Sticky Ideas About Change!

Chip and Dan Heath have some sticky ideas about change. They reckon that when a sticky idea is understood, it's remembered. Their research shows that successful sticky idea's have six traits and if we want our message, of change, to stick...then following these traits might not be a bad "sticky idea"! So have a look at "Made to Stick" through the SUCCESs Model.

Principle 1 - SIMPLE

Simplicity isn't about dumbing down, it's about prioritising.

Principle 2 - UNEXPECTED

To get attention, violate a schema, challenge current thinking.

Principle 3 - CONCRETE

Use sensory language and paint a picture.

Principle 4 - CREDIBLE

Use human scale statistics that people understand.

Principle 5 - EMOTIONAL

People care about people and whats in it for me!

Principle 6 - STORIES

Help people see what you are saying through a story...bring it to the real world.

The more principles from the SUCCESs Model that you have, the better chance of your idea for change sticking!

www.thechangesamurai.com

Change and the orb webs

Check out this ...what we can learn from the spider and creating a strong foundation for change.

Change and the orb webs

View more presentations from David Williams.

Change by Aiming to Improve

Resistance to change is often highly over rated, particularly when you think about the amount of natural change that we all embrace from cradle to grave. I don't believe that we outwardly resist change, but I do believe that we can express resistance in our behaviours that are manifested through a lack of awareness and thus desire to change. Of course, change is much easier when it takes a natural flow. However, a dramatic change in lifestyle as a result of a heart attack can be forced on recovering patients. Yet, statistics prove, that very many heart attack victims return to their old habits within a year of recovery. The prospect of death does not drive them to change!

This is in interesting phenomenon because it shows just how hard it can be to change if you don't have the correct mindset. Acknowledging that you need to do something about your life and make changes can come as a violent thought process for many of us and the inertia to make the first step so unbearable that we simply withdraw and hope that circumstances will change for us. They do...in fact...but not necessarily for the better...things just get worse.

Rather than setting out to change, perhaps we would be better off working to improve the way we perform and how we do things. It can take far more energy to improve from incompetence to mediocrity than to improve from first-rate performance to excellence. This is why we must continually prepare and grow through the steps of change. This is exemplified by the fact that there is one prerequisite for managing the second half of life...you must begin doing so long before you enter it.

In order to improve anything, you must first understand it. To improve yourself, first undertake a self analysis and understand your self. Begin this by answering some simple questions:

1. What are my strengths?

2. How do I work?

3. What are my values?

4. Where do I belong?

5. What can I contribute?

Remember that what one does well...even very well and successfully...may not fit with one's value system. Aim to improve and change will follow naturally.

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

Change...not chance!

"You must constantly ask yourself these questions: 
Who am I around? What are they doing to me? 
What have they got me reading? What have they got me saying? Where do they have me going? What do they have me thinking? And most important, what do they have me becoming? Then ask yourself the big question: Is that okay? Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change."

Jim Rohn, 1930-2009, Author and Speaker
http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

The Art of Social Infection

Dr Herrero's new book is entitled Homo Imitans, the art of social infection. Viral Change^TM in action.
In his new book, Dr Herrero addresses Viral Change^TM in action, breaking it down in several sections to show that:

•  the more primal 'Homo Imitans' is still a powerful force behind the more accepted     'Homo Sapiens'
•   we are surrounded by examples of behavioural and social infections
•  the confusion between the world of communications and the world of behaviours is largely  the cause of the high failure rate of so-called 'change management programmes'

 "Understanding how social, behavioural infection works is the basis for   the orchestration of any 'epidemic of success', be it a successful change inside a firm or a counter-social epidemic to tackle negative socio-macro phenomena". 

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

Communication as a Social Construction

Communication is very important in the change cycle, but it often takes on generic processes that fail to deliver the message with the problem compounded through a lack of engagement that does not build a desire to support the change.

As technology overpowers natural communication channels and weakens our skills, it is no wonder that engagement has not become any easier with stakeholders. The tribal communication methods of dialogue and conversation have been misplaced and in some regards lost. History and record were once only defined through stories passed down from generation to generation. It was this skill to create dialogue that forms the foundations of our communities because we not only converse, but most important of all, we listen and we understand.

Once again a simple process has been taken and manipulated creating communication models that in themselves are difficult to communicate, less understand. Fortunately, pioneers like Ken and Mary Gergen of the Taos Institute are making communication easier through social construction. Social construction is a way of looking at how people build a common understanding and negotiate their way into the future.

So keep communication simple and focus on the five core principles:

1. The ways we come to understand the world and ourselves are created in relationships.

2. We do not all interpret the world in the same way.

3. Our shared interpretations of the world survive only if they are useful to us as individuals.

4. Our understandings influence the ways we behave and possibilities for our future.

5. reflection on our assumptions - what we take for granted - is vital to improving performance.

I a nutshell we just need to talk to each other and listen to each other much more than we do now.

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

:59 Seconds, Lesson #10

One intervention in change management is 'brainstorming' where we get a group of people together and basically thrash out idea's or talk through a situation. This idea was born from an advertising executive, Alex Osborn, in the early 1940s. Organisations all around the globe now use this method. But is there true value in this? Professor Richard Wiseman now challenges this as research suggests that group brainstorming may fail, in part, because of a phenomenon known as 'social loafing'! (see S.J.Karau and K.D.Williams (1993). 'Social Loafing: A Meta-Analytic Review and Theoretical Integration).

Studies conducted by Brian Mullen from the University of Kent at Canterbury (see B.Mullen, C.Johnson and E.Salas (1991). 'Productivity Loss in Brainstorming Groups: A Meta-Analytic Integration') proved that participants working on their own produced a higher quantity and quality of ideas than those working in groups. You've seen it all before in any large group and I'm sure you have felt it. The more people involved the less energy you need to exert...because the people around you act as some kind of crutch and you just don't need to work as hard. While the others are 'appearing; to be focused you are thinking about your own problems and the calls you need to make. The truth is that as the numbers of people increase in a situation the more you think that someone else will sort it out. How many times have you heard a neighbours house alarm ring? You pull back the curtain peer out of your window and if the world is still intact you assume some other sucker is taking care of it! Am I right?

Think about this....a large body of research now suggests that for more than seventy years, people using group brainstorming may have inadvertently been stifling, not stimulating, their creative juices!

Want some ideas...for generating ideas? Here are some quick tips, but I advise you study Professor Wiseman for a more in-depth appreciation.

1. Study modern art...but the right stuff, to use the power of visual priming.

2. Lay down when you are thinking. When you are lying down blood is not drained away from the locus coeruleus and thus the stress hormone noradrenaline is reduced.

3. Practice Wu Wei and do nothing. That is, just as in the 'The Secret', acknowledge your problem, give it a little thought, then hand it over to the cosmic forces and go and do something else. Your subconscious will have worked on the problem and coming back to it later will bring you closer to a solution.

4. Put a plant on your desk. The colour green inspires creativity.

5.Study Professor Wiseman's book 'Did You Spot the Gorilla?' and the techniques: Priming; Perspective; Play; Perceive.

So...change your mind...then change your thinking!

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

Code of the Change Manager - Modern Day Samurai

The new Samurai are corporate change agents that understand that the new profession of change is already changing itself.  It is unfortunate that as the profession grows the old guard change professionals are creating bureaucracy's and complex models that are not aligned with the needs of the future global market. In the new change World, complicated situations do not require complicated solutions. It is the work of Professor Richard Wiseman and the Heath brothers who are making change exciting and encouraging people to be radical change evangelists and Change Samurai rather than just change managers!

The organisational change manager does not wear armour or wield a sharp sword edge upon an unprepared enemy.

Aligned with the code of the Samurai is a new code for the Change Samurai.

The Change Samurai is not one who goes to war or kills people, but one who is dedicated to the creation of a more vivid disruptive peace to create positive change.

The Change Samurai honours the traditional samurai virtues:  loyalty, integrity, dignity, courtesy, courage, prudence, and benevolence.

The Change Samurai seeks to prevent negativity of every type or, should negativity occur, to transform it into harmony.

The Change Samurai takes full responsibility for his or her actions.

The Change Samurai pursues self-mastery through will, patience, and diligent practice.

The Change Samurai respects and values the human individual and the entire web of life on this planet.  To serve others is of the highest good.  To freely give and accept nourishment from life is the warrior's challenge.

The Change Samurai seeks the inner freedom that comes from the study of people, culture, and the wisdom of the ages.

The Change Samurai reveres the spiritual realm that lies beyond appetites and appearances.

The Change Samurai aims to achieve control and act with abandon.

The Change Samurai is willing to take calculated risks to realise his or her potential and further the common good.

The Change Samurai realises that being a warrior doesn't mean winning or even succeeding.  It does mean putting your career on the line.  It means risking and failing and risking again, as long as you live.

The Change Samurai cherishes life and thus conducts his or her affairs in such a manner as to be prepared at every moment.

Who said being a Change Samurai was easy...but do you want to be the best? Can you risk being different?

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

Project Managing Change

Are you responsible for getting results? Do you need to get things to change and then make sure that change sticks? Do you want to know the most effective ways to really get things to change – for the better?

Project Managing Change gives you practical, sensible solutions to real business change issues. By combining best practice from change management and project management, it empowers you to select from a range of easy-to-use tools specially designed to uncover and resolve common problems and difficulties. Tested and proven to be effective, the emphasis is on the actual tasks and activities you need to get done to make sure that change happens.

The logical, modular approach makes it easier to apply the advice and guidance to your own unique situation. It helps you assess the scope and scale of the change you need to make and plan what you need to do to make it happen. This book by Ira Blake and Cindy Bush is one of the best practical publications on managing change from a project perspective that I have come across. It is clear and concise with some great diagrams and tables. Not only this, but it comes with downloadable tools from the www.pearson-books.com site. Should we be surprised....Dymocks, Borders and most others have this book sitting side by side with the project management selections. I believe they should categorise it under Change Management especially when the ISBN reference is Organisational Change!

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

:59 Seconds, Lesson #9

Lesson #9

More on persuasion.

1. To increase the chances of getting someone to help you, send them an individual message. 

2. In an experiment with four charity boxes the message 'Every penny helps' was the most effective. Think about it!

3. Carry out a favour for someone and you are likely to get more in return.

4. If you don't want to lose your wallet stick a photograph of a baby in it.

Do you want to know the science behind all of these lessons? Then read :59 Seconds.

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

:59 Seconds, Lesson #7 and Lesson #8

Lesson #7

Increase your chances of success at every interview and with every person you meet.

First...be likeable. Be someone other people want to be with.

Second...reveal your weaknesses first and leave your modesty until the end of a conversation.

Third...if you make a mistake just move on. Chances are it wasn't noticed and all you do is draw attention to it if you over-react.

Lesson #8

Tips for Persuasion

1. Choose the middle way.

2. Keep It Simple 

3. Mind your language

4. The Franklin Effect: Get people to carry out a favour for you. Believe it or not, they will like you more.

5. The Pratfall Effect: When you are in danger of being perfect...create some humility and make a mistake.

6. Don't indulge in negative gossip. People attach the negatives to you. Of course it works the other way...so talk or gossip positively.

7. Make it personal...people give more to a fund raiser when they know the name of the person who is being helped.

8. Get a yes..then another and one more and keep going. A standard sales technique!

9. Never eat alone. If you want something then talk about it over lunch or a coffee.

10. Use rhymes. People will remember them! Like...A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play! Do recall 'A stitch in time saves eight'? No...I didn't think so.

11. Similarity has leverage. Look for people with the same name, people that have the same traits.

12. When negotiating throw in your pet frog. It creates some humour. Well, thats the theory!

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

:59 Seconds, Lesson #3, #4, #5 and #6

Lesson #3

It's better to give than receive. Heard that before?...Yes?...well then do it! And don't...don't do it with the expectation of the gesture being returned!

Lesson #4

Smile. Smile at everything. And if you don't have anything to smile about...well, still smile. If you can't remember how to do it then just stick a pencil between your teeth!

Lesson #5

Sit up! Yes, just sit up and stop slouching. Your posture will change your mood.

Lesson #6

Not happy, can't be happy, no reason to be happy? Suck it up and BE...that is..act HAPPY!

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

:59 Seconds, Lesson #2

Don't buy things, stuff and all that you would call material. Buy Experiences and create a portfolio of conversations for life!

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

The New Science of Rapid Change!

One of the reasons that change is avoided at a personal level is the time and commitment it requires to make the painstaking effort to actually implement a consistent set of actions to create the new habit's that create the change that we desire! Then comes along a book that shatters the current thinking on change. It changes the change thinking! For that reason alone, as practitioners, we should respect the idea's of Professor Richard Wiseman in his new book ':59 Seconds'. And for that reason I am going to profile the work in this book because it just makes plain sense and exposes some of the myths about change at a personal level that we all know is a little suspect. It's a just do it book with some amusing and very practical advice on rapid change at a personal level that is the foundation for organisational change.

So why :59 Seconds? Because rather than spend hours and hours of intellectual discourse on the nature of behaviour and the theory of evolution, Richard just gets to it in 59 seconds of advice.

:59 seconds of advice #1.

Every Monday write down 3 things that you are grateful for.

Every Tuesday think of a terrific time in your life and write it down.

Every Wednesday spend some time picturing your perfect life.

Every Thursday write a note to anyone in your life who is important to you. (note you don't have to send it, just write it)

Every Friday review the situation and make a note of all the things that went well.

Yeah..I know, seen this a million times before in the self help books. Ever tried it? Well, get the book and read pages 7 through to 38 on happiness and there are some great stories on the scientific reasons for doing this.

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

Believe in Yourself!

"Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I shall have the belief that I can do it. I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it, even if I may not have it at the beginning."

Mahatma Gandhi -- 1869-1948, Indian Nationalist Leader

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

Re-invent

A few days ago Leandro Herrero gave a presentation to 250 people at a pharmaceutical industry event. The presentation was titled 'Re-invent'. The key message was that most of the functions inside corporations are not needed, but their functionalities are! Here are some interesting comments on change that Dr Herrero presented.

* Insanity is to do the same old thing the same way and expect different results.

* We need to stop admiring our problems.

* Best practice and management toolkits as we know them are out of date.

* For example we are taught that the management of change leads us to a stable destination...the language of closure. However, real change creates permanent instability, a beta state, a concept of being unfinished.

* We need to move from Team-Work to Net-Work; from Analytical Skills to Synthesis Skills; and from Best Practices to Disruption.

* "The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get the old ones out"...Dee Hock.

* There is no change if there is no behavioural change.

* Change behaviours get culture.

* A small number of people in the organisation have the power and influence to make a big impact.

 http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

Beyond Resistance

The most successful changes in organisations have one important thing in common - the people who have a stake in the outcome see the need to change. Research by Rick Maurer also found that as people's understanding of a need for a change went down, the failure rate went up. This is also backed up by the Prosci bi-annual benchmarking report. Making a compelling case of change is essential - and it tends to be the most neglected stage in the life of a change. 

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

Stakeholder Management and Planning - Project Management Tools from MindTools.com

Stakeholder Management and Planning - Project Management Tools from MindTools.com
"Stakeholder management is critical to the success of every project in every organization I have ever worked with. By engaging the right people in the right way in your project, you can make a big difference to its success... and to your career."

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

You have limitless potential

You have limitless potential. Now use it. Just as Tai Chi has been used for centuries to balance body and mind, Mind Chi will help you increase your mental energy and be more effective in everything you do. And all you need is 8 minutes a day!

Mind Chi is a powerful synthesis of thought and action based on the most recent research by Richard Israel and Vanda North, into how the brain works. By following the simple, daily exercises, you will raise your mental performance to a level you never thought possible. This is a powerful personal change tool.

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

Time is limited...

"Time is limited, so I better wake up every morning fresh and know that I have just one chance to live this particular day right, and to string my days together into a life of action, and purpose." 

Lance Armstrong, 7-Time Winner of the Tour de France

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

HOT NEWS

Wearable technology and websites are now being used by some companies to target employee fitness and contain health care costs.

Do something positive

It is better to light a candle than it is to curse the darkness.
US President John F Kennedy, 1960.

Future Leaders

In his book "New Leaders Wanted" the subtitle "Now Hiring! 12 kinds of people you must find, seduce, hire and create a job for" Dr Leandro Herrero explains exactly what the message of the book is. In essence corporations are changing, their business is changing and their people need to change...and yet time after time these same companies employ people that express the same tired skills and behaviours that perpetuate the status quo. He asks us to consider job advertisements over the last 10 years and to observe any significant changes in what companies are asking for. There are very few. This book serves to provoke our thinking about the people we should be hiring and you can get a free copy courtesy of The Chalfont Project. All they ask is that you forward this offer on to your friends and colleagues, business or personal, who you feel may also like to have the chance to read this thought-provoking book for free. Simply follow the link:

http://www.thechalfontproject.com/ebooks/new-leaders

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

HOT NEWS

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has written a rare open letter on Apple's website outlining six reasons why the Adobe Systems' Flash video software should not be used for mobile devices.

The bitter end of experience

Sometimes we are challenged or criticized by people who may be peers or are in a position of some authority by the nature of the role they play in our projects and / or corporate life. Situations may arise when we feel unable to respond in order to keep the peace...that things have been taken out of perspective or you have been unfairly treated, scrutinised...feeling a victim of the process. Whatever the case..you feel that you cannot truly say what you feel. You just put up with it. But you are not happy. You feel helpless!

Well...that may be the case, but not all is lost. First of all take a step back and understand that the situation that you face is not necessarily personal. The way we are treated is often down to the way other people treat all people. Not justification..but fact. Its not personal. I remember on one Executive Coaching engagement a client telling me of his bad experience with the Human Resources department and how they failed miserably to acknowledge his internal application for a job. HR didn't advise him that interviews were taking place and did not keep him informed when the successful applicant was appointed to the job. He felt betrayed and helpless. He felt that any complaint he made to HR would be seen as negative and could spoil his chances in any future applications. 


This is a lesson. The lesson is to ensure that your bad experience is remembered when you are dealing with other people. Remember how critical you were of your treatment and make change work for you by endeavouring to treat your people better! 

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

HOT NEWS

Ready or not, 3D TV is here. Sets from Samsung and Panasonic (PC) are already arriving in U.S. stores, and Sony (SNE), LG, Vizio, and others will join the fray in coming months.

the Change Samurai devote their heart firmly to the way of change

Although it is nothing unusual to say that change samurai must devote themselves to the way of change, it would seem that some people struggle with change. The reason why I say this is that if I ask "What is the fundamental meaning of the way of change?", very few people can answer immediately. This is because they have not formed a clear change conviction in their hearts over a long period of time. From this one can see that they have not firmly committed their hearts to the way of change. There is no greater negligence than this.
http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

HOT NEWS

Microsoft, Nokia, and Motorola are among the companies releasing a new batch of devices that make it easier for users to post comments, photos, and tweets.

RAPID-Change!

Often when talking to a client sponsor they will say that they want change and they want it quickly. Time is money and the faster the implementation the sooner the benefit is achieved. The client could even suggest that the change should be quick in any case if the consulting team are working efficiently.

This may well be true, but there is also a need in some instances for focused  RAPID-Change. This model follows the disciplines and theories of the full change framework, but cuts to the heart of the matter to create a fast path implementation. Projects that will benefit from this rapid approach include:

• In progress projects that have lost direction and /or time
• Projects that are required in a limited timescale with fixed deadlines or urgent situations
• Projects that require energizing
• Projects undergoing crisis or costs issues etc
• Or simply projects that thought that they could get away without change management and half way through realise their mistake!

RAPID-Change! in short

Rise to the challenge.

Accelerate engagement channels.

Promote realistic expectations.

Implement through focused objectives.

Do it - create strategies to make it happen. Focus on the solution not the problem!

In addition follow this manifesto for RAPID-Change! It is the Freiberg BOOM! for blowing the doors off business-as-usual.

1. Be a player...become involved.
2. Be accountable...become part of something.
3. Choose to serve...share the gifts you have.
4. Focus forward...be part of the solution.
5. Build reputation...make your work your signature.
6. Get it done...turn problems into opportunities.
7. Risk more...maximise your capabilities.

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

HOT NEWS

Once among the world's most popular and fastest-growing social networks, Bebo atrophied under AOL's ownership and could be sold or closed within months

Take people along on the change journey

The October 2009 cover story in MIS magazine profiled Peter Mahler, 'The Architect' of a massive technology overhaul at Coles. In fact his experiences have been turned into a textbook case study by three experts from the University of Melbourne and the London School of Economics. They have written a research paper indicating that the project offers a host of lessons and ideas for other CIO's leading similar transformations. It is a long story that included the transition of divisional IT staff into a centralised function. Although the overall programme was deemed successful, when Wesfarmers took over they instituted a reversal of IT to a more federated structure. Of more interest from a change perspective is that the replenisment system upgrade led to gaps on the shelves at some stores.
The reason being that there were not sufficient staff with the capability of using the new system and Mahler admits that not enough users were brought along on the journey. Desire and Ability are key components of the ADKAR model which is part of the Prosci framework for change and this case study proves yet again that people are the key to maximising project success.
http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/


HOT NEWS
Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the company sold more than 450,000 iPads in less than a week .

Organisational Design Quick Tip!

Part of the change managers portfolio can be the organisational redesign of departments as a result of the new processes and systems being introduced. This can be a huge undertaking although the return on investment in doing this right can be significant for large corporations. But what if you need to prove a headcount reduction as part of the benefits the project is delivering and you are working on a smaller project and the budget doesn't stretch to detailed mapping of current and then new processes in order to identify such attributes as volumes, time to complete and costs for each activity. 

Well here is a quick method to validate your FTE (Full Time Equivalent) reduction. Just remember this is a method for indicative value only.

Simply produce a resource matrix with each employee (or role)  in the left hand column.
1. In the right hand columns (Maximum of 5) enter what core activities each person currently performs? Use the 80/20 rule. The 20% of activity that produces 80% of the outputs.
2. Record how long each activity takes to complete? This can be expressed as a percentage of the total work hours in the day. Say David spends 2 hours of every 8 hour work day (10 hours of a 40 hour week) entering data into a system then this takes 25% of his time each day / week.
3. Cross through what will be eliminated as a result of the new system?
4. What will be reduced and record by how much?
5. What new additional activities may be required?
6. Redraw the matrix less the eliminated and reduced tasks plus the new.
7. This will provide a high level view of what FTE is required and the basis for redesigning the department. Align this with the original matrix and the difference will be the gross saving...or benefit / FTE reduction.

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

HOT NEWS

Apple Inc. is readying a new version of its iPhone software that analysts predict will add support for multitasking and advertising, features that escalate its competition with Google Inc. for mobile users and developers.

Put your foot on the transformation pedal!

Okay.. you want change, you want transformation? Well take your foot off these change brakes, put it on the accelerator and push down hard! Robert Miles who is President of Corporate Transformation Resources based in Charlottesville, Virginia has identified six mistakes that can slow down and ultimately derail an attempt to change. 
Brake #1 Cautious Management Culture
Ensure all executives confront reality and agree on ground rules for working together.
Brake #2 Business As Usual Processes
Don't let business as usual operations get in the way of new processes.
Brake #3 Initiate Gridlock
In other words manage the portfolio of work that funnels into the programme management office.
Brake #4 Recalcitrant executives
Don't let fear be the reason executives undermine the change effort.
Brake #5 Disengaged employees
Positive sponsorship creates a positive message that should / must cascade down through and across the organisation.
Brake #6 Loss of focus
Maintain Awareness, create Desire. Don't move to the flavour of the month. Reinforce the need to change. Don't let excitement wear off!
If team members feel they don't have quite enough time, you probably have the pacing about right.

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

HOT NEWS
After three years and almost $3 billion, Meydan Racecourse is the new home of the Dubai World Cup.

Are we learning from the past?

In Vol 8 No1, of the Journal of Management Research, Franco Gandolfi explores the lessons that we can learn, if indeed we do learn, from downsizing. In many ways this research is a bit like those obscure results that some even more obscure scientist discovers. Millions of dollars are spent trying to find out why dogs bark and with great applause from their peers the obscure scientist announces its because they are dogs! I guess the point here is that we know that downsizing doesn't always provide the desired results and that the organisational success that was visioned can turn into "profound negative consequences for all constituencies". I didn't really need Franco to spend his time and money on research to confirm that for me. 

The reason being...and this is why I doubt we do learn...is that over 15 years ago the phrase 'Corporate Anorexia' was used to define the strategy (well lets call it a strategy!) of throwing away the baby with the bath water when companies in the mid nineties were retrenching executive after executive and all of their corporate knowledge went with them.

Of course his was just prior to the next fad which was Knowledge Management! Funny.

Anyway lets give Franco a platform. He suggests four main lessons can be taken from this often ill advised corporate re organisation:

1. Prepare well (oh really?)

2. Provide assistance to survivors (sounds like the aftermath of a Tsunami)

3. Have a longer term plan to manage dysfunctional behaviours (what sort of nut house corporations has he worked in?)

4. Count your costs because downsizing can generate costs which are underestimated. (Clever lad this Franco!)

So there you go. Don't say you haven't been warned!

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

HOT NEWS

Larry Ellison took home more pay than any other U.S. CEO in 2009.

Change-Ability

Knowing that we need to change is one thing, how to do it is another. For some people change is simply a choice of "Yesterday I reacted to everything...from today I will respond professionally"..its that simple..a choice. Yet for others it is a long, long climb to the top of the change hill where the barrier points of change confront us at every level.

Charles Darwin who was born 200 years ago new much about change when he said "It's not the strongest of the species who survive, not the most intelligent, but those who are the most adaptive to change".

Marty Wilson is an author and speaker and he talks about three facts of change that are worthy of note.

1. Life is change. Take a look in the mirror. Consider your first day at school, at work, living with someone, children, mortgages, responsibility, failures, successes and it goes on. Please don't tell me you are not adaptable. The issue is in your choice. Not your ability to change, but the poor choice not to change, when change is the right thing to do.

2. When you chose not to change, you lose the future. I like this one. People get all emotional about not wanting to let go. They want to hold on to what is safe, comfortable...the past. Yet they have no idea how great their future could be and so they lose their future.

3. You can't put change in your diary. There is no right time for change. There will always be barrier points and reasons not to change as life throws stuff at us and the black dog in our heads barks at us not to change because it will be dangerous. Just suck it up and do it.

The Philosopher, Wittgenstein said that "The limits of one's language are the limits of one's world".

http://thechangesamurai.blogspot.com/

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Come with the Change

When Chris Howard (International Speaker and Coach) was in South Africa teaching his 'Breakthrough to Success' at CIDA University, he came across a young girl from a remote village who had to overcome a number of difficulties in order to support her whole family. She told Chris "I realised that if I wanted my future to be different, I had to come with the change"!

Something inside this girl matured her thinking beyond her years to trigger the realisation that if her World was going to be better it had to be different and that meant she had to start thinking differently about her situation. The change had to come from within, from her heart and mind.

You don't need to be an underprivileged girl living in South Africa to experience this epiphany or indeed think that you are any different in your thinking process when it comes to embracing change.

Every organisation from the local shop to the global asset rich company will take the change journey through its people. How those people change, one person at a time, will determine the overall success and culture that the organisation desires. The people are the organisation.

The young girl is now a young woman, a graduate of the Branson Business School and working in the financial sector. As would be expected she now contributes to her community in many ways.

If you want to change, start with your Self....come with the change!