Enrolls Others in a New and Compelling Vision. If you are going to ask employees to go through the disruption and chaos of change, it is important to show them something enticing that may well justify their efforts. In cultures that are resistant to change, this may be difficult. While you show something new and better, you will also clearly need to articulate and identify pieces of the sacred past or traditions that will remain intact and be honored. To pursue something new and better is good so long as all the pieces of the familiar are not lost. As a vision is articulated, spelling out ways it will be helpful to the world, the company, or one's particular unit is central to having people eagerly participate. Speaking to the most central points of meaning for those involved in implementing the change is a good way to make the vision compelling and enlist people's spirit.

Inspires Commitment for the Work Ahead. Change journeys are long and there are untold obstacles along the way. When energy and commitment become low, which they inevitably do, the change agent who can inspire commitment will refuel the sagging spirits of employees who wonder whether all the effort is worth it. Keeping people focused on the end point and tying employees' emotional energy and drive to a goal is essential to getting through the low points. This is probably most easily done in Family cultures that rely on inspiration or Incubator cultures where change is rapid and constant.

Makes a Clear Case for Change with Equally Clear Benefits for All. The change agent who can speak the language of all the stakeholders involved will gain an edge in being successful. This means really understanding what is at stake, in both potential gains and losses, for every part of the organization involved in the change. Being able to use the values, images, metaphors, and symbols that speak differently but in equally relevant ways to people on the shop floor and executives at strategic levels, or in different locations with different attitudes and degrees of openness and receptivity to change, is a critical skill that can make or break the success of a change initiative. While benefits for change can be presented in all four of the Trompenaars models, the one that most naturally fits this idea is the Guided Missile culture.

Understands Sources of Employee Fear and Resistance. Human beings as a species like homeostasis. Biologically, we are not creatures who seek out disruption and discontinuity. Change, at both a conscious and subconscious level, leaves us always looking at the gain and loss continuum. The potential losses can create paralysis. For example, any employee involved in creating change that streamlines functions wonders, "If we redo our systems and create more efficiency, will I still have a job?" "If we move all of our operations in this unit to Puerto Rico because it is cheaper for the company but I live in New Jersey, will I have to move or lose my job?" A good change agent is sensitive to these fears and anticipates the resistance. The Eiffel Tower culture would make the change regardless of people's reaction and not worry so much about the New Jersey employee, nor would the methodical Guided Missile culture. In different ways, the Family culture and the Incubator culture would at least notice and care about replacement and displacement possibilities. There's a good chance that answers to the human dilemma would be found, or at least investigated.

Behaves Empathetically to Allay Those Fears. It is one thing for a change agent to understand the source of the fears. It is a whole different thing to actually behave to allay the fears. Empathy, the ability to understand, articulate, and acknowledge another person's reality, is a critical skill in any culture. It enables people to bond and build relationships across a lot of different realities. The case of a woman who headed an HR function in a global organization stands out. While she was not a formal change agent, she had responsibility for carrying out the downsizing function. Her job was to let employees know they were laid off. When we asked how tough a job that was, her response was memorable. She acknowledged the emotional challenges she faced giving people the dispiriting news. What made her feel better were the countless notes she received from employees who thanked her for her empathy and understanding in having to carry out a very tough job. Good change agents, internal and external, do not lose sight of the human response to very human needs.

Can See the View Equally from the Top Floor or the Basement. The ability to see reality from different vantage points demonstrates objectivity and makes empathy and cross-fertilization possible. The Japanese parable of Rashomon is the story of three different versions of the same reality. All three stories are true, depending on each seer's vantage point. A successful change agent is able to access the different views and help bridge the differences that exist due to level in the organization, function, and responsibility. Making all these different realities important in the decision-making process is essential to making good decisions and to having people feel that their views and desires are reflected in the change process. The objectivity of the Eiffel Tower and Guided Missile cultures makes these two corporate cultures quite able to do this. The lack of hierarchy in the Incubator culture makes levels less important.

Cultivates Key Relationships and Networks at All Levels of the Organization. Who you know can always make a difference. Good relationships influence outcomes at both a personal and a strategic level. There is no substitute for good will, respectful relationships, high trust, and bonding. If people are reluctant to embrace a particular change that is going to be implemented in hierarchical organizations, a powerful leader or manager can make a difference. Particularly in Family cultures, the relationship makes the critical difference. In flatter organizations, often the key difference between being willing to invest in a change effort or giving up is the relationship people have with the person advocating change. This is not uncommon in Incubator cultures. People on the same wave length listen to one another and can be influenced by each other. While personal relationships are less relevant in Eiffel Tower and Guided Missile cultures, they nevertheless do matter because relationships influence results and results matter. There is no place in the world where having good relationships is not helpful. They are always a competitive advantage. A strategic thinker in the Guided Missile culture knows this.

Demonstrates Courage in Telling the Truth Even If the News Is Bad. Having the courage to be real and honest with people about organizational realities is central to creating long-term, trusting relationships. One need only look at organizations like Enron or Tyco International to see the damage that a lack of honesty and transparency creates. In relationship-driven cultures, coming through on commitments and having words and deeds match cements bonds. Even in the Eiffel Tower or Guided Missile cultures, where relationships are less central, trust and honesty count. Being courageous enough to tell the truth can sometimes create short-term pain, but the long-term gain is worth it. There will be different ways to give this feedback and share information, as was indicated in Chapters 4 and 8. Adapting methods of giving feedback to be culturally appropriate is important if one wants to be heard. Telling employees what they need to hear, not necessarily what they want to hear, demonstrates respect for an employee's ability to come through and is also a way of indicating that the employee is valued enough to hear the straight story. Not talking down to people or treating them as though they can't handle the truth is a way of having them rise to the highest expectations. This communication can be managed, albeit differently, everywhere.

Is Open to and Invites Alternative Ideas and Viewpoints. The idea of exploring many options and having a change agent or manager actually solicit these various points of view works best in an Incubator culture. It can work in a Family culture where there is new vision, but in a more limited way, because the person in authority rallies people to a particular viewpoint. An effective change agent or manager in an Eiffel Tower or Guided Missile culture focuses on outcomes and accomplishment. If new ideas produce better results and the task is accomplished in a satisfactory way, these new ideas and options will be welcome.

Anticipates the Consequences of Change and Is Proactive in Mitigating Negative Outcomes. Thinking ahead leads to accomplishing results that leave the organization better after the change than before the process started. The Sierra Leonean proverb "He who upsets a thing should know how to rearrange it" comes to mind. The impact of change should be a clear plus for the organization and as much as possible for the people who work there as well.

Sometimes the organization's goal to increase profits, for example, conflicts with a union's goal in some parts of the world to give substantial increases in salary and benefits to employees. If unions are paramount in Germany but nonexistent in South Carolina, any change that impacts both locales has to be thought out very carefully. While they have different interests at stake, to come to a mutually satisfying outcome it is necessary to anticipate the problem issues, work with the people in your network, call on all those relationships built over time, and work together to minimize the negatives. The strategic thinking of the Guided Missile culture meshes with this approach.

Is Politically Savvy. The most overtly political culture is the Family culture in Trompenaars' model. Relationships and history dominate the culture. Who knows whom, who affiliates with whom, who feels included, and who is excluded are all part of this strongly relational, very political organizational culture. In the Eiffel Tower and Guided Missile cultures, task, productivity, and project completion are primary, but people still influence these processes. Who has the necessary information, who shares it and who holds it close, who is picked for an exciting new project or held back on an old one—all can be highly political. A savvy manager or change agent will pay attention to all the unstated dynamics and watch the informal networks. Who is in favor, who is out of favor, and the difference this information makes to accomplishing the change takes an astute observer of interpersonal dynamics. It also helps to have internal employees who will share organizational history.

Uses Facilitation Skills Effectively. The ability to work skillfully with human dynamics, how people behave together in groups, is a subtle but very important skill. Successfully orchestrating these dynamics for task accomplishment is no small feat. Managing the interpersonal interactions through processes and agenda design is a useful skill for achieving desired outcomes in a pluralistic environment. The ability to structure processes that help people organize, gather, and disseminate information, give and receive feedback, solve problems, make decisions, and implement change while evaluating and monitoring the new structure is enhanced by a facilitator who can create interaction, run effective meetings, and maintain objectivity.

Facilitation involves not only breaking the change process down into steps, but also means detecting the unspoken thoughts or feelings that employees may be reluctant to surface. Good facilitation is an essential skill in creating a feeling of buy-in and harmony at the end of the process. While the personal reasons for paying attention to good facilitation will be less compelling in Guided Missile or Eiffel Tower cultures, effectively utilizing and leveraging the talents and skills of employees always adds value.

Manages Own Biases and Assumptions. Every human being has biases and makes assumptions. Some have an Eastern civilization view of the world, while others have a Western orientation. Some people may have a spiritual bent to life that is Buddhist, while others may favor a Christian spirituality. Some people may feel safe and comfortable with anyone who speaks their language, no matter where they are from, while others may make negative assumptions and feel frustrated by people who speak their language with an accent. These and many more cultural biases and preferences exist.

In addition to our biases, we make assumptions about people based on the meaning we assign to their behavior. The problem here is that we can be very wrong in our interpretations. The Dutch and the Swiss are very direct in communication style. If company headquarters are in the Netherlands and a senior manager from the Hague makes it to Brazil once a year, his directness could be difficult for Brazilians to bear. From that limited experience, Brazilian employees may make assumptions about the Dutch in general. The reliability of these assumptions is open to question based on such limited experience. A good change agent knows that his or her assumptions influence behavior and knows further that the best way to make certain they do not exert inappropriate influence is to be aware of and manage them.

Is Flexible and Adaptable. A change agent has to be willing to model the change he or she advocates while helping the group implement a change process. If a change agent is facilitating a well-designed session and unplanned issues boil up to the surface, the emerging and pressing issue takes precedence. The agenda has to be modified to suit the real issue. If a group is embarking on one path and receives new information that causes a change in direction or a rethinking of a problem definition, an effective change agent changes course. This new view will not pose a problem for an Incubator organization but could be more difficult for others, particularly one steeped in tradition.

A good change agent, in addition to being flexible, understands the culture of the organization. For example, when working with a global entity steeped in tradition, a change agent demonstrates adaptability by building on that tradition and acknowledges its strengths as he or she leads people through a process of finding areas where adaptation would be beneficial. Through language and metaphors, using examples, and designing agendas, change can be gracefully implemented. Being fluid is essential in global organizations.

Has Clear Expectations Around Accountability and Rewards. If one is managing change, at the outset, a good manager lets the team or task force know what their charge is, what the stakes are, and for what and by when they will be held accountable. The rewards and consequence will also be spelled out. Sometimes rewards are a celebratory dinner, comp time for people over the next six months, complimentary letters in a file, or compliments in the company newsletter or intranet. Many options are available. Rewards should be tailored to the people and location, not be one-size-fits-all.

The change agent needs enough clarity to help the group meet its expectations. He or she also needs enough knowledge about culture in general, the organization in particular, and the specifically involved individuals to suggest appropriate rewards. In Eiffel Tower and Guided Missile cultures, the change agent will need to be vigilant in acknowledging and rewarding well-met expectations in appropriate ways.