a change artist makes a difference. So in this episode, I’m going to talk about use of self—how showing up, empathizing, and connecting matters.
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We’re trained to think big, to go for that big hairy audacious goals, to go big or go home. But when it comes to making complex changes in your organization, tiny may be the way to go.
Explore more about micro shifts:
Steering Signals
https://changebyattraction.simplecast.com/episodes/steering-signals
Four Questions for Evaluating Experiments
https://www.estherderby.com/4-questions-for-evaluating-experiments/
Change Artist Super Powers: Experimentation
https://www.estherderby.com/change-artist-super-powers-experimentation/
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Adaptive Capacity is the ability to respond to change—whether that change is an adverse market event, a fabulous opportunity, or learning from experience. Unfortunately, many organizational habits sap adaptive capacity.
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Usually, I talk about how to nurture change, once you are already in a position to do that. In this episode, I’m going to talk about contracting. Because contracting can make the difference between a successful engagement and a disappointing one—whether you are an employee or an external consultant or coach. Contracting sets the tone.
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What the organization came from and what it is like now, influence where it can go. Organizations don’t leap forward toward some abstract potential. They shimmy and mosey to the next best thing they are capable of—based on what is and what has been.
In this episode I’ll share two of the things I try to learn about when I enter a new organization to understand where they come from: the latest change, and the persistent stories.
I mention the SEEM model, one of the lenses I use to understand what I’m seeing in organizations. You can download an introduction to the SEEM model here.
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I recently had a fascinating conversation with Matthew Carlson, a senior consultant at Industrial Logic. We talked about what is different about adopting agile methods in 2021 vs. 2001… and how those differences play out for the people who work in organizations and those who hope to help them adopt agile methods.
Join me and special guest Matthew Carlson for a rich conversation about considering context and respecting the structures and pressures that shape the adoption of not-so-new-innovations.
Read more about Matthew here: https://www.industriallogic.com/people/matthew/ -
Some people think that empathy has no place at work…that work requires hard-nosed logic and checking your emotions at the door. They believe empathy means never hurting anyone’s feelings.
But empathy doesn’t mean you have to coddle people or feel the same way they do. It means acknowledging other’s feelings, thoughts and view are valid, whether you agree with them or not. Most importantly, empathy smooths the road to forward movement and problem-solving. -
When making a change or fixing a problem, most companies consider the outcome they want to achieve—what will be different—and how they’ll measure that. But outcomes can take a long time. In the meanwhile, how do you know things are going the way you hoped? How do you make adjustments if needed? That’s where steering signals come in. Interim measures and subtle signs that help you find the way.
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When you listen, you convey that the other person has something valuable to share—which helps equalize status. If your response indicates you understand the clients world, their confidence in your ability to help grows.
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How do you create an environment for great work? Where healthy self-organization happens? You notice and shape patterns. Patterns are meaningful events that repeat over time—actions and interactions, outcomes and results. That might be teams that flail and fail to deliver results. It might be conflicts that happen over and over. Or people waiting to be told what to do.
But how do you influence those patterns? Training isn’t usually enough. You have to influence the system—attending to Clarity, Conditions, and Constraints.
Download the Managing Complexity Self-Directed Assessment here: https://academy.estherderby.com/pl/2147504104***Stay in Touch***
Twitter: @estherderby
FB: /EstherDerbyAtWork
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