Ride the Waves of Organizational Transition

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Ride the Waves of Organizational Transition
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute 6th National
Conference Park City, Utah 2009

• Ara Rogers, University of So. Florida
• Ruth Heller, University of Oregon

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Objectives

• Describe a model of organizational development
  that includes stages, transitions, and
  opportunity for renewal
• Discuss our transitional situations
• Network with others who are facing similar
  transitions
• Consider strategies for facilitating transitions
  in our OLLIs

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Our Interest in this Topic

• Our OLLIs are experiencing change
• But encountering resistance, fear and concern,
  even with good change
• Were learning better ways to view change and to
  help OLLI members, leaders and staff deal with
  change

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Organizational Development

• Similarities to Adult Development
• It turns out that organizations experience
• Stages
• Crises
• Transitions
• Just as individuals do!

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The Seasons of An Organization

• Dreaming the Dream
• Launching the Venture
• Getting Organized
• Making It
• Becoming an Institution
• Closing In
• Dying
• - Or -
• Choosing the Path of Renewal

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The Early Stages

• Dreaming the Dream
• Conception organization is but an idea
• Focus articulating the dream, engaging others in
  it
• Launching the Venture
• Organizations infancy and childhood
• Focus operating by seat of the pants no
  formal systems

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The Middle Stages

• Getting Organized
• May feel like going backward or slowing down
• Focus predictable activities, processes,
  specialized roles, formal definitions, financial
  controls, policies
• Making It
• Adulthood org. has what it needs to become
  significant player
• Focus expansion, growth, greater complexity
• Becoming an Institution
• Maturity org. has its reputation not earning
  it
• Focus from doing to being, from results achieved
  to impressions made

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The Late Stages

• Closing In
• Decaying occurs imperceptibly out of
  self-satisfaction
• Customers importance declines focus on rules
  or status
• Without market/public/customer pressure, can
  become unresponsive bureaucracy.
• Dying
• No results orientation, inclination to change,
  teamwork only systems, rules, procedures, forms
  
• Connections to the outside world are narrow

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Organizational Renewal

• The alternative to Closing In and Dying
• Does not occur by changing specific practices or
  values. Rather, it occurs by taking the
  organization back to the start of its life cycle.
  
• The organization has to choose not Closing In
  but Renewal instead

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Between the stages, and particularly when
experiencing organizational rebirth, lies
transitionAnd the organizations immune
system is set up to reject change, transition
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Change vs. Transition

• Change

• Transition

• Is situational new site, new boss, new policy,
  new situation
• Is external, and often imposed

• The psychological process people go through to
  come to terms with the new situation
• Is internal

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Your OLLI has likely experienced change. But, is
it in transition?

• Things feel wrong, uncomfortable
• People are unhappy and/or anxious
• Theres a sense of being unsettled and/or
  ambiguity
• Perhaps youve had a trigger event and may or
  may not recognize it

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Trigger Events

• Monetary issues
• Rapid growth or capacity issues
• Space or new building issues
• Organizational changes
• Changes in key or host staff, losing founder
• Turnover in key volunteer leaders or
  personalities
• Shifting core programming or delivery methods
• Other? (Please jot down your ideas to share)

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The Human Side of Change

• Transition . . .
• Is a process people go through. It is not an
  event.
• Is the experience people have when an
  organization is moving from one stage to the
  next.
• Enables people to orient themselves to doing
  things in a new way.
• . . . requires time.

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About Transitions

• Transitions start with endings
• Endings involve letting go
• There is a necessary period of adjustment before
  we are prepared to accept and handle change
• We need to understand the process in order to
  guide our organizations and people successfully
  through the transitional period
• Unless transition occurs, change will not work
• Transitions are essential and largely inevitable

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What Transitions Look Like
The New Beginning
The Neutral Zone
Ending, Losing, Letting Go
Time
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Why is Understanding Transition Important?

• Youre likely to try to rush through a transition
  and be discouraged when you cannot do so
• You may be frightened in this no-mans land and
  try to escape
• Youll lose a great opportunity

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Transitional periods are the individuals and the
organizations best chance for creativity,
renewal, and development
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WHAT IS YOUR TRANSITIONAL SITUATION?

• Let us consider together. . .

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Managing Transitions

• Endings
• Recognize, name loss
• Neutral zone
• Reframe as time of opportunity
• New beginning
• Reinforce fresh start, new beginnings

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Recognize, Name and Manage Loss

• Mark the endings
• Define whats over and what isnt
• Treat the past with respect
• Accept the reality and importance of the
  subjective losses
• Acknowledge losses openly, sympathetically
• Expect, accept the signs of grieving
• Compensate for the losses

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Neutral Zone as Opportunity

• Normalize and redefine the neutral zone
• Design temporary systems to bridge old-new
• Use this period to improve service and design new
  services
• Strengthen connections within the group
• Enlist eyes and ears to keep you tuned in to
  the organizations zeitgeist

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Reinforce New Beginnings

• Be consistent avoid conflicting messages
• In communications
• In your actions
• Ensure quick successes
• Symbolize the new identity
• Celebrate the successes

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Communicate, Communicate

• Give information . . . again and again
• Talk to individuals and see what problems they
  have with the proposed changes
• Talk about the transition process

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The Four Ps of Transition Communications

• Communicate connection and concern
• Purpose why we have to transition
• Picture what things will look and feel like
  once through
• Plan step-by-step, how we will get there
• Part what you can do to help us through

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Five Laws of Transition

• Beware those who benefit from the status quo
• Those most at home under the current system are
  the ones most likely to view the next phase as a
  setback
• Success breeds transition
• Success in any phase triggers that phases demise
  by creating challenges the organization cannot
  handle
• Lose your blankie
• In any significant transition, the thing that the
  organization needs to let go of is the very thing
  that got it this far

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The Five Laws, contd

• 4. Hurting? Good!
• Whenever there is a painful, troubled time in the
  organization, a developmental transition is going
  on.
• And, finally. . .
• 5. You can run, but. . .
• Failure to undergo a transition when the time is
  ripe for one to occur will cause a developmental
  retardation in the organization.

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Recommended Resources

• Bridges, W. (2009). Managing Transitions Making
  the Most of Change,3rd Ed.
• Business Balls Ethical Learning and Development
  http//tinyurl.com/y9sajsh
• Free Management Library Organizational Change
  and Development http//tinyurl.com/yep6yyx

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THANKS

• Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth,
  the egg of the phoenix.
• Christina Baldwin