Home | Login | Recent Changes | Search | All Pages | Help

NotesSessionFour012

Increasing Your Effectiveness as a Change Agent
BobKing and DonGray

External change agents aren't often effective.

Change is usually dropped on you from above with no warning, direction or explanation. The important thing should be the idea, not who gets the credit.

You need to come in very low key and find out what people are doing now. Trying to force a change will solidify resistance. Start small. Get someone in the organization excited about the change. An initial small success will attract attention. Identify the culture of the organization first, and adapt your strategy to it.

In meetings, do not set up a seating arrangement that says "us VS them". It's not the logical arguments that get the change made, it's the emotional stuff. The resistance is usually to the fact that something is changing, not to the specific change itself.

Listen to what the staff does and wants, don't just push your own ideas. SherryHeinze 2004.11.16