138 / LEADING THROUGH CHALLENGES
Enabling change
Balancing priorities
A key leadership skill is keeping a
good balance between short-term
improvement and long-term innovation.
If you are continuously improving at
the margins while neglecting strategic
innovation, it will lead to organizational
myopia and the risk of missing out on
the next big trend. Conversely, constant
innovation at the core can become
counterproductive because people will
eventually feel worn out and unwilling to
take on yet another new initiative.
Maintaining stability
The leader seeks to progress with both
short- and long-term change while
maintaining equilibrium. This can be a
challenge: while most people will quickly
accommodate small steps that visibly
improve the way things are done, bold
strategic innovation requires the leader
to inspire people, sometimes for many
years, before seeing a return. Before
implementing change, discuss its
implications with multiple small groups
of stakeholders. People should feel
free to ask questions and express their
concerns. Help people to see what will
remain the same—these things can
provide an anchor of stability for those
who dislike change.
Opportunities for innovation exist at every level of an organization, and
leaders must continuously plan change to move forward and stay ahead
of competitors. Processes, systems, skills, and competencies can
always be improved, or the whole business can be moved in an entirely
new direction. Leading change requires a sense of balance between
priorities and keen awareness of responses among all stakeholders.
How to recognize the stages
of adaptation to change
Expectation: anticipation
and excitement
Standstill: numbness,
disorientation, denial
Lack of energy: missing
“the old days”
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ENABLING CHANGE / 139
Adjusting to plans
As leader, you need to use both logic and
emotion when explaining your plans. Be
persistent and emphasize to everyone
the benefits to come when the changes
have been made.
People take different lengths of time
to adjust to change and you should
prepare for the long haul: typically, the
adjustment process falls into distinct
phases, which are characterized by
different sets of behaviors. Be aware
that people who adopt change quickly can
show impatience with the slowest; this
can lead to conflict within the team, which
you may be called upon to help resolve.
Reacting to change
People react differently to change. At
one extreme are the innovators who
may be so eager to walk toward a new
future that they do not realize that no
one has followed them. At the other
end are the stragglers, who join in only
when everyone else has moved on.
Traditionalists hang on to the past,
viewing change as a threat. Surprisingly,
they have one thing in common with
the innovators—they respond with
emotion to the impending change. The
remainder—the cautious majority—are
likely to weigh up the arguments put
across on the basis of reason.
EXPECT DISSENT
When you introduce
high-level change, expect
at least 50 percent of your
people to hate the idea.
Tip
Conflict in the team:
resistance, anger, squabbling
Incompetence: depression,
apathy, resentment
Low output: feelings of
loss, the need to let go,
detachment from others
Increasing energy: gradual
acceptance of the new reality
Problem solving: exploring
the new situation and ideas,
experimenting, hope
Increased effectiveness:
search for new purpose,
commitment to new situation
Productivity:
reengagement, commitment,
motivation
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