Session 1.3: Managing Organizational Change and Transition

1. Session 1.3:Managing Organizational Change and Transition Module 1:Leadership and Team Building Leadership and Management Course for ZHRC Coordinators, HTI Principals, and ZHRC/HTI Management Teams

2. Learning Objectives By the end of the session, participants will be able to: • Describe the difference between change and transition. • Describe the 3 phases of transition. • Describe a change initiative in a complete, compelling, and practical way. • Apply a transition management model to an anticipated organizational change.

3. Organizational Change & Transition It is a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead, and find no one there. - Franklin Delano RooseveltFormer U.S. President Changes of any sort succeed or fail on the basis of whether the people affected do things differently. - William Bridges

4. Types of Organizational Change • Change in leadership • Change in procedures • Change in environment • Change in structures • Change in national initiatives • Change in partnerships

5. Reacting to Change Happiness Fear Confusion Resistance Anger Stress Excitement Conflict Uncertainty Dissatisfaction Changes in… Morale, Productivity, Motivation

6. Change & Transition • Change is situational. • An event, or series of events: • Move to a new site/location • Retirement of leader, manager, etc. • Transition is psychological. • A process that people go through as they come to terms with the details of a new situation. It’s not the changes that do you in, it’s the transitions. - William Bridges

7. Transition • A process of dis-engaging from the old reality and fully engaging in a new reality. • Three phases in the process: • Endings, Neutral Zone, New Beginnings • May not follow a linear path Transition starts with an ending, and ends with a beginning.

8. Phases of Transition New Beginnings Neutral Zone Endings Photo: Flickr.com, Steven Monty.

9. Endings • Letting go of old ways. • Dealing with losses. • Transition begins with endings.

10. Neutral Zone • The old is gone; the new is not fully operational • Things are in a state of flux, and feelings of confusion or chaos are common! • It is a time of great opportunity • Old habits are replaced • New beginnings start emerging

11. New Beginnings • New identities • Fresh energy • New sense of purpose

12. Leading Through Transition • Do not overlook endings and neutral zones – you cannot start with the final stage of transition! • People will experience the feelings that come with transition, even if the process is overlooked. • Successful change requires that people move emotionally to a place where they can engage with the new reality. Successful change is 70-90% leadership, and only 10-30% management. - John P. Kotter

13. Preparing for Transition • Use a tool to assess transition readiness. • Help to prepare and plan • Generate ideas about areas for improvement • A specific score is not necessary – this is a planning tool.

14. Honoring Endings • Identify what is changing, and what is staying the same • Expect and accept staff feelings • Anger, sadness, anxiety, confusion, denial, etc. • Compensate for losses • Mark the endings • Treat the past with respect • Offer information

15. Navigating the Neutral Zone • Use the neutral zone to your benefit • Creativity, taking stock, testing ideas • Use a transition monitoring team • Experiment • Train on discovery, innovation • Embrace new solutions • Question the status quo • Listen to your staff’s ideas!

16. Four P’s of New Beginnings • Purpose • What is the problem? How will this fix it? • What’s the 1 minute message? • Picture • Paint a picture of how it will look and feel. • What is a compelling picture of a better tomorrow? • Plan • What do we do on Monday? • Part to Play • What is my role? It can be done – play your part. - Mwalimu Julius Nyerere

17. Activity: Reactions to Change & the 4 P’s • A MOHSW Committee listened to a presentation from an NGO Program Officer. • Part 1:Members reacted differently. Why? Sad Confused Worried Happy • Part 2: Using the same scenario, work in groups to develop creative messages using the 4 P’s.

18. Key Questions of Transition • What is changing? • What will be different as a result? • Who is losing what? It still surprises me how often organizations undertake changes that no one can describe very clearly. - William Bridges

19. Activity: Anticipating Transition • Think of a change that you anticipate in your organization. • Answer the questions in the worksheet. • Describe the change to a partner using the ideas in the worksheet. • Share feedback with each other.

20. Key Points • Reactions to change are often emotional, and can affect morale, productivity, and motivation. • Change is situational (an event); Transition is psychological (a process). • Transition starts with an ending and ends with a beginning. • The phases of transition are: endings, neutral zone, new beginnings. • Effectively communicating the change will make the transition easier.

21. Homework Assignment: Communication Style Assessment to Prepare for Tomorrow • Section A • Circle only statements that describe you. • Work quickly – do not think too long/hard! • Section B • Circle one word in each pair of statements. • Section C • Choose the word you would be most likely to say or use. Choose 1 of the 3 words given. • Complete the Answer Sheet