I need an assignment done for week 2 JWI 556: Leading Change by Putting People First Assignment 1
Assignment 1: Self-Assessment, Leading Individual Change Due: Sunday, Midnight of Week 2 (15% of total course grade) Background Our course is organized around three core themes: (1) leading change in oneself, (2) leading change in teams, and (3) leading change in enterprise situations. Each of these will have an assignment that provides you with an opportunity to apply what you have been learning. This first assignment will help you assess and accelerate your own change journey. It may shed light on how you can get “unstuck” in your career. Even if you’re not feeling stuck, it will help you better understand the forces that may have held you back, and the forces that have propelled you forward. The exercises you will complete in this assignment will also serve as a frame of reference that will support your work in the upcoming assignments. By understanding the forces that impact your own change initiatives, you will be better equipped to coach and support others who are asked to embark on change journeys, and to lead change by truly putting people first. Instructions Complete a professional change journey analysis that addresses the following: (1) Your Professional Change/Growth Identify an area of professional change that is meaningful for you. This change should be related to your career in HR or your aspirations to begin a career in HR, and should be focused on your growth as a leader and manager. It’s fine to connect this to getting promoted and making more money, but assume these are the natural outcomes of a positive and fulfilling change, and not an end in themselves. a. Briefly summarize your career path to date. b. How would you characterize this journey? Has your progression been steady and predictable? Have you risen through the ranks faster than you expected? Have you experienced a career setback? Do you feel stuck or stalled where you are? c. What do you want to happen in your career? What makes this future state – your change vision – appealing? Again, don’t default to a “more money, better title” response. Explain how your vision aligns with your passions and your aptitudes. Tip: Take note of Jack’s video in Week 2 discussing how to find your “Area of Destiny.” d. What is needed to make this change happen? Focus on the steps you will take and the outcomes they will lead to. Some of these may involve helping others see how great you are, but concentrate on what you need to change, not what others need to change. Include timelines (even if they’re rough estimates) to provide additional context. Tip: Consider the 6 Action Steps presented in Chapter 12 of The Real Life MBA. e. Finally, what happens if the change doesn’t occur, or if it doesn’t occur within the timeframe you’d prefer?
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Use these 2 templates in your assignment:
- Applying Kotter’s Model to Individual Change
- Diagnostic Test for Immunity to Change
Leading Change in HR and in Teams
Over the next three weeks, we will focus on leading change in teams. While the principles of change management applied to teams are fundamentally the same as those that apply to organizational change, it is helpful to look at team-level change first both to help apply what you have been learning in your other courses and as a proving ground before moving on to the big stuff.
3. Setting the Stage for Change
4. What’s In It For Me?
5. Making It Stick
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 1 of 8
JWI 556
Leading Change by Putting People First
Week Two Lecture Notes
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 2 of 8
FIRST, CHANGE YOURSELF
What It Means
Changing oneself first is not about making any particular change before you ask others to join you in a
larger change process. It’s more about understanding the forces that influence all of us when it comes to
change – those that hold us back and those that propel us forward. While you must not assume the way
you react to change will be the same as others, understanding the patterns, trends, and tendencies that
influence all of us will make you a better change leader.
Why It Matters
The forces that support or impede the success of change initiatives are largely human forces.
The more insight you have into these psychological factors, the more you can direct your efforts
in the right way, and avoid the mistake of thinking you are just changing “the system” and not also
changing people.
The more insight you have into your own change style tendencies, the better you will be able to
coach and support others going through change.
It will help you better identify how to lead positive change in HR departments and keep people
first when leading all change initiatives.
“I increasingly see gutsy HR men and
women helping provide the leadership
needed to change the systems to fit a
new vision.”
John Kotter
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 3 of 8
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT IMPEDE CHANGE
We continue this week with the themes that were introduced in Week 1. Along with our exploration of the
challenge of change and Kotter’s approach to leading it, we are introduced to psychological factors that
influence our willingness and ability to change. We continue our ‘look in the mirror’ to gain insight into our
own tendencies toward change and why we feel the way we do.
To restate the central premise of our course, change is a human undertaking. Yes, we talk about
changing systems and processes and products. But the real barriers in driving change aren’t typically
forces of economics, nature, or technology – it’s the people. If you look back at what you read about
Kotter’s model last week, you will see that the eight steps are all about the human forces that drive or
impede change.
We’ve noted already that resistance to change is expected. It disrupts the norm and brings fear of the
unknown. Plus, it’s just plain hard. However, there’s more to it than that. In their article, “The Real Reason
People Won’t Change” (2001), Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey explain that resistance to change is a lot
more complex.
“Resistance to change does not reflect opposition, nor is it merely a result of inertia.
Instead, even as they hold a sincere commitment to change, many people are unwittingly
applying productive energy toward a hidden competing commitment. The resulting
dynamic equilibrium stalls the effort in what looks like resistance but is in fact a kind of
personal immunity to change.
When you, as a manager, uncover an employee’s competing commitment, behavior that
has seemed irrational and ineffective suddenly becomes stunningly sensible and
masterful – but unfortunately, on behalf of a goal that conflicts with what you and even
the employee are trying to achieve.”
Kegan & Lahey, 2001
Understanding this tension not only sheds additional critical light on what it means to lead change by
putting people first. It also focuses the responsibility of the team leader on how to support others who
want to make the change, but are held prisoner by powerful forces they may not fully understand.
“As a manager, you must guide people through this exercise with understanding and
sensitivity…in a sense, all managers are psychologists. After all, helping people
overcome their limitations to become more successful at work is at the very heart of
effective management.”
Kegan & Lahey, 2001
Kegan and Lahey introduce a three-step model that managers can use to help uncover and address
these barriers to change. While we won’t go over the details of this process in these lecture notes, we will
take a glance at the general structure and key questions.
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 4 of 8
1. Managers guide employees through a set of questions designed to uncover competing
commitments
1) What would you like to see changed at work, so that you could be more effective, or so
that work would be more satisfying?
2) What commitment does your complaint imply?
3) What are you doing, or not doing, that is keeping your commitment from being more fully
realized?
4) If you imagine doing the opposite of the undermining behavior, do you detect in yourself
any discomfort, worry, or vague fear?
5) By engaging in this undermining behavior, what worrisome outcome are you committed
to preventing?
2. Employees examine these commitments to determine the underlying assumptions
1) Notice and record current behavior
2) Look for contrary evidence
3) Explore the history
4) Test the assumptions
5) Evaluate the results
3. Employees can then start the process of changing their behavior
The questions and process Kegan & Lahey present provide important guidance to bear in mind if we are
to lead change by putting people first. They provide critical insights into the psychology of change that
must be addressed if we strive to be holistic in our approach to change. Further, these tools are not just
valuable in leading your team through change, but in gaining a deeper understanding of your own
tendencies – something which is the focus of our first assignment in the course.
As Kegan & Lahey remind us,
“As you go through this process with your employees, remember that managers are
every bit as susceptible to change immunity as employees are, and your competing
commitments and big assumptions can have a significant impact on the people around
you…It’s not about identifying unproductive behavior and systematically making plans to
correct it, as if treating symptoms would cure a disease. It’s not about coaxing or cajoling
or even giving poor performance reviews. It’s about understanding the complexities of
people’s behavior, guiding them through a productive process to bring their competing
commitments to the surface, and helping them cope with the inner conflict that is
preventing them from achieving their goals.”
Kegan & Lahey, 2001
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 5 of 8
YOUR OWN PERSONAL CHANGE STYLE TENDENCIES
How do you react when you are asked to change?
Okay, that’s probably not a fair question. Or more accurately, not a very well-defined question. The
reason, of course, is that we don’t have just one standard set of reactions that apply equally to all different
sorts of changes. And if you don’t react the same way to all types of change initiatives, you can’t expect
that others will be any different in how they react.
We may want to tell ourselves a little white lie that it’s always somebody else who resists change – it’s
never us. But the evidence just doesn’t support that. Jack observes,
“Everyone in business claims they like change; to say otherwise would be career suicide. In fact,
it’s quite common to see someone describe himself as a ‘change agent’ right on his resume.
That’s ridiculous.
By my estimate, real change agents comprise less than 10 percent of all businesspeople. These
are the true believers who champion change, know how to make it happen, and love every
second of the process.”
Winning, p. 139
To support our pursuit of developing a better understanding of change, we will leverage the Change Style
Indicator ®. This self-assessment tool will help you uncover your own tendencies toward change. This
knowledge can be used to help you leverage the forces that propel you forward. It can also help you gain
insights into how your attitudes toward change may be similar to, and different from, those of other
members of your team.
If you’re going to build a strong team that can drive meaningful change in HR, you have to honestly
assess the way your team members feel about change. Only with the right people, and the right support,
can you make it happen. As Jack says,
“To make change happen, companies must actively hire and promote only true believers
and get-on-with-its. But with everyone claiming to like change, how can you tell who is for
real?
Luckily, change agents usually make themselves known. They’re typically brash, high-
energy, and more than a little bit paranoid about the future. Very often they invent change
initiatives on their own or ask to lead them. Invariably, they are curious and forward-
looking. They ask a lot of questions that start with the phrase, “Why don’t we…?”
These people have courage – a certain fearlessness about the unknown. Something in
them makes it OK to operate without a safety net. If they fail, they know they can pick
themselves up, dust themselves off, and move on. They’re thick-skinned about risk,
which allows them to make bold decisions without a lot of data.”
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 6 of 8
Winning, p. 139
Following on Jack’s guidance, you are encouraged to review the article from Week 1 by Aiken and Keller
published in the McKinsey Quarterly (2003). It presents some great ideas that will help you keep people
first as you implement change.
While their overall approach supports Kotter and acknowledges the success of his model, it does not
present a step-by-step process. Rather, it looks at change as a four-part framework: (A) Compelling
Story, (B) Role Modeling, (C) Reinforcing Mechanisms, and (D) Capability Building.
The main focus of the article is the differences which we all naturally have when it comes to what
motivates us and how we receive change messages. This guidance adds support to Kotter’s model and
helps ensure that our adherence to his model does not shortchange the complexities of human
interactions. It reminds us that lots of different types of people are going to be impacted by the changes
we lead, and the better we understand their differences, the more effective we are as leaders.
Again, while we won’t present the details here, we will recap the main points in Aiken and Keller’s
approach:
A. Creating a Compelling Story
What motivates you doesn’t motivate most of your employees
You’re better off letting them write their own story
It takes a story with both positives and negatives to create real energy
B. Role Modeling
Leaders mistakenly believe that they already “are the change”
“Influence leaders” aren’t panaceas for making change happen
C. Reinforcing Mechanisms
Money is the most expensive way to motivate people
The process and outcome have got to be fair
D. Capability Building
Employees are what they think, feel, and believe in
Good intentions aren’t enough
Aiken & Keller, 2003
As you reflect on your own change style tendencies, and how they will impact the way you lead others
through change initiatives, consider Patty McCord’s guidance.
“Build the ideal team by starting with the vision down the road. Identify the problem you
want to solve, the time frame you want to solve it, the kinds of people who will be
successful at that, and what they need to know how to do, then ask yourself, What do we
need to do to be ready and able, and whom do we need to bring in?”
Powerful, p. 78
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 7 of 8
A CHANGE PLAN FOR HR AND FOR YOUR CAREER
“Imagine your life as two superhighways. One courses with the stuff you’re very good at,
the other with the stuff you really love to do. Now, imagine those superhighways
intersecting. Right there – at the overlap of your capabilities and your happiness – lies the
site where ideally you should build your career.”
Real-Life MBA, p. 180
This guidance comes from Jack and Suzy on finding your Area of Destiny (AOD). If you can identify it,
AND if you can put in place the changes needed to get there, you will have found your calling and be on
your way to career bliss.
You have been encouraged throughout your MBA program, and especially in your HR concentration
courses, to develop the skills you need to deliver in your current role. You have also been encouraged to
ask questions about what more you can do personally, and what you can do to transform HR into a key
strategic driver of your organization’s success.
You’ve been introduced to tons of great ideas in JWI 521: Recruit, Develop, Assess, Reward, Retain and
JWI 522: Strategic Partnering with the C-Suite. Hopefully, these have inspired you and gotten the creating
juices flowing. We have provided a refresher on some of these ideas in the “Change Initiatives in HR
Leadership and Talent Development” document in your course readings this week. It presents key
themes from authors you have encountered before, including Ram Charan, Bill Conaty, Patty McCord, Bill
Lazlo, and, of course, Jack. It will be a required component in your group project, so make sure you
spend some time with it. Go back and re-read key parts of the source texts from which the quotations
were taken.
If you’re feeling inspired to do more, but feeling stuck where you are, then it’s time for a change. As we
draw this week’s lecture notes to a close, you are encouraged to review Jack and Suzy’s action steps for
getting unstuck for inspiration.
1. Overdeliver
2. Volunteer for Hard Duty
3. Acquire Followers the Hard Way
4. Make Sure You’re Tech-Current
5. Get Real About Mentors
6. Love Everyone
The Real Life MBA, pp. 201-212
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JWI 556 (1196) Page 8 of 8
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS WEEK’S CLASS
As you read the materials and participate in class activities, stay focused on the key learning outcomes
for the week:
Examine the psychological factors that impede change
Don’t allow the tools you are exploring to be merely academic exercises that are
interesting, but have no application in the real word. Use what you are learning to build a
deeper understanding of others and how they may be influenced by psychological factors
that work against change. Leverage the models to become a better coach for your team at
work. When you are working with a team member who is struggling to make a needed
change, help them uncover competing commitments and hidden assumptions that may be
impeding change. If, at first, you feel uncomfortable doing this in the workplace, try out the
process with a trusted friend or a family member.
Identify and evaluate your own personal change style tendencies
Take the results you get from the Change Style Indicator ® and review them against real
changes that you have actively pursued in your life. Which ones were successful and which
were not? Share your assessment results with a trusted friend or colleague for validation. Are
there any patterns they see that you may have missed? If you know people who have been able
to overcome resistance to make important changes, what common change style tendencies do
you see in them? If you can’t identify these from observation, see if they are open to talking
about the change and how they managed it.
Develop a change plan for HR and for your career
Commit the time and energy needed to develop a vision for where you want to be in your career
in the next one to three years. What is your Area of Destiny – that intersection where what you
are really good at and what you love doing come together? If you are feeling stuck, understand
that we all run into roadblocks in our professional lives that we struggle to get past. What are the
change tools you can leverage to move ahead and work through the competing forces that hold
you back?
How well does your Area of Destiny align with your vision for leading change in HR? Write down
what the role HR professional should be in your organization. What will it take to get it there? If
you could get your HR team to function in a way that fulfills your vision, how would that help you
realize your Area of Destiny?
JWI 556: Lead Change by Putting People First Assignment 1, Template #1 |
A Diagnostic Test for Immunity to Change
Use the following template to help you uncover and address the competing commitments and big assumptions that may be creating an immunity to change in your professional life. Integrate the notes you make here and the guidance from “The Real Reason People Won’t Change” by Kegan and Lahey into item #2 of Assignment 1: Leading Individual Change.
Stated Commitment
I am committed to…
What am I doing, or not doing, that is keeping my stated commitment from being fully realized?
Competing Commitments
Big Assumptions
JWI 556: Lead Change by Putting People First Assignment 1, Template #1 |
A Diagnostic Test for Immunity to Change
Use the following template to help you uncover and address the competing commitments and big assumptions that may be creating an immunity to change in your professional life. Integrate the notes you make here and the guidance from “The Real Reason People Won’t Change” by Kegan and Lahey into item #2 of Assignment 1: Leading Individual Change.
Stated Commitment
I am committed to…
What am I doing, or not doing, that is keeping my stated commitment from being fully realized?
Competing Commitments
Big Assumptions
JWI 556: Lead Change by Putting People First Assignment 1, Template #2 |
Applying Kotter’s Model to Individual Change
While Kotter’s change model is a framework designed to support large-scale change initiatives in organizations, it is built around understanding and managing the very human forces that undermine successfully implementing and sustain change. Use the template below to collect and organize your thoughts on how these principles might apply to individual/personal change initiatives.
Kotter’s 8 Errors
Parallel in Individual Change
1. Allowing Too Much Complacency
2. Failing to Create a Sufficiently Powerful Guiding Coalition
3. Underestimating the Power of Vision
4. Undercommunicating the Vision by a Factor of 10 (or 100 or Even 1000)
5. Permitting Obstacles to Block the New Vision
6. Failing to Create Short-Term Wins
7. Declaring Victory Too Soon
8. Neglecting to Anchor Changes Firmly in the Corporate Culture