CHANGING MINDSETS

CHANGING MINDSETS

Ensuring The Future Of Asian Organizations

Victor S.L. Tan

UNDERSTANDING CHANGE

There is endless talk about change everywhere, especially so in the corporate world.  Change can certainly be painful, disruptive and it cost a lot too.  Thus it is helpful to analyze the various forces of change that is affecting the organizations.

Diagram 1: The Forces of Change

There are two ways organization go about change that is either undertake reactive change or proactive change.  Proactive approach to change is the best way to manage the timing of change.  But change is always beaten by the status quo because status quo seems to be safer, based on past and proven practices.  On the other hand, change is often painful, ambiguous, risky and unrewarding.

Diagram 2: Powerful Reasons to Change

The seven-stage process to manage change developed by KL Strategic Change Consulting is as illustrated in Diagram 3.

Diagram 3: Seven-Stage Process

THE CHALLENGES OF CHANGE

Change is the most powerful force today , but many organizations are still tangled up in all kinds of internal operation gap and syndromeswhich prevent them from changing fast enough.

Diagram 4: Most Critical Internal Operation Gap

Diagram 5: Internal Down Syndromes

CHANGING MINDSETS

80% to 90% of change programs failed from lack of understanding of the work force.  This is due to many change programs’ activities and plans focus on process, technology, strategy or organizational structure but none on the people’s mindset.  The solution to successful implementation of change goes beyond ordinary theories of motivation.  It is important to understand the mindset of the work force.

Diagram 6: The 4-Mindset Model

Asian managers need to undergo a critical mindset shift.  Problems arise from the way people look at things.  The strengths of an organization today may well become its very weaknesses tomorrow.

Diagram 7: 10 Basic Shifts In Mindset

Nos.	Shift In Mindset
1.	From being reactive to being pro-active
2.	From being problem-oriented to being solution driven
3.	From being generating fear to being inculcating confidence
4.	From being activity-oriented to being value-oriented
5.	From being shirking responsibility to being taking responsibility
6.	From being exhibiting distrust to being developing trust
7.	From stifling capability to liberating abilities and talents
8.	From flaunting authority to using the power of influence
9.	From being inward-looking to being outward-looking
10.	From resisting change to leading change

CHANGE WINNERS HABITS

The people who work in organizations may have the change winner’s mindset.  Change winners are not born, they are man-made.

Diagram 8: Common Characteristics Of Change Winners

To survive the turbulent and accelerating change, organizations have to learn, unlearn and re-learn on continuous basis.  To be a learning organization, an organization need to provide the necessary support and ensure that learning takes place within the whole group in the work place.

Diagram 9: Characteristics Of Learning Organization

IMPLEMENTING SUCCESSFUL CHANGE

Diagram 10: Strategies To Implementing Successful Change

NOS.	STRATEGY	STEPS
1.	STRATEGIC CHANGE MODEL	1.   Assess external and internal change drivers 2.   Organization diagnosis 3.   Change decision 4.   Change plan formulation 5.   Change implementation 6.   Change monitoring
2.	OVERCOMING CATCH-22 SITUATIONS	1.   Managing the chance to prove oneself 2.   Motivating without financial incentives 3.   Bridging the responsibility-authority gap 4.   Managing difficult people 5.   Acting decisively without clear direction 6.   Changing the organization when it is not ready 7.   Managing the top
3.	CREATING CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR CHANGE	1.   Develop a compelling vision 2.   Build a climate of trust and openness 3.   increase credibility of leadership 4.   make it safe for people to take risks 5.   provide supporting structure 6.   make work fun and meaningful 7.   get people to question basic assumptions
4.	REDUCING RESISTENCE TO CHANGE	1.   Communicate change 2.   Provide clear direction 3.   breakdown complacency 4.   Involve people 5.   Address people’s concerns 6.   Build trust 7.   Provide support
5.	INCREASING ONE’S CREDIBILITY CAPITAL	1.   Practice what you preach 2.   Be consistent 3.   Increase your knowledge and expertise 4.   Be in control of yourself 5.   Develop ‘can do’ attitude 6.   Be fully committed to a goal 7.   Uphold a high-level of professionalism

Diagram 11 Change Commitment Model

QUOTES FROM THE BOOK

1.            Change is the law of life.  And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.

- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

2.            People’s minds are changed through observation and not through argument

- Will Rogers

3.            So much of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to work

- Peter F. Drucker

4              A pessimist is a person who sees difficulties within an opportunity, whereas an optimist sees opportunities within a difficulty

- Anonymous

5.            If a problem has no solution, it is not a problem but a fact of life like any other.  If a problem has a solution, it is not a problem either.  The problem is the strength of will and determination to adopt the solution.

- Richard Needham

6.            It is attitude and not aptitude that determines one’s altitude in life

- Anonymous

7.            Give a man a fish a day; you feed him for one day.  Teach him how to fish, you feed him for life.

- Anonymous

8.            No one is so perfect that he does not need at times the advice of others

- Baltasar Gracian

9.            There’s a difference between interest and commitment.  When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient.  When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results

- Kenneth Bianchard