PA Education Policy Fellowship Program COL Ruth Collins Carlisle Barracks, 15 Feb 02 TRANSFORMING ORGANIZATIONS The Work of Strategic Leaders.

PA Education Policy Fellowship ProgramPA Education Policy Fellowship ProgramCOL Ruth CollinsCOL Ruth Collins

Carlisle Barracks, 15 Feb 02Carlisle Barracks, 15 Feb 02

TRANSFORMINGORGANIZATIONSThe Work of Strategic

Leaders

What is it?What is it?Why should we do it? Why should we do it?

How do we do it? How do we do it?

TRANSFORMATION

TransformationTransformation

“Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburger.”

Abbie Hoffman

“Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburger.”

Abbie Hoffman

• “changing the nature, function, or condition of…” (Webster’s II)

• adopting and living new “fundamentals”• challenging outdated ways of doing business• embracing, vis-à-vis tolerating, emerging

technology• revolutionary

is

• the status quo under a new label• thinking in today’s paradigms• just changing structure or

changing to “protect” select elements

• evolutionary or “change at the margins”

is not

TransformationTransformation

“Transformation is not an event; it is a process. It is something that involves a mind set, an

attitude, a culture.” Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense

“Being brilliantly good at yesterday’s game is not going to work….If you don’t enjoy and get

excited about change, you can’t be an effective leader.” Tom Peters

“If you don’t like change, you’ll likeirrelevance even less!”

Chief of Staff, Army

Transformation Transformation Involves Change; Involves Change;

No Way Around It!No Way Around It!

Why do some want to “transform” but they don’t want to change?

Why do some want to “transform” but they don’t want to change?

Why is change so hard? Why is change so hard?

“Well, so much for working for change within the system.”

Culture that can stifle ideas

“Yes, but...”

“It’s not in the Budget”“It needs more study” “We tried that before”

“But you haven’tconsidered...”

“Let’s form aCommittee”

“The boss won’t support it”

“It ain’t broke,why change it”

“We haven’t the time”

“It’s not practical”

“We don’t have the people”

Nothing is more difficult than to

introduce a new order. Because the

innovator has for enemies all those who

have done well under the old conditions

and lukewarm defenders in those who

may do well under the new.

Nicolai Machiavelli, 1513 A.D. The Prince

If you don’t knowwhere you’re going,

any road will get you there.

CHANGEREQUIRES BREAKING

THE PARADIGM

Where should we go?Where should we go?

How do we get there?How do we get there?

The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress. Charles F. Kettering

The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress. Charles F. Kettering

Breaking ParadigmsBreaking Paradigms

TRANSFORMATION

PEOPLE………READINESS……..TRANSFORMATION…….

ARMY

…changing the way we arm, train, develop leaders, deploy and

fight to address the conditions we face in the world, effectively.

integrateActive/Reserve

reduce battlespacefootprint

increase strategic

responsiveness

man warfightingunits

develop leadersfor Jointwarfighting & change

provide forwell-being ofsoldiers, family, civilians

clear, long-termstrategy

Managing and sharing Managing and sharing information about information about

people is our center of people is our center of gravity.gravity. standard

processes

accuratedata

input & verifyat action level

best practices: business & IT

empower commanders and soldiers

SIMPLIFY THE SIMPLIFY THE COMPLEXCOMPLEX

Personnel Aspects of Army Personnel Aspects of Army TransformationTransformation

Leading ChangeLeading Change

Establish a sense of urgency Establish a sense of urgency

Form a powerful guiding coalitionForm a powerful guiding coalition

Create a visionCreate a vision

Communicate the visionCommunicate the vision

Empower others to actEmpower others to act

Plan for and create short-term successesPlan for and create short-term successes

Consolidate successes and create more changesConsolidate successes and create more changes

Institutionalize new approachesInstitutionalize new approaches Kotter, Kotter, Leading ChangeLeading Change

Critical to Change . . . .Critical to Change . . . .

Vision

Commitment

Organization

Strategy

What should our core competencies be?

Thinking in Time

Capturing factors & assumptions that will lead us to change

Imagining possible futures/role of the organization in those futures

Anticipating short and long term implications

“The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we

could become.” Charles du Bois

“The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we

could become.” Charles du Bois

Deciding Deciding WhatWhat to Change to Change

“We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.”

Jimmy Carter

“We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.”

Jimmy Carter

"To change and to change for the better are two different things."

German Proverb

"To change and to change for the better are two different things."

German Proverb

“Leaders must understand the interweaving of continuity and change. In other words, it’s just as

important that leaders appreciate what things should not be changed.” John Gardner

“Leaders must understand the interweaving of continuity and change. In other words, it’s just as

important that leaders appreciate what things should not be changed.” John Gardner

REALIZING THE VISION!REALIZING THE VISION!

“There are two kinds of organizations - those that are changing and those that are going out of business” (TRADOC)

CUSTOMERS

LOGISTICS

HUMAN RESOURCES

WORKFORCE

INTEGRATEDPROCESSES

CONTRACTING

•Process Change

•Leader

Development

•Structure

•Funding

thru…

ENVIRONMENT

TECHNOLOGY

PROCESS CHANGEPROCESS CHANGE

Near Term– Quick wins– Business Process Review “on the fly”

–Deliberate– Methodical– Full Business Process Review

PROCESS . . . PROCESS. . . PROCESS

“Too often leaders provide either vision or a set of programs, but not both. Some leaders know where they

want to go, but do not have a plan for getting there; their organizations tend to wander without focus.”

Douglas E. Lute

… a way of thinking about, and a language for describing and understanding the forces and interrelationships that shape the behavior of systems. (Senge, The Fifth Discipline)

Examine totality versus elements one at a time

Model or Map of Reality

Components/elements/functions

Relationships/interactions/interdependencies

Logical Flow

Input

Output

Transformation

Feedback

EnvironmentEnvironment

Systems ThinkingSystems Thinking

You You MustMust Set the Conditions Set the Conditions

Work the concept first. Communicate, communicate, communicate!

“If there is one generalization we make about leadership and change, it is this: No change can occur without willing

and committed followers.” Bennis

Set your azimuth. Focus on how you should conduct operations in the new environment you are anticipating.

Tie business process review to concepts.

Find specific functions by location to work as a laboratory.

Use the correct terms to gain credibility

“Transformation is venture/capital work… You get a few $$, you show something for it, and you get a few more $$; you show something for it, and you get a few more $$…” CSA 8 Feb

You You MustMust Set the Conditions Set the Conditions

You must have a Strategy within the Strategy

Analyze the alternatives and “vet” them

Link your actions to related Transformations or efforts

Articulate the value to your audience(s)

Get “buy in” for successful execution

Don’t sell it as a “be all, end all” plan

Reveal and plan for 2d/3d order effects

Don’t relinquish force structure before progress materializes

Don’t underestimate difficulty/challenges or appear you are

Have a healthy risk mitigation plan for interim solutions

Why Change Efforts FailWhy Change Efforts Fail

• Allowing too much complacency• Failing to create a sufficiently powerful guiding

coalition• Underestimating the power of vision• Under-communicating the vision• Permitting obstacles to block the vision• Failing to create short-term wins• Declaring victory too soon• Neglecting to anchor the changes in the culture

Kotter, Leading Change

“We’ll never get anywhere if you keep asking so many questions, Harry”

“I reached the conclusion that my ability to influence my subordinates was directly proportional to the amount of time

I was willing to listen to them.” Woodmansee

The world hates , yet it is the only The world hates , yet it is the only thing that has brought progress. thing that has brought progress.

Charles F. KetteringCharles F. Kettering

Leading Change

The Work of Strategic Leaders