Leadership Intentions Really Matter:

1
Leadership Intentions Really Matter A Basis for
Action
Dr. Thomas A Browdy Washington University
2
Intriguing Questions

• Why is it a technology is transferred
  successfully in one organization and in another
  it is not?
• Related question Why is it some technologies are
  transferred in an organization and other
  technologies are not?

3
History of an Inquiry

• Technology - Computer Aided Software Engineering
• Panel of experts
• Two surveys Sponsored by vendors
• Look for common thread Factors that account for
  success

Cause-Effect Reasoning
4
Success Factors

• Criticality of I.S. to business
• Upper management involvement
• Formal evaluation of the technology
• Pilot project deployment
• Strong leadership
• Outsiders used
• End users involvement

Cause-Effect Reasoning
5
Successful Transfers

• Financial Institution I.S. critical to
  businessUpper mgmt sold by I.S.Information
  Evaluation teamPreviously estimated project came
  in under the time constraint (always wanted the
  system but couldnt marshal resources)Needed For
  survival of I.S.Intense up front training
  (selected people sent off to boot camp)Located
  staff together with users

• Large Food Co. I.S. support for business
  Upper mgmt unaware Project came with
  consulting contract Used on next projects
  scheduled Hired consultants with I-CASE
  knowledge Staff learned beside consultants
  End users unaware of the technology

6
Successful Transfers

• Small Food Mfg Co.I.S. support for business
  (some critical applications)Upper mgmt buffered
  from tool evaluation and impactFormal evaluation
  (RFP)Used on small pilot project and learned a
  lot, next was a critical systemStrong leadership
  actions This will work Job description
  changedGot them into development business
  againUsed consultants for training, but
  consultants were learning as wellEnd users
  uninvolved
• Air Transportation Co.I.S. critical to the
  businessLong term mgmt decision (sr. VP of
  finance)Not justified in a pure financial
  sensePut together a very large evaluation
  teamUsed on a foundation system. Couldnt be
  done within the time-frame without itInitially
  wanted an integrated data environmentHeavy
  competitive pressure (hand to bit the bullet or
  lose out)Extensive training (all the vendor
  offered)

7
Success Factors
Large Food X
Small Food X X X X X
Finan X X X X
Airline X X X X X
Criticality of I.S. to business Upper management
involvement Formal evaluation Pilot Project
deployment Strong leadership Outsiders used End
users involvement
8
Success Factors
Large Food X
Small Food X X X X X
Finan X X X X
Airline X X X X X
Criticality of I.S. to business Upper management
involvement Formal evaluation Pilot Project
deployment Strong leadership Outsiders used End
users involvement
9
Key Issue

• How leaders thought about the change mattered -
  their INTENTIONS

10
Leaders Intentions
Experimental
Process
Strategic
Cultural
11
Leaders Intentions
Assumed Intentions
Strategic
Exper
Cultural
Process
Intentions
Exper
Leaders Intentions
Process
Strategic
Cultural
12
Examples of Implementation
Permitting Conditions ----------------------------
------ Organic Overlay in a mechanistic
organization Center for Machine Intelligence
Experimental
Process
Project Management Capability Maturity Model
Strategic
Cultural
13
Examples of Implementation
Experimental
Process
Strategic Planning BPR Value Chain Analysis
Strategic
Assumption Surfacing Metaphor Analysis Re-missioni
ng
Cultural
14
Goal Setting and Intentions
Goal Difficulty
Low
High
Near
Goal Specificity
Low
Worst
Worst
Near
High
Best
Best
15
Goal Setting and Intentions
Goal Difficulty
Low
High
Near
Exper
Goal Specificity
Cultural
Low
Worst
Worst
Near
Strategic
Process
High
Best
Best
16
Intentions Mismatch
What is assumed to be the intention is not the
actual predominant intention.

• Intentions for approval vs. intention for
  implementation
• Communication breakdowns
• Possibilities Unclear

17
Produce products using leading-edge technology
and leading-edge engineering concepts.
Case
Leaders Intentions by Organizational Unit
5
4
3
2
1
0
Home
Saturn
Venus
Mars
Pluto
Unit
Unit
Unit
Unit
Unit
Experimental
Process
Strategic
Culture
18
Key Comments
Everybody is hiding in the weeds waiting for
someone to walk out into the clearing
We need to get this technology used - fully
deployed.
19
Case
The dynamics of technology transfer have a
relationship to the intrinsic social practices of
technology usage.
Dynamics Traditional technology 7-9 year life
cycleModern technology 2-3 year life
cycle Deployment cycle is 3-4 years
20
Reverse Hawthorn Effect
Multiple cycles of technology occur before
implementation of one or more can take place.
Tech Results
Tech Intro
Tech Intro
Tech Results
Initiate Implem
Realize Implem
21
Reverse Hawthorn Effect
Hawthorn Effect

• Worker behavior and sentiments are closely
  related.
• Group influences were significant in affecting
  individual behavior.
• Group standards were highly effective in
  establishing individual worker output.
• Money was less a factor in determining worker
  output than group standards, sentiments, and
  security.

22
Reverse Hawthorn Effect

• HAWTHORN EFFECTGroup attained a special status
  by how researchers treated them.

REVERSE HAWTHORN EFFECT Personalized attention
to the newest technologies decreases the effect
of special attention they used to stand for.
The current organization will not permit an
effective process improvement use of new
technology. The original intrinsic practice of
using new technology is a barrier.
The thing (i.e. usage of new technologies) that
was associated with why individuals at first
participated in the organization became highly
resisted for the employees with longer tenure.
23
Leaders Intentions
Assumed Intentions
Exper
Cultural
Process
Strategic
Intentions
Exper
Leaders Intentions
Process
Strategic
Cultural
Reverse Hawthorn Effect
Over experimentation leads to resistence for
process mprovements.
24
Leaders Intentions
Assumed Intentions
Exper
Cultural
Process
Strategic
Intentions
Exper
Leaders Intentions
Process
Strategic
Cultural
Britannica Disorder
I just want to do better incrementally and not be
concerned about sweeping changes to the context
within which we compete.
25
Leaders Intentions
Assumed Intentions
Exper
Cultural
Process
Strategic
Intentions
Exper
Leaders Intentions
Process
Strategic
Cultural
Jurassic Park Syndrome
Just when I think I have it nailed down,
everything seems to change.
26
Leaders Intentions
Assumed Intentions
Exper
Cultural
Process
Strategic
Intentions
Exper
Leaders Intentions
Process
Strategic
Cultural
Hawthorn Effect
I assume they really care even though they claim
its just a trial run.
27
Leaders Intentions
What Actually Happens
If a situation calls for you to do something you
cannot do, you will do something you can do, if
you do anything at all.
Everybody is hiding in the weeds waiting for
someone to walk out into the clearing
Basic level of assumption needs changing A
cultural change.
28
Models
Freedom
Context
Cause-Effect
Dynamic
Human
Context
Reinvention
Actions
Intentions
Nec
Addtl
Technology
Outcomes
Collateral
Logical
29
When to use which model
Intentions
Models
Experimental
Freedom
Process
Cause-Effect
Strategic
Context
Cultural
Dynamic