Becoming a Change Leader

PMI Mass Bay

Professional Development Day

May 5, 2012

Maya Townsend, Founder

Partnering Resources

Becoming a Change Leader (Yes, You!)What You Need to Lead Your Organization to Achieve its Change Goals

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Learning Objectives

• The one method that makes a change initiative 10 times more likely to succeed.

• The six ways of creating change in organizations.• How PMs can use the six way to help create

change. • How PMs can choose the best fit for their

projects.

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Maya Townsend

• Founder & lead consultant, Partnering Resources► We help organizations solve complex collaboration problems

• Former instructor in Boston University Corporate Education

Center’s PM Certificate Program ► Now: Leadership, strategy, collaboration, alignment and change

• Published author► CIO.Com, Chief Learning Officer, Mass High Tech, Talent

Management, and other magazines and journals

► Serves on the Editorial Review Board for OD Practitioner, the

premier organization development practitioner journal in the

United States

• Likes chocolate a lot

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Pace of Change is Increasing

81% of managers say the pace of change has

increased compared to the pace 5 years ago

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PMI Says: “PMs Make Change Happen”

Project managers are change agents

• They make project goals their own

• They inspire a sense of shared purpose within the project team

• They enjoy the organized adrenaline of new challenges

• They enjoy the responsibility of driving business results

Definition: PMI

But how?

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And Along With Change Comes…

More complexity

More uncertainty

More volatility

50% 55% 60% 65% 70%

60%

65%

69%

Data: IBM (2010) “Capitalizing on Complexity.”

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Moving Beyond…

Image: Unknown.

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Experiences with Change Leadership• Think of a change leader

you admire• Turn to the person sitting

next to you• Identify: What does the

change leader do (behaviors) that help people change?

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Using 4+ techniques leads to

10 times greater likelihood of successGrenny, Maxfield, & Shimberg, MIT Sloan Management Review, Fall 2008

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Ways to Create Change

Individual Social StructuralIndividual:

Increase staff

motivation and

ability to change

Social: Create

social networks and

relationships that

value and reward

change

Structural: Ensure

that the environment

supports change

Model adapted from Grenny, Maxfield, & Shimberg, MIT Sloan Management Review, Fall 2008.

ABILITY

MOTIVATION

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INFLUENCING CHANGE AT THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

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I-M: Link to Mission & Values

Model adapted from Grenny, Maxfield, & Shimberg, MIT Sloan Management Review, Fall 2008.

Link to Mission and

Values

For Individual Motivation

Help people link change to the mission and values

Techniques:Public testimonialsStorytellingFuture mapping

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I-A: Overinvest in Skill Building

For Individual Ability

Help people build skill over timeOverinvest in Skill-Building

Model adapted from Grenny, Maxfield, & Shimberg, MIT Sloan Management Review, Fall 2008.

Techniques:Periodic trainingImmediate feedback WebinarsSimulations

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INFLUENCING CHANGE AT THE SOCIAL LEVEL

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So-M: Use Peer Pressure

For Social Motivation

Create social momentum Use Peer Pressure

Model adapted from Grenny, Maxfield, & Shimberg, MIT Sloan Management Review, Fall 2008.

Techniques:Engage informal leadersTrain all informal leaders to model the new behaviorsInvolve the “squeaky wheels” earlyReinforce leadership commitment to change

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So-A: Create Social Support

For Social Ability

Make sure support is there when people need it

Create Social Support

Model adapted from Grenny, Maxfield, & Shimberg, MIT Sloan Management Review, Fall 2008.

Techniques:On-the-job coachingCreate special reinforcement for tough challengesCreate easy ways for people to get help

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Stronger Networks & Project Success

• 93% of successful change initiatives were led by people with very strong / strong personal networks

while• Only 27% of less successful change initiatives were led by people with

very strong / strong networks

Very Strong36%

Strong57%

Successful Projects

Strong27%

Less Successful Projects

Data: NEHRA / Partnering Resources study (2009).

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INFLUENCING CHANGE AT THE STRUCTURAL LEVEL

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St-M: Align Reward Systems

For Structural Motivation

Help match motivation to the message

Align Reward Systems

Model adapted from Grenny, Maxfield, & Shimberg, MIT Sloan Management Review, Fall 2008.

Techniques:Link formal rewards systems to the changeMake clear the consequences of not changingFind informal ways to recognize changeHold people accountable

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St-A: Change the Environment

For Structural Ability

Make the environment match the message

Change the Environment

Model adapted from Grenny, Maxfield, & Shimberg, MIT Sloan Management Review, Fall 2008.

Techniques:Change the workplace to remove obstaclesProvide software or other enabling toolsShare information and measures

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PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

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Putting It All Together

• Which techniques are you

most likely to use to

influence change at work?

• Which techniques might

you add to your toolkit?

• How does all this relate to

your current projects?

• What are your next steps?

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Where To Go From Here• Ackerman Anderson, L., Anderson, D., & Marquardt, M. (2003). Development, Transition, or

Transformation? OD Practitioner. • Bridges, W. (2003). Managing Transitions (2nd Ed.). Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books.• Gartner, “Planning and Managing Change in the IT Organization: Case Profile Study.” For

Gartner clients only.Grenny, J., Maxfield, D., & Shimberg, A. (2008). How to Have Influence. MIT Sloan Management Review. Ibarra, H. & Hunter, M. (2007). How Leaders Create and Use Networks. Harvard Business Review.

• Kotter, J. (2007). Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard Business Review. Spreier, S. W. Fontaine, M. H. & Malloy, R. L. (2006). Leadership Run Amok. Harvard Business Review.

• Townsend, M. (2007). Becoming a Change Leader. CIO.Com. Available at http://bit.ly/HIWqh. Townsend, M. (2009). Leveraging Human Networks to Accelerate Learning and Change. Chief Learning Officer. Available at http://bit.ly/L4NRS.

• Townsend, M. (2011). People Problems? Keep Your Human Network Up and Running! Available on http://www.cio.com .

• Vinitsky, M. H. & King, A. S. (2006). Change from the Employees’ Perspective: The Neglected Viewpoint. OD Practitioner.

• Warrick, D. D. (2009). Developing Organization Change Champions. OD Practitioner.

Becoming a Change Leader (Yes, You!)What You Need to Lead Your Organization to Achieve its Change Goals

What questions do you have?