LEADING THOUGHTS

Besides being a good friend of Leading Thoughts, Nick Nissley is Executive Director of The Banff Centre’s leadership development unit and a well-respected thinker in the area of arts-based management education.

Of late, Nick has been exploring the idea of “narrative leadership,” basically the use of stories — personal and otherwise — to effectively lead others. He delivers an entertaining overview of the idea, and throws in a few stories for good measure, in a TedX presentation from Calgary.

If you’re in a story and you don’t like it, change the story.

Here’s the clip. At the 6:00 minute mark, Nick tells us what researchers are learning about “narrative competence.” Researchers with the Center for Creative Leadership, for example, looked at how leaders develop; how do they learn what they need to know? The answer: 50% comes from experience; 20% from hardship or failure; 20% from mentors; and 10% from formal learning. That means that 70 percent of what leaders learn comes from their experiences, both positive and negative. “And we make sense of these experiences through stories,” Nick says.

At the 8:40 minute mark, Nick explains how effective leaders know their own story and lead with it. He follows it up at at 9:00 minute mark with the story of the M.S. Hershey Foundation and its role in lifting Nick out of life-limiting storyline and giving him a new script.

At the 13:30 minute mark, Nick says “we become the stories we tell ourselves,” with the implication being that we can change the world by changing our stories.

In the journal Global Business and Organizational Excellence, Stephen Wehrenberg offers an insider perspective on an enterprise change management initiative at the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard provides an interesting case study. It is admirably flexible when facing operational issues; leaders have to adapt to changing situations. But the Coast Guard is as rigid as they come when non-operational changes are needed.

Wehrenberg, director of HR strategy and executive development for the Coast Guard, offers a number of reasons for resistance to change: autonomy at low levels; accountability for results with less attention to process; high degree of leader turnover; and a feeling of “change saturation.”

Wehrenberg and his team designed a “stealth” strategy to build local participation and earn some wins in order to gain broad adoption at the unit level. They also adopted a portfolio change management approach to help senior leaders prioritize initiatives. And they employed the Project Change Triangle Assessment to evaluate strength in three areas critical to change: executive sponsorship, project management discipline, and change management discipline.

The change management process at the Coast Guard is ongoing so there is more to this case study that needs to be written. But it is still a worthwhile read for those planning change in large, culturally complex organizations.

“The Coast Guard Charts a Course for Enterprise Change Management,” by Stephen Wehrenberg; Global Business and Organizational Excellence (pp. 17-31, November/December 2009)

If you cannot find this journal is your local library, email me for a copy of the article at Alan [at] AlanMorantz.com

photo credit: KyleZOA

CEO of Yahoo! Carol Bartz argues in The Economist (Nov. 13, 2009 issue) that, in the age of ubiquitous information, traditional management is “impossible, or at least ill-advised.”

“The hierarchical, layered corporate structures in which company information was carefully managed and then selectively passed down the line have crumbled,” Bartz writes. “The online era has made command-and-control management as dead as dial-up internet.” Ouch.

The problem, she says, lies in the stream of 24/7 commentary and instant opinion and gossip generated and amplified by bloggers, tweeters, and their ilk. It makes it impossible to control the message and hampers decision-making. So what’s the answer?

Learn to live with it, for one thing. Develop a thick skin. And understand “how important they [leaders] can be to their own team by interpreting both the news and the disinformation that swirls around them,” Bartz writes.

Bartz advises leaders to identify and mentor thought leaders, employees who have the ability to digest and interpret information for others. “Grooming these in-house ideas people helps foster a culture of openness to fresh thinking—the greatest energy an organization can have.”

photo credit: nregimbal

The UK-based CIPD just released a report designed to stir interest in the benefits of organizational “shared sense of purpose.” CIPD defines shared purpose as an organization’s “identity and ‘the golden thread’ to which its strategy should be aligned.”

In a CIPD survey of 3,000 UK employees (May 2009), just under half said they experience a strong sense of shared purpose at work compared to 28 percent who certainly do not.

Based on this survey data and a literature review, CIPD researchers list six factors that drive a strong sense of shared purpose.

1. An invigorating organizational purpose
This goes beyond making money or making shareholders happy. The strongest driver is “creating a better world for customers, stakeholders, or society” (as long as the organization can deliver, of course).

2. Effective leadership
These are leaders who actively develop shared purpose and mobilize people’s energy, often through the use of storytelling.

3. A compelling vision and strategy
“Both vision and strategy need to be grounded in clear goals to be achieved and employees need to understand how their roles contribute to delivering those goals.” Don’t forget to celebrate progress toward achieving those goals.

4. A meaningful employee voice in decisions
Employees need to be consulted and to feel they have opportunities to be involved in making decisions.

5. Effective performance management
Employees need to understand what’s expected of them and receive clear feedback and coaching from their boss.

6. Common practices
Common practices, such as the adoption of a shared approach to quality, can break down functional and physical boundaries.

The CIPD report includes a “shared purpose in practice” case study of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

To download a copy of the report, go here or email me at Alan [at] AlanMorantz.com

photo credit: mrlerone

Creating or performing art can be a powerful way to develop managerial and leadership awareness and skills. It can also be a flavour-of-the-month technique that is used as a novelty with little understanding of how it may benefit individuals.

Writing in the Academy of Management Learning & Education, Steven S. Taylor (Worcester Polytechnic) and Donna Ladkin (Cranfield U) offer a model of four unique processes underpinning arts-based management development methods.

Skills transfer: development of artistic skills that can be applied in organizational settings (medical residents being taught theatre skills to increase their clinical empathy). “Arts-based methods allow managers to feel the experience of those skills rather than think about them, such as when theatrical improvisation exercises are used to get managers to feel what it is like to listen deeply and be listened to deeply.”

Projective technique: the output of artistic endeavors allows participants to reveal inner thoughts and feelings that may not be accessible through conventional means (managers building 3-D representations of their org strategy using LEGO bricks). “Two managers can have a discussion in which they differ about what an image that has been created means in a way that doesn’t make them feel defensive but rather fosters learning about each others’ perspective.”

Illustration of essence: participants can apprehend the “essence” of a concept, situation, or tacit knowledge in greater depth than conventional methods (viewing the film Twelve O’Clock High to illustrate key leadership lessons). “Reading and seeing Henry V performed and engaging in extended discussion of leadership as Shakespeare has portrayed it can help a manager have a much more complex and nuanced understanding of leadership in a way that is based in a felt, emotional, personal connection rather than through an abstract, intellectual theorization.”

Making: creating art can foster a deeper experience of personal presence and connection (MBA students taking art classes to enhance their creativity). “It is a form of personal development that is not tied directly to specific organizational outcomes, but rather is undertaken with more generic long-term goals in mind. Thus we can imagine arts-based programs being included as part of wellness initiatives aimed at the long-term health and development of employees.”

The authors caution that not all arts-based techniques are the same. Managers engaging with Shakespearean plays experience something different from those making masks that represent their leadership styles. Using their model, trainers can select the right art form for their learning objective.

Understanding Arts-Based Methods in Managerial Development, by Steven S. Taylor and Donna Ladkin; Academy of Management Learning & Education (2009, Vol. 8, No. 1, 55–69)

Email me for a copy of this paper: Alan [at] AlanMorantz.com

photo credit: paurian

Music provides an intriguing window on the world of work, says law professor Rafael Gely (U of Missouri).

“Throughout the centuries people have used songs while engaging in working activities,” Gely writes in The International Journal of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations. “Workers have used songs as a form of entertainment, as a way to tell stories, as a means to achieve solidarity and as an avenue of voicing their concerns.”

During the pre-industrial era, when labourers had a high degree of control over work processes, songs were used by weavers, domestics, and sailors to set and respond to the pace of work.

During the Industrial Revolution, workers lost autonomy to machines, and machines then dictated the rhythm of the work day. Management theory also evolved to view music as a leisure activity that had no place on the factory floor.

Over time, management tried to use music to boost efficiency, while for workers songs became tools for class struggle. “Songs became a mechanism to voice the workers’ grievances,” Gely writes, “and also a mechanism to transmit the struggle of workers and develop class solidarity.”

Winnsboro Cotton Mills Blues

Old man Sargent, sitting at the desk
The damned old fool won’t give us no rest,
He’d take the nickels off a dead man’s eyes
To buy a Coca-Cola and an eskimo pie.

In the post-industrial era, iPods and other music-listening devices allow workers to regain a measure of control over their workspace. But managers are still using mood music to structure behaviour for both employees and customers.

Gely offers a host of research questions that he says are worth pursuing. To wit:

• How common is it for employers to allow the use of music in the workplace?
• Do policies regarding the use of music vary by industry?
• In the context of unionized workplaces, have labour organizations negotiated over the use of music?
• Are there cultural differences in the way workers interact with music?
• Are there demographic differences in the use of music at work?

Workplace Songs: Developing a Framework for Research and Teaching, by Rafael Gely; The International Journal of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations 25, no. 1 (2009): 49-58

Email me for a copy of this paper: Alan [at] AlanMorantz.com

photo credit: danceonair1986

Two thirds of all change programs sputter and fail. Could it be that rational change leaders rely too much on common sense while disregarding the inherent irrationality of their colleagues? Two very rational McKinsey consultants build the case that human nature gets in the way of truly changing behaviour.

Consider the old chestnut of the compelling change story. It is now a given that leaders must communicate a clear story, which usually amounts to a narrative about regaining lost momentum. Aiken and Keller say this may seem like a rational approach, but it does not tap into what motivates most managers and employees.

These are the real drivers: “impact on society (for instance, building the community and stewarding resources), impact on the customer (for example, providing superior service), impact on the company and its shareholders, impact on the working team (for example, creating a caring environment), and impact on “me” personally (my development, paycheck, and bonus).” If a change leader can hit those five buttons, she is off to the races.

The manner in which the change story is told is no less significant. Instead of rolling out town halls and websites, change leaders would do better to help employees learn for themselves what the story needs to be. It may be easier to just lay it all out but employees are much more likely to buy in to the program when they are part of building the story.

Aikens and Keller offer a number of other insights:

• People think that they are better than they are (except me). Change leaders fall into this trap by thinking they themselves do not need to change.
• Do not over-invest in trying to woo the social “influencers”. More important is how receptive the organization is to the idea of change.

The Aikens-Keller article includes advice on how to follow up on skills-building programs with fieldwork assignments, as well as a reading list.

The Irrational Side of Change Management, by Carolyn Aiken and Scott Keller; The McKinsey Quarterly (Number 2, 2009)

Link to the article

photo credit: adinaduke

I am a big believer in the power of storytelling to help organizational players think in new ways and move through periods of change. “Stories” in this context can relate how an enterprise was born, how a team faced a business challenge or coped with the sudden loss of a key executive, or even how a leader learned key insights.

Storytelling has been long considered a quaint yet fringe leadership communication technique but, judging by recent buzz, it is inching closer to the management mainstream.

A useful contribution to the field appears in a recent issue of the Center for Creative Leadership’s Leadership in Action journal. In an article, Nick Nissley of The Banff Centre and leadership coach Stedman Graham develop the concept of “rescription.” Scripting, the authors point out, is how screenwriters propel a story forward. In an organizational setting, rescription refers to the process by which leaders find new stories to replace old ones no longer serving their organizations’ best interests.

Nissley and Graham spell out a three-step process for rescription:

1. “Titling the present script”: Leaders must articulate what’s stuck and, “like good writers, identify a future turning point and what needs to become unstuck.”

2. “Founding the Future Script”: Once leaders have confronted the dysfunctional script, they need to courageously open the door to an alternative script.

3. “Actualizing the New Script”: The rubber hits the road only when a new script is enacted.

The Narrative Lens and Organizational Change; by Nick Nissley and Stedman Graham; Leadership in Action (Center for Creative Leadership); January-February 2009

Email me for a copy of this paper: Alan [at] AlanMorantz.com

photo credit: Patrick Charles