VUCA

Somedays back I came across a new term VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) which supposedly characterizes present economic environment worldwide.

What might a VUCA environment mean for mindset a company adopts to deal with environment?

On one hand, it could trigger fear and lead to ‘defending your territory’ actions.

On contrary, companies could start focusing on becoming better at adapting to change.

But companies could also choose path of seeing change as an opportunity – and pursuing, shaping, and exploiting these opportunities.

Which option should your company choose?

I think answer is context specific.  Answer could be different for different companies and different for same company at different points of time.

Intuitively though, principle of ‘if you can’t avoid something it might be better to enjoy yourself at it’ might be applicable here.

So 3^rd option – of seeing ‘change as an opportunity’ – might be better go-to option in most cases during these ‘VUCA’ times.

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Sourav

Managing Change

Change management involves initiating change, sustaining change through change process, and realizing results.

Formula for change ( D*V*F>R) provided a framework on how to initiate change process.

But what frameworks can you use for change process?

Organizational change itself gets complicated through interplay of a number of variables- a) time period during which change progresses can extend across months/years; b) you need to be able to transition while maintaining focus on short term results, and c) working through resistance and /or maintaining momentum/energy/motivation - as people are invariably a large part of change equation.

Framework I've used to sustain change through change process involves 4 key components:

1) Choose 3-4 key objectives and metrics (quantitative/qualitative)that have buy in of key decision makers.

Limit number to not  more than 3-4 to ensure that maximum attention is devoted to objectives and metrics that matter.

2) What are key behaviors that you want changed from key stakeholders? What will new behaviors look like (an outcome of a discussion on what success might look like)? Behaviors are observable and at end of day any 'below surface' change should get manifested in changes in behavior.

3) Hold leaders accountable for driving change. Have a team that program manages change. Institute RACI for different stakeholders.

An important part of the entire exercise is communication. Along with focusing on what and how, communications should also focus on why. Once people are onboard on why, resistance might lessen and progress in what and how becomes simpler.

4) Have an execution plan in place for a defined period (eg- 1 year). Check in at agreed times on progress against execution plan.

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Sourav

Importance of Conversations for Change

Change formula nicely captures conditions required/necessary for change, viz:

D*V*F>R where D- Dissatisfaction with current state; V- Vision of the future; F-First Steps; R- Resistance to change.

What formula doesn’t seem to capture is ‘how of/process' for change.

‘Inclusion of’ and ‘conversations with’ affected parties are the two how's that seem to be important.

All affected parties/stakeholders need to be involved in change process. 

They need to see ‘need for’ change and be involved in ‘creating solutions’ for change. This involves ‘conversations’ with them.

‘Conversations’ need to invite two way flow of information and peer exchange.

These ‘how's’ form the bedrock of change process.

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Sourav

When do Self Evaluation Tools Work?

Do self evaluation tools help in an organizational context?

Or rather the question should be ‘When do self evaluation tools help in an organizational context?’

There are 2 requirements for ensuring effectiveness of self evaluation tools. Firstly, respondents must be willing to mark choices which genuinely characterize them instead of marking ‘more socially acceptable choices’. Secondly, respondents must be willing to identify areas for action and act on them. Often the usual response after taking a self evaluation tool is ‘I am of this type and that explains why I behave the way I do. I am ok with this and I don’t think I need to change anything.’

As Managers and Facilitators at workplace what can we do to make self evaluation tools more effective?

It is easy to say that we must administer these tools to individuals only when they are ready for the same. There is merit in this school of thought but there is also a danger. This danger is of managers/facilitators being passive spectators in the entire process; of absolving oneself of any responsibility to actively shape their workplace.

The question is ‘When are individuals ready to answer genuinely to self evaluation tools, identify action areas, and act on the same? What can managers/ facilitators do to create relevant environmental conditions?’

There are two ways of addressing this situation. You either create conditions for ‘safety’ or of ‘discomfort’. Do you remember the times when you experimented or when you felt you changed significantly? These would have come either from situations where ‘discomfort’ with status quo was so high that you had no option but to change, or from situations characterized by ‘safety’ where you chanced upon a better way of doing things while experimenting and adopted the same.

Which one is a better environmental condition to create – Discomfort or Safety?

Would you want to be in discomfort 7 days a week, 365 days a year? I am fairly sure most people would not want to be in discomfort continuously.

I do feel the challenge for managers/facilitators is to create conditions of ‘safety’ at the workplace. When an employee feels safe, he is willing to experiment. Self evaluation tools can work under such circumstances. Feeling safe is a state of being we are okay being in continuously – rather we would want ‘safe conditions’.

Does this mean there is no place for discomfort at the workplace? There is place for discomfort – but not continuous discomfort. You would not want your adrenaline pumping 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

What should a manager do if he realizes there is no sense of discomfort within his team ever? I would contend it does not matter as long as from the safety domain within which the team is working, it is extending itself and performing well. And if you really want individuals to answer genuinely to self evaluation tools and act on identified areas, I doubt whether conditions of discomfort/non-safety are effective.

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Sourav