Leading Fearless Change in Organizations

1
Leading Fearless Change in Organizations

• Dr. Mary Lynn Manns
• University of North Carolina at Asheville
• manns_at_unca.edu
• www.cs.unca.edu/manns

2
The Project

• Begun around 1998, Manns Rising
• Patterns
• A pattern is a recurring, successful technique
• Each pattern has a name
• Acquired from people worldwide
• Change theories based on
• Rogers, E.M. (1995). Diffusion of Innovations.
• New York The Free Press.
• Fear Less (Addison Wesley Publishing Co.)

3
The Patterns

• www.cs.unca.edu/manns/intropatterns.html
• Roles
• Getting off the ground
• Events
• Handling resistance
• Keeping things going
• etc. etc. etc.

4
True or FalseIt is best for the boss to
introduce changes into the organization.
5
Other Leaders

• Evangelist
• Dedicated Champion
• Local Sponsor
• Corporate Angel
• Respected Guru
• Connectors
• Early Adopters
• etc. etc. etc.

6
True or FalseIf youre smart (you are!) and you
know what to do (you do!), then you dont need a
lot of help from other people to introducethe
new idea.
7
Why shouldnt you do it alone?

• Ask for Help
• Involve Everyone
• Group Identity
• Shoulder to Cry On
• Guru Review
• etc. etc. etc.

8
True or FalseIf we can help people understand
the value in the new idea, they will accept it.
9
Different people accept new ideas at different
rates

• Do you know these people?
• This is new so it is cool.
• This is an interesting idea, but I want to hear
  more before making a decision.
• I want to see what other people think about the
  new idea before I make a decision.
• Ill accept the new idea when I have to.
• Its always been done this way why do we have
  to introduce anything new?

10
Different people accept new ideas at different
rates

• The Innovator (2.5)
• The Early Adopter (13.5)
• The Early Majority (34)
• The Late Majority (34)
• The Laggard (16)
• So what?

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How do you handle andmake use of different
people?

• Innovator
• Early Adopter
• Early Majority

12
True or FalseThe best way to deal with people
who are against the new idea is to try to keep
them out of the way.
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Dealing with the skeptics

• Fear Less
• Bridge Builder
• Champion Skeptic
• Corridor Politics
• Whisper in the Generals Ear
• Trial Run
• etc. etc. etc.

14
True or FalseWhen you wish to introduce a new
idea into your organization, you need a specific
plan for how you are going to do it.
15
No master plan What do you do instead?

• Test the Waters
• Step by Step
• Time for Reflection
• Small Successes
• Sustained Momentum
• etc. etc. etc.

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Some Other Patterns

• Events Brown Bag, Study Group, Hometown Story,
  Big Jolt, etc.
• Tailor Made
• Piggyback
• Personal Touch
• etc. etc. etc.

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Go out andlead great changesin the world!