INVOLVE Blog

The Evolution of Change - 7 top tips for effective change

Tracy Whybrow, Partner and Change Strategist at INVOLVE explains how to avoid failed change programmes and instead help companies to evolve and develop.  This article originally appeared at HRZone.co.uk on 12 June 2008.

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Companies around the world are required to evolve and undergo change faster than ever, whether it's a re-branding exercise, the result of an acquisition or the appointment of a CEO with a new strategic vision.

Classically, what happens in these circumstances is the development of a new vision, strategies and values, which add further layers of complication to an already burgeoning organisation.

"Too many companies hold the view that business change is a move from one state to another that has to be controlled and managed in a consistent, structured way."

The change management consultants then arrive to turn this into a huge change programme, to manage and control the process and move the organisation from A to B. A year later, after generating initiative overload, the programme is going nowhere and begins to flounder and die.

Leadership - How The Johari Window Can Help Reflective Leaders

Whilst we've been following various IC and related blogs for a good while now, our own blog is all shiny and new and some way off having that 'lived in' look of a more established blog. So, we're spending (probably too much) time looking around the blogosphere for other blogs and posts you may find of interest while we catch up. 

Today we came across Unfolding Leadership by Dan Oestreich. Dan is a consultant/coach based in WA, USA.  His style may not be everyone's cup of tea, but this post about Reflective Leadership and the Johari Window makes for some really interesting reading.

Explaining how this personal development tool, developed back in 1955, can benefit leaders today, Dan writes,

"The Arena clarifies the fundamental interpersonal goal of reflective leadership with the other panes defining key tasks to achieving it. The Arena is the place where our shared understanding of ourselves puts us in real and genuine contact with one another... and therefore gives us the capacity to create a common vision for change. ... Reflective leaders are intentional around this goal and intensely conscious of the level at which they are connecting with others."

If you rise to the challenge he sets out at the end of his post, do let us know how you get on by commenting on this post.

Is there any value in values?

Josie Salkey investigates.

Here is a typical set of corporate values: communication, respect, integrity and excellence. All good stuff, right? Well, yes, but truly valuable to the organisation? In this case, no. These were the values of Enron circa 2001 – and we all know how that story ended. So how can values help to build a competitive advantage? And how can we make them meaningful to a workforce whose collective nose is finely tuned for the faintest whiff of corporate bull***t?

The truth about values programmes
You can’t read the management press without coming across a company trumpeting about how it rolled out a values programme to employees, but what does this ‘programme’ typically involve?

The first step, of course, is an expensive executive retreat where senior leadership – with help from a clutch of smooth-talking consultants – brainstorm some values and uncover the new ‘soul’ of the business that will triple the share price or help it act as ‘one company.’ Step two is to create a snazzy logo and brief middle management, and step three is to communicate the values to employees and get them all ‘on board.’

Employee Involvement – an unreachable utopia?

By Kieron Shaw

The following article was originally published back in September 2007. 

WAKE-UP, CEO: Your employees expect to tell you how to run the business

"A financial analyst once asked me if I was afraid of losing control of our organisation. I told him I've never had control and I never wanted it. If you create an environment where the people truly participate, you don't need control. They know what needs to be done, and they do it." Herb Kelleher, Chairman & former CEO, Southwest Airlines [1]

Involvement – an unreachable utopia?

In 1771, Glasgow shipbuilder William Denny hit upon an idea. He launched an awards programme, encouraging his workers to suggest process improvements around the company's shipyard – the business world's first ever employee suggestion scheme.

Involvement and Team Bonding: How not to do it

Amusing audio clip from Capital Radio's Johnny Vaughan Breakfast Show

This comical radio edit exemplifies some staff/team bonding horror stories. It really is a good example of ‘how not to do’ involvement!

Click here to listen - you will need speakers or headphones for this clip

We'd love to hear your own team bonding horror stories; click on the Comments link at the foot of this post to share yours...