Why Culture Change can Blow Up In Your Face (and how to prevent it) Katherine Kirk QCon2019
A Christmas story How hard is culture to change?
The “Culture Change” usual routine… 1 2 3 4 5 Had the inspired time Roll out time!!! Reality confounds Try tonnes of stuff Things are blowing up! • Inventing the amazing • Enthusiasm and • Whaaaa? Why is this • This should work, this ‘new way forward’ forcefulness happening? should work, this should • Why?? work…. • Convincing everyone
Intro
“Hell Specialist” What I’ve become…. Student of difficulty
Why have I got this job?
My favourite thing to do is empower others by… Revealing ‘invisible forces’ Illuminating practical ways to deal with it
Don’t like being disturbed Often • Meditation borrow from Spent 2,500 years finding patterns Buddhist • Reduce difficulty Monks and • Increase effectiveness Nuns Focussed on empowerment
The big difficulty …. Reality Want
Illuminate ‘invisible See things as they are forces’ What I Calm down Empower teams and Clear their heads individuals borrowed Get problem solving from Monks Use different Work out a realistic and Nuns techniques to test ideas pathway forward Risks? Opportunities? Follow through Realistic expectations
(hint hint) Realistic Expectations
Typical Scenario: “Culture Change Blowing up”
Gets agreement – team and leadership Project Manager – Review the ‘new Agile / Lean Rollout culture’ principles – empowerment, transparency etc (That makes me happy) Boss – give me a The Kick Off Because we ALL projection want to do it: should be quick – 1-2 months? Inspired actions Rollout unity and Push, push, push! determination Consultants Training
• Consultants / specialists / contractors leave • Training is over • Rollout project runs slightly over (but everything kinda does, right?) • Should be worth it!!!!
Its been rough – Project Manager – but everyone is DOING Agile / Reports in Lean practices… kinda The Wobble (tired and Boss – OK- I’m irritable from 2 expecting those months of in the Middle reassuring and improvements now! inspiring) Resistance, SURE! depression, anger
We aren’t getting the results promised Too much pressure Everyone isn’t getting Blame and shame • Those that have Agile Lean along!!! culture The sting in •Those that don’t the tail Sack those that aren’t Agile Lean Lots of HR time culture? Leadership BURNOUT Change agents Teams
Huh? Oh COME ON! Burning out from what?????
Reassuring Inspiring Mediating between factions Keeping ‘positive and upbeat’ Extra churn from HR related meetings Burning out Extra churn for ‘supporting direct report’ meetings from Reminding – Agile Lean culture WHAT??????? Re-convincing Agile Lean is better Attending training Getting coaching (leadership, team, individual) Attending extra conferences Reading extra material Attending weekly Agile Lean groups for help and community
Unhappy Boss Thinks Agile Lean doesn’t work Exhausted Fallout Panicking – Change agents looking at contracting as a possibility “Agile Lean isn’t being done Teams & specialists properly!” “Agile Lean doesn’t work”
… culture? BLAME SHAME SELF PITY ENTITLEMENT RESENTMENT COMPETITION
Practices are ‘in place’ The opposite result!!! Culture isn’t
Now culture is impairing delivery
How did that happen?
Take a step back for a minute…
Can 1 person have culture? • Can come from one…. Is it between two people? • Can have conflicting cultures… What is Does it have to be between multiple groups? culture? • 1 or more teams? What is work vs society culture? • How do those interact? Is culture from practices? Goals? Aspirations? • Huh???
Its an endless conversation …. There are entire conferences, papers, consultant specialisations on just on that one question
I need practical answers to practical situations My clients and I don’t have the time
Illuminate ‘invisible See things as they are forces’ Calm down Empower teams and Clear their heads individuals How to deal Get problem solving with difficulty Use different Work out a realistic techniques to test ideas pathway forward Risks? Opportunities Follow through Realistic expectations
Whatever the difficulty… ITS CULMINATING IN BEHAVIOUR AND THERE IS BEHAVIOUR WHICH IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO DELIVERY
So lets reflect on behaviour: Imagine the BEST scenario In the beginning In the middle End After some time… Willing Trying, sorta succeeding, Victory! It will get better Verbal agreement but: sorta mastering now (consultants leave) resistance, confusion, All agree – YES! Agile exhaustion – difficulty Lean practices and increasing over time culture! Looking forward to it Its going to fix everything – finally
So lets reflect on behaviour: Imagine the BEST scenario Difficulty I’m interested in… In the beginning In the middle End After some time… Willing Trying, sorta succeeding, Victory! It will get better Verbal agreement but: sorta mastering now (consultants leave) resistance, confusion, All agree – YES! Agile exhaustion – difficulty Lean practices and increasing over time culture! Looking forward to it Its going to fix everything – finally
The Sting in the Tail
The “Invisible Force” We Fail To See …. ( …. drum roll… )
Habitual Reaction
Get December unhealthy over Xmas Ever gone on a health kick? Dry – no alcohol January Gym
So lets reflect on behaviour: Imagine the BEST scenario In the beginning In the middle End After some time… Willing Trying, sorta succeeding, Victory! It will get better Verbal agreement but: sorta mastering now (consultants leave) resistance, confusion, All agree – YES! Agile exhaustion – difficulty Lean practices and increasing over time culture! FITNESS!! Looking forward to it Its going to fix everything – finally
Does that mean that ‘being healthy’ is dumb concept?
What’s happening in Feb onwards? The REAL difficulty starts… In the beginning In the middle End After some time… Willing Trying, sorta succeeding, Victory! It will get better Verbal agreement but: sorta mastering now (consultants leave) resistance, confusion, All agree – YES! Agile exhaustion – difficulty Lean practices and increasing over time culture! Looking forward to it Its going to fix everything – finally
Our ‘bad habits’ kick in again after the ‘inspired time’ has warn off
The Buddhist Monks and Nuns: Focus on habits • For real change we need to concentrate on habit • Mitigate interruption to meditation
Think … Cigarette smoking Junkfood TV
We forget that this applies at work… Bad habits come back again and again And its our job to be prepared!!!!
We don’t factor HABIT in OUR EXPECTATIONS JUDGEMENTS ASSUMPTIONS PROJECTIONS
So after the inspired ‘roll out’ time frame • We stupidly get surprised when • People and teams start to falter • Coaches, facilitators, project managers, leads are in MORE demand • Leaders encouragement and support is needed more than ever
Reassuring Inspiring Mediating between factions Keeping ‘positive and upbeat’ Extra churn from HR related meetings AFTER rollout Extra churn for ‘supporting direct report’ meetings – people Reminding – Agile Lean culture need…. Re-convincing Agile Lean is better Attending training Getting coaching (leadership, team, individual) Attending extra conferences Reading extra material Attending weekly Agile Lean groups for help and community
And if you aren’t prepared….
Unhappy Boss Thinks Agile Lean doesn’t work Blows up in Exhausted Panicking – Change agents looking at your face contracting as a possibility “Agile Lean isn’t being done Teams & specialists properly!” “Agile Lean doesn’t work”
Lets go back to the original story….
Replay: Assume the bad habits will return! • That’s when the work will REALLY start….
Expectations • Done in 2 months? • Practices and techniques – maybe • Then 6 months – 12 months of habitual behavior change Adju just for Judgements Habitual • Sack them / hire them? Reaction • Depends – bad person or bad habit? • Promote them / demote them? ‘Sting’ • Depends – bad person or bad habit? Assumptions • Effort by leadership and change agents finished in 2 months? • After 2 months the REAL effort for leadership and change agents will begin
Gets agreement – team and Project Manager – Agile / leadership Review the ‘new culture’ Lean Rollout principles – empowerment, transparency etc Boss asks for a projection A typical (That makes them happy) scenario: The Kick Off Include time changing 2 months rollout embedded habitual 6-12 months habitual behavior – call it Embedding Culture reactions Inspired actions Rollout unity and Push, push, push! determination Consultants Training
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