Horse Fodder

You can lead a horse to the water but you can't make him drink it. 


In the context of change management, you need to, in today's complex and chaotic organizations, do all or most of the following once you take the horse to the water (which by itself may be a herculean task of perseverance, creativity, patience and flexibility). You need to arrange for....


1. ...other enthusiastic horses to appear at around the same time and drink the water (whether casually or dramatically is debatable)
2. ...these early-adopter horses to neigh in satisfaction once they drink the water and present their experience 
3. ...some leader horses to hover around and appreciate the horses drinking the water
4. ...some yummy free fodder at the exit of the water source
5. ...a short yet convincing video to be played on how to drink the water 
6. ...a pleasant and low-stress environment and ambiance around the water source
7. ...and, of course, clean, hygienic and healthy water ;-)


Feel free to add to the list from your own change management experiences. 

A Single Story?

If there's only one thing you plan to do this entire week, then please watch this video. :-)


http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html

Misfits - Umair Haque

http://blogs.hbr.org/haque/2011/08/what_kind_of_misfit_are_you.html


Inspiring article from one of my current favorite writers, Umair Haque. 


Extracts:

It's not that every misfit accomplishes something fundamentally unexpectedly awesome (for example, yours truly). And it certainly is the case that misfits have also been some of history's greatest villains. But it's also probable that most things unexpected, radical, and breathtakingly awesome take just a little bit of nonconformity; just a little bit of dissatisfaction with "the way things are.


Hence, I'd say: the biggest and most unforgivable crime industrial age institutions commit againstour humanity is to deny us the freedom of our own singular humanity. They stifle us at every turn, fitting us into neat boxes, relentlessly and brutally pressuring us — when they're not pulverizing us — to conform, obey, fit in, toe the party line.


 If we had more freedom of individualism in organization, we'd have less politics, bureaucracy, jargon, time-wasting, wheel-spinning, and an almost embarrassing level of hubris that would have put Icarus to shame — and veritable monsoons more humility, imagination, creativity, empathy, trust, respect, wisdom.


We need those free thinkers. In fact, in a world where perma-crisis seems to be the status quo, by which our so called leaders seem paralyzed and hopelessly confused, we've never needed the misfits more.

How to Change the World

Change - Culture - Psychology

Predictable Irrationality If You Build What They Ask For, They Will Not Come

View more documents from Joyce Hostyn.

This is undoubtedly one of the best presentations that I've seen in a while. Reliable research, lots of knowledge up for grabs and, finally, very nice and effective presentation! (Thanks to @johnt for the link).

I will revisit this presentation many more times and let more of these thoughts sink in gradually. Will perhaps add some notes to this post when I revisit it. For now, slide 17 makes it obvious that what most of us (not just in KM, actually, but in all such change initiatives) need to focus on or rather START WITH the user adoption elements in order to realize value (as opposed to software features or other indirect factors).

PS: Whenever I come across such well-made and well-expressed presentations, it makes me recall how two people might have the very same ideas but the way each one puts it forth can make all the difference.

Changing People's Behavior

Talking of change management, take a look at this obvious and yet intriguing article. Some of the implications and reasons, to my mind, are:

• The obvious is often overlooked to such an extent that simple ideas have now started to seem like brainwaves,
• Small things can and do make a big difference,
• We often choose to turn a blind eye to human attitude and behavior and focus only on the tool/process,
• We underestimate the need for human motivation and psychological boundaries

PS: Clearning the pile of files and books from your laptop table may very well make you use your laptop more than you otherwise would. Putting an inspiring book and the table lamp switch near your bed may very well change the way you think in the long run...and so forth. I think it would also be a good idea to consider paradoxical thinking in this context...

Change Management = Made to Stick+Tipping Point

Here's an interesting post that brings together E 2.0, the curse of knowledge, evangelization and the 'Made to Stick' concepts. Thought I'd link it up here as it reminds me of my own pet concept of communicating something via a catchy acronym (or tag line) apart from reflecting some of my personal experiences on what constitutes a 'sticky' idea.

Extract from the post which in turn must be an extract from the book, 'Made to Stick':

===============================
Made to Stick: Ideas that are successful follow the SUCCES acronym..

Simple — find the core of any idea. Focus on that
Unexpected — grab people's attention by surprising them
Concrete — make sure an idea is real and not too theoretical
Credibility — give an idea believability allow people to test it themselves.
Emotion — help people see the importance of an idea by tapping emotions
Stories — Stories are great ways to achieve all above
===============================

Coincidentally, I've been pondering over these things of late as you can observe from some of my recent musings on twitter...(read bottom-up)

And, finally, I am convinced that these ideas when combined with the Tipping Point concepts will form a significant force in any Change Management initiative. I have been playing around with these ideas for a bit and, going forward, would love to carve a 'story' out of my experiences. Let's see where it goes...! :-)

I am quite convinced that Made to Stick and Tipping Point are two books that provide an immense amount of raw material for anyone wanting to embark on a Change Management initiative...

Cha(llen)nge

From Dave Pollard's blog: I love this list on Change Management....(emphasis mine)

1. Communities are the basis for change, and what they need more than anything now is excellent stewardship. Facilitators, please stand up.

2. The great value of networks is that they enable groups of people to organize, collaborate, do the work each is best at, and share the work needed to bring about the change, and then show others its value.

3. Change has to start with an identified need, not with a good idea. Generally, we only change when we must. Listen for needs.

4. We need to create safe places to explore and work on bold ideas. Skunkworks can often accomplish more than large amounts of funding.

5. Change, like great research, begins with asking important questions, and provoking respondents to self-change instead of trying to persuade or impose it.

6. To bring about change, be prepared to work with people, listen and understand what works and what is important for them, and engage them in ways they see value in and relate to. And be totally, brutally honest about what you don't know, aren't sure about, or difficulties in the path of desired change. And stay open to other ideas and concerns.

7.If you want to accomplish great change, give up the idea of getting the credit for it.

8. Experiment. The best, profound changes come from masses of iterative learning and exploration of possibilities.

9. Create the starting conditions for momentum, enthusiasm, sufficient resources, the right people, and don't worry about outcomes.

10. Make it easy. When you make it easier to change, to do the right thing, it will succeed more quickly and profoundly than if it requires a lot of work from every person.

The Hare and the Turtle

From DailyOM. Appealing arguments. Be it learning something new (driving, swimming, music) or going out on one's own...!

Small Steps To Big Change - Making Big Change Easier

When we decide that it’s time for big changes in our lives, it is wise to ease into them by starting small. Small changes allow us to grow into a new habit and make it a permanent part of our lives, whereas sudden changes may cause a sense of failure that makes it difficult to go on, and we are more likely to revert to our old ways. Even if we have gone that route and find ourselves contemplating the choice to start over again, we can decide to take it slowly this time, and move forward.

Sometimes the goals we set for ourselves are merely indicators of the need for change and are useful in getting us moving in the right direction. But it is possible that once we try out what seemed so ideal, we may find that it doesn’t actually suit us, or make us feel the way we had hoped. By embarking on the path slowly, we have the chance to look around and consider other options as we learn and grow. We have time to examine the underlying values of the desire for change and find ways to manifest those feelings, whether it looks exactly like our initial goal or not. Taking small steps forward gives us time to adjust and find secure footing on our new path.

Life doesn’t always give us the opportunity to anticipate or prepare for a big change, and we may find ourselves overwhelmed by what is in front of us. By choosing one thing to work on at a time, we focus our attention on something manageable, and eventually we will look up to see that we have accomplished quite a bit. Forcing change is, in essence, a sign that we do not trust the universe’s wisdom. Instead, we can listen to our inner guidance and make changes at a pace that is right for us, ensuring that we do so in alignment with the rhythm of the universe.

PS: related post; another related post

Tipping Point of KM...The 3Cs

If you're a KMer.....you must leave your comments against this post. I really want to know whether others have tried it....thought about it this way....or have something to add....whatever....

I've honestly believed in and used all the three concepts mentioned above, outside of the Tipping Point influence.....and saw this link between the three Tipping Point concepts and KM implementation only in retrospect. Nevertheless, I decided to spend the time to articulate it quickly for two reasons....beginners may find it useful to remember and use and this will perhaps be an easy way to 'sell' KM Implementation Strategy to the management in your organization. I hope the mind map above conveys my thoughts effectively. If you want me to weave some text around it for better understanding, do let me know. Now, out with your thoughts and comments on this one, please. I am looking for some good conversations on this one....

PS: The whole thing can be labelled as the 3Cs of KM- Champions, Communication, Context.

Update: Apologies if you've not read The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell....I guess this post will not make sense if you haven't. And I am afraid I can't make it easier for you to understand this post if so - It would be difficult to summarize the book here....but ,anyways, the book digs into the reasons why some ideas and concepts are very popular and when and why exactly they take off....so, given that KM is something that a lot of KMers struggle to introduce and popularize in organizations, I felt that it would be good to learn from the Tipping Point concepts.... :-)

KM, Innovation & Family! ;)

Discovered this via Techaid. Cool stuff, I think! (What else if we're talking about Google?) Google Sets is another manifestation of Web 2.0....i.e. collective thinking/perception....

I typed in Knowledge Management and Innovation and see what Google Sets returned! :)
Was pretty glad to find leadership, organizational learning, strategy, change management and human resources in the list. Goes a long way to show that these aspects are perceived to have a strong association with KM and Innovation! Yeah! Thank you, Google!!

knowledge management

innovation

leadership

collaboration

marketing

intellectual capital

creativity

management

mind map

organizational learning

strategy

technology

communities

change management

human resources

I then played around a bit and typed Knowledge Management and Collaboration and got a slightly different set.....interesting 'game'! Now, tell me what you discovered! :)

Ready, Steady, Start!!

A new start is just what you need
If you want to learn something about speed
Covering the new path from start to finish
Involves not letting past learnings diminish
And yet thinking of creative ways to accomplish
All that needs to be done....with relish

A new world means new dreams, oh! swell
And yes, revival of some old ones as well
New challenges strengthen your qualities
And hopefully reduce your oddities
It brings a powerful lesson in adaptation
And the blessing of proving yourself on one more occasion

A new start is just what you need
If you want to sow many a new seed
And also embrace change indeed

Change!

"Whatever is flexible and flowing will tend to grow, whatever is rigid and blocked will wither and die." - Tao Te Ching

Penguins as Teachers - Our Iceberg is Melting

I just finished a cute book called Our Iceberg is Melting by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber. And, here’s my reaction. :)))))))))) Read All Smiles. It’s a book on Change Management, in the form of a fable based on penguins (which is one of my favourite birds). And, it’s very relevant to KM. Because, KM is a change initiative! And, also, because KM advocates change through storytelling! The book presents delightfully commonsensical points about change and how to adapt to it. Some aspects which the book brings out which all of us have learned time and again are – need for vision, communication, leadership, champions, empowerment of the workforce, quick wins, and perseverance. But three more things I want to record here for I feel the need to single them out are:

1. Need to bring in a sense of urgency – I’ve thought about the need for bringing in a sense of importance, but not so much about urgency. This would definitely work, but I guess the caveat here is that the communication shouldn’t intimidate people so much that they stop thinking clearly
2. Need for a group of champions – This one is obvious, but I’ve never grouped the skills the way the authors of this book have – The skills mentioned are leadership, credibility, urgency, communication and analytical skills. Though the authors indirectly point out the role of creativity in change initiatives in the course of the story, it’s been left out in the final section where the skills required are summarized. Something to ponder– Does your KM team have all of these skills?
3. Need for sustaining a culture of change – This one’s important. We typically tend to heave a sigh of relief once we’ve made some progress, but this book brings out the clear need to keep on moving.

What kind of a Blogger are you?

Ron Young posts about a webinar that he attended wherein the speaker presented about there being four kinds of people in organizations – couch potatoes, collectors, critics, and creators. Just like Ron, I too think it is a cool classification. It may be based on Kotler’s marketing lessons (on laggards, followers, early adopters and innovators) but these terms are quite appealing. Needless to say, for any new initiative that involves change, it will be important to understand where who belongs.

Don’t you think even Bloggers could be categorized thus? After all, the category one belongs to in the context of organizational analysis would be reflected in one’s behaviour/characteristic as a blogger as well! So, hypothetically, if every employee in the organization blogs, they can be categorized as one of the four types of people and change initiatives can take valuable inputs from this analysis! We could use the Pareto principle (80:20) for assigning a category to bloggers. That is, what they do 80% of the time or what 80% of their posts are about determines which category they belong to. Based on these categories, I am taking the liberty of imagining what people belonging to each of these may behave like, as bloggers.

Creators-Bloggers: These are the bloggers who look inward most of the time. They normally write posts that don’t originate anywhere else. They might obviously be triggered off by what they read and hear, but most of the contents of their post are bound to be from within and original. Many of them are bound to be idealistic though there are practically-oriented ones as well. Reading these blogs would be an inspirational, thought-provoking, exciting, and knowledge-creating experience. Dave Pollard, in my opinion, is a great example of a creator-blogger. He is analytically creative or perhaps creatively analytical, if you like!

Critics-Bloggers: These are the bloggers who rant, rave, or ramble most of the time. They react to external events. They analyze and judge other’s ideas and accept/reject/take a neutral stand on them rather than create things on their own. I would imagine that most bloggers are of this kind! It basically flows from the fact that most people are also of this kind. I am not going to point to any specific blog under this category. Take a casual walk on blogosphere and you’re bound to bump into many of these. Reading these blogs would be arguably a waste of time unless one is looking to understand general human/customer/market psychology, what’s popular and what isn’t and the like.

Collectors-Bloggers: These are bloggers who have a passion for information and knowledge but for whatever reason, spend more time looking outward and collecting stuff from across the web and outside. By virtue of being collectors, they are always on their toes, are well-connected, know what’s the latest, and can therefore be great advisers. Reading these blogs is bound to keep people well-informed and knowledgeable about the world’s ways as associated with whatever topic the blogger focuses on. These blogs are bound to be a huge asset for people who want to keep track of trends and changes and cope with them and not be left behind in the race that the world runs. Gautam, I think, is a good example of this kind of a blogger. He is a creator as well, but his primary edge is probably in his connections and collections. He is a hub of information and pulls together threads from multiple sources apart from looking inward.

Couch-Potatoes-Bloggers: Quite easy to explain. These are bloggers, or rather, ex-bloggers who don’t exist on the blogosphere any more. I am talking about millions of people who created blogs and then forgot all about them. :). Or maybe it is also about people who never tried blogging because of the effort and discipline it calls for. Well, as for as the benefits of reading these blogs are concerned…….it’s a no-brainer. You can’t read them! :D

So, what kind of a blogger are you? And what kind of bloggers interest you? :)

Ron talks about another classification that he is aware of in the same post. This could perhaps be mapped one on one to the above categories.

10% Creators and Innovators
50% Pragmatists - I'll believe it when I see it!
20% Enthusiasts - boy do we need these supporters
20% Ludites - they will never change

Change...Influence...

Steeve Goodier talks of a prayer with a twist in one of his recent newsletters.

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change; The courage to change the one I can; And the wisdom to know that person is me."

:-) Now, that’s a wise little prayer! Looks like life has some amazing threads that will lead you to exotic ‘places’ of wisdom and knowledge if only we want it badly enough…or maybe even just look for it. Just a while ago, Gautam’s question on how one would have to go about developing one’s influencing skills triggered me off to say thus:

My mantra is Gandhi's famous 'Be the change you wish to see'. Walk the talk; All the time. And voila...people are influenced!
True passion shall influence. Beyond our imagination. Consciously...subconsciously....whatever! :)

Without passion and leading by example....I guess influencing does not happen....or if it happens....it does not last long!

(The link between the quote and influencing skills is obvious…one talks about changing oneself and the other about influencing others to change and I think the two are intricately connected as you may also notice from my response to Gautam’s question).

Where might the thread go from here?

Technology Saves KM!! Pshaw!

I am getting to see more evidence of the fact the most organizations are technology-focused when it comes to KM initiatives despite repeated discussions on the inadvisability of adopting the “build it and they’ll come” approach. Why is this so?

Because we are most comfortable doing short-term thinking. Management wants to see the results in no less than a few months. The “best” of results are technical in nature because that is what can be ‘seen’! Culture will take a long long time. Most people anyways don’t understand it, feel they can’t influence it, are not comfortable talking people issues. Process enhancements can be painfully slow as well and moreover, it isn’t easy to convince stakeholders to modify a process unless the results are clearly beneficial (in the short-run again) and the change(s) promises not to be ‘killing’. While the easiest thing to do would be to get some of the existing process requirements, use a product or develop a stand-alone application and throw it into the ring and ask people to use it. You’ve shown something. What does it matter if people jump into the ring and examine the product with sticks and other such equipment, play around with it for sometime and then go away disappointed that it is not embedded in their day-to-day work? What if they see it as temporary entertainment and no more? What if it solves no critical business problem or is not integrated with the rest of the system? Tchah! Watch this space….I may be coming back with more…!

Learn to Change

Learn to Change,

Wonderful stuff! It ties in with whatever I have been reading in my current book - 100% Mind Power! Very inspiring! I may think of blowing it up and pasting it across one of the walls of my room...

Life, Pleasure, Pain

From Eknath Easwaran, "Words to Live By" (Nilgiri Press, 1997)
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The Gita does not say that we should not go after pleasure.

When I first heard this from my grandmother, I really took to the Gita immediately; but I wasn't expecting what she said next:
"The Gita doesn't say not to go after pleasure; it says that when you go after pleasure you are also going after pain." It is not possible for most of us to accept this. We are always cherishing the distant hope that while no other human being has ever succeeded in isolating pleasure, we are going to perform this miraculous operation and then live in a state of pleasure always. To enter a state of abiding joy we must sometimes say no to pleasure while accepting pain with a smile.

Just as we should not pursue pleasure, we should not pursue pain, either. Pleasure and pain form a single duality of experience. We must learn to remain calm in both, not clinging to either.
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My thoughts: We talk about it being important to remember that people will do anything to derive pleasure and even more to avoid pain whenever we go through programmes on Change Management etc. Consider this - If it is true that almost every 'normal' human has been sucked into this earthly life of pleasure and pain, how difficult is it going to be to come out of this rut and be a detached and stand-alone 'system'? And well, I can't help thinking that life may be boring if one were to stay unaffected. I’ll also be my own alter-ego and say that it's a trade off between whether one is willing to be swayed by a wild & exciting swing called life - scream at every high, bleed at every fall, and sit silently when the swing is still - or just experience the process minus the screams, falls, and silence. This thread of thought reminds me of Howard Roark (The central character in The FountainHead) who simply enjoyed life (read architecture) while managing to stay unaffected by what happened around him – even if it was about lost opportunities and a cruel and bitter society that was always plotting against him. Howard is what one could perhaps call a ‘truly’ happy man who was at peace with himself and the world despite its vagaries. I’ve been grinding the same flour for quite some time now. But like one of my colleagues once said “repeated deliberation is what will clear the fog and help one understand the truth!”

Specialization....and Change

Gautam Ghosh on Management: The scourge of specialization?

Just what I need...It sure convinces me that I've hopped on to the right train! :) I am now starting off on an exciting journey of unlearning, learning, and traveling (?) I am going to have to make use of analogies and metaphors to understand the new areas that I'll be exposed to...