Organizational change

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ct_3_mutual_engagement_shared_diagnostics.ppt

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Implementing Organizational Change: Theory into Practice
Bert Spector

Chapter 3

Mutual Engagement

and Shared Diagnosis

Learning Objectives

Describe the role of diagnosis in assessing behaviors and values and in creating dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Discuss the use of a systemic framework for guiding diagnosis.
Explore ways to overcome the “climate of silence” that blocks mutual engagement.
Provide the key ingredients of a diagnostic intervention.
Define the role played by after-action reviews in created quick learning and improvement.

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Building a Vocabulary

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Learning is the process by which individuals receive data from the external environment, analyze that data, and adjust their thinking and behaviors accordingly.

“Don’t expect formulas and solutions that have worked in the past and are imposed on the current situation to work for your organization.”

Diagnosis: process of learning about the dynamics of the organization in order to take action intended to improve performance

Diagnostic framework: a roadmap to analyzing alignment that makes explicit both the key elements of an organization that need to be aligned and the interconnections and interdependencies among those elements

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Building a Vocabulary

“The most effective change implementation starts with a

diagnosis that is shared by many employees at

multiple organizational levels.”

“Use a common organizational framework to shape

mutual engagement and shared diagnosis”

“Use diagnosis as the preliminary stage in implementing change.”

Building a Vocabulary

Dialogue: involves a structured, collective discussion among two or more parties without a predetermined outcome

Organizational silence: the lack of truthful dialogue in organizations

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“Don’t mistake passive acceptance with agreement. ”

“Leaders can ask themselves—has their organization bred a ‘climate of silence’ that discourages subordinates from speaking up and discourages bosses from seeking feedback? ”

“A large power distance between parties in a dialogue inhibits openness and risk taking while distorting communications.”

Power Equalization Steps

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Steps	Leads to
Delayering	Removing hierarchical barriers that create and distort communication
Decentralizing	Pushing down decision making to close the gap between decision makers and doers
Egalitarianism	Removing “artifacts” of status differentials
Third-party Facilitation	Structuring effective “rules-of-engagement” around feedback and dialogue
Representation	Inserting voice from multiple levels, both vertical (managers, shop floor employees, etc.) and horizontal (union and management, various functions, etc.) into dialogue
Teamwork	Building shared purpose and mutual responsibility to ensure equal participation and influence by all members in dialogue

Building a Vocabulary

Psychological safety: a belief on the part of employees that the organizational climate is conducive for taking personal risks, especially around dialogue.

“Instead of committing to solutions, leaders can commit to a process of mutual engagement and learning, thus inviting employees at all levels to cross barriers of silence and participate in a dialogue.”

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Building a Vocabulary

Consultant: an individual possessing a broad range of diagnostic and developmental skills who contracts with the organization’s leaders to facilitate an intervention.

“Leaders can call on a consultant to introduce and teach skills required of mutual engagement and diagnosis.”

“Consultants may arrive from outside the organization: professional consultants or academics with a specialization in organizational

change and development. They may also come from within the firm: specially trained employees, often within the company’s human resource or organization development staff. Whether internal or external, the task of the consultant is the same: to facilitate diagnosis and dialogue and to do so in a way that allows employees to develop those skills themselves.”

Principles for Organizational Diagnosis

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Systemic Focus	Targets the entire organization and guided by a framework that focuses on interactions
Consultant Facilitated	Specially trained individual(s) bring external perspective and required skills
Client-Oriented	Employees participate in all stages as full partners in order to build commitment and competency
Data-Based	Participants agree on the validity and strategic importance of data collected about performance
Honest Conversation	Employees engage the requirements of shared dialogue: mutuality, reciprocity, advocacy, and inquiry
Psychological Safety	Active steps taken to overcome climate of organizational silence

Data Collection Methods

Questionnaires: self-administered paper-and-pencil

data collection forms, often stressing areas of

behavioral interaction such as communications, goals,

and coordination

Advantages:

Reach large numbers of employees

Fast

Anonymous

Used for benchmarking

Disadvantages

Based on preconceived ideas

Can oversimplify complex issues

Does not expose root causes

Does not create commitment or motivation

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“Be careful about the overuse of employee questionnaires in collecting data about organizational effectiveness. They can be useful for measurement purpose but do not create mutual engagement.”

Data Collection Methods

Diagnostic interviews: a form of data collection in

which a trained diagnostician meets with an employee,

or small groups of employees, to solicit information

pertaining to the performance of the organization

Advantages:

Collect rich data

Begins process of dialogue

Teaches communication skills

Disadvantages:

Requires investment in training interviewers

Data hard to summarize or quantify

Lacks anonymity

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“Use diagnostic interviews and behavioral observation to

collect rich and valid data about how employees behave and how the organization functions.”

Data Collection Methods

Behavioral observation: a form of data collection

in which a trained diagnostician can watch actual

behaviors of employees

Advantages:

Work-based behavior as data

Data rich and deep on interactions

Reveals underlying emotions

Disadvantages:

Observation will impact behaviors

Time consuming

Requires highly skilled observers

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Building a Vocabulary

Discovery: the process of analyzing and making sense of data that has been collected as part of an organizational diagnosis

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“Mutual engagement in the discovery stage will help both to assure the validity of the conclusions and build commitment to corrective actions.”

Building a Vocabulary

Closing the Loop

Feedback: the process of receiving

information focused on the effectiveness of

one’s actions and performance.

“Mutual engagement can be enhanced when top management feeds back to employees what it has learned from the diagnostic process and uses that feedback as an opportunity to generate more learning.”

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Building a Vocabulary

After-action review: an organized, disciplined

approach to shared diagnosis and mutual dialogue in

the immediate aftermath of a specific action or event.

“After-action reviews provided an opportunity for a sharply focused and timely mutual engagement that can lead to quick corrections.”

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