How many dedicated improvement program leaders have pushed the proverbial boulder up the hill only to watch it roll back down, sometimes flattening the change agents and even the executive sponsor in the process? Why do we focus on the management of change (e.g., the models, processes, methods, plans and tactics) and fail to acknowledge and address the importance of cultural barriers and change leadership? This presentation will explain how to identify and overcome common roadblocks to successful change, including lack of alignment, siloed thinking, decision dysfunction, execution and endurance problems, and missing measurements
2. 2
Background
• Are you struggling to get process improvement to take hold in your
organization?
– Process Improvement Leaders
– Line Managers
• If so, where is your focus?
– Management of change (models, processes, methods, plans, tactics)?
– Cultural barriers and change leadership?
• This presentation will explain how to identify and overcome common
roadblocks to successful change, including lack of alignment, siloed
thinking, decision dysfunction, execution and endurance problems, and
missing measurements
RH
3. 3
Agenda
• What is Organizational Change Leadership
• Common Change Problems
– Lack of Alignment
– Siloed Thinking
– Decision Dysfunction
– Not Seeing it Through
– Missing Measurement
• Assessing Change Readiness & Maturity
• Tailoring Your Improvement Plans
RH
5. 5
Phases of Change
EnergyInvested
End of the old
Source: Bridges 1988, Kubler-Ross 1969
Time
Status
quo
Stunned
paralysis
Denial
Anger,
rage
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance
Exploration
End of the old Beginning of the new
RH
6. 6
Organizational Change…
Management vs.
• Drafting plans
• Establishing baselines
• Selecting models and
frameworks
• Committing/securing resources
to do work
• Designing solutions
• Monitoring and controlling
progress
Leadership
• Creating a Shared Vision
• Communicating vision and
expectations
• Being honest (not just “happy talk”)
• Handling resistance and
dysfunction
• Recognizing and rewarding the
right behaviors
7. 7
Problem #1 - Lack of Alignment
Examples:
• Change goals not tied to stated business strategy, current priorities or
CEO focus
• Change Leaders can’t/don’t sufficiently communicate the vision and its
connections
– Per Kotter – “We underestimate the power of vision”
• Folks trying to make the changes carry the weight without any energy
supplements
– Every decision is hard without direction/inspiration
Source: Leading Change, Kotter 1996
8. 8
Communicating to Your Teams
Can you describe the key reasons why we are doing this?
• We have specific plans to grow
– To reduce new hire ramp-up need common
language (steps, roles, deliverables, tools)
• We need proven, repeatable processes
– New programs perform like established programs out of
the gate
– Deliver more value to clients
– Reduce risks & overruns and maximize profits
• We need CMMI Level 3 Rating
– Opens doors to bid on and win new contracts (and
increase revenues)
– Other divisions will bootstrap their own PI efforts with
our processes and process improvement expertise
9. 9
Key Messages that Must Be
Communicated
• CMMI is a a set of proven, industry best-practices
– Adoption is about learning how to apply
these practices to our work
– The practices may feel awkward and have
limited value until we learn them
– It’s OK to make mistakes – we will get better over time
• CMMI involves short-term investment for long-term gain
– Achieving and maintaining mature processes
is essential to meeting our business goals
• CMMI is an enabler (not a guarantee) of project success
– Other aspects (people, technology, customer relationship, etc.) are also
important
– The value is often risk reduction (which may be difficult to measure)
• When the entire organization is behaving maturely, everyone’s job
becomes easier
• Continuous improvement is a way of life
RH
10. 10
What’s the Vision –
Do you have it?
Marketing will
have a
competitive edge
with certification
CMMI
Level 3
Lower Costs
Less Rework/Waste
More Reuse
Higher Quality
Predictable Results
Our Company
Programs will
Perform better
Outcomes
New Clients
Division Growth
New Faces
New Opportunities
`
Culture
More Change, Not Less
Change is Good!
Culture
Clear Roles
Confident Staff
Empowered Teams
11. 11
Problem#2 - Siloed Thinking
Examples:
• Allowing personal ambitions to rule
– Unwilling to give up power/control
– Performance narrowly measured & rewarded
• Competing vs. cooperating
• Allowing poor coordination to persist (“weak matrix”)
– Collaboration is frowned upon
– Clearly defining the interfaces is not part of improvement program
• Ignoring interdependencies
– Change has intended and unintended effects
12. 12
Problem#3 – Decision
Dysfunction
Examples:
• Who gets to make the decision (in the absences of total consensus)?
• How much authority do you have?
• What are the boundaries?
• Invisible Infrastructure
• Vague Roles
14. 14
Enterprise Governance Structure
People
Critical Business Process Steering Committees
Executive Team
Cross - Functional Vetting Committee
M&A
Council
Product
Council
Process
Technology
Campaign
ToLead
Leadto
Quote
Quoteto
Cash
Accountingto
Reporting
Recruitto
Separate
Orderto
Fulfillment
Incidentto
Close
Targetto
Integration
Strategyto
EndofLife
Mktg Sales Ops Fin HR TS MNF M&A R&D
Enterprise Project Team A Enterprise Project Team C
Enterprise Project Team B
Investment
Council
RH+
15. 15
Problem#4 – Not Seeing it
Through
Examples:
• Lack of (real) short-term wins
• The difference between acceptance and action
• Celebrating too soon
• Withdrawing support after initial push
• Losing interest
• Backsliding is allowed
RH+
16. 16
What Institutionalization Is
“When mentioned in the generic
goal and generic practice
descriptions, institutionalization
implies that the process is ingrained
in the way the work is performed
and there is commitment and
consistency to performing the
process.
An institutionalized process is more
likely to be retained during times of
stress.”
Institutionalization: The ingrained way of doing business that an
organization follows routinely as part of its corporate culture.
- CMMI-DEV v1.2
GP 2.1 Establish an Organizational Policy
GP 2.2 Plan the Process
GP 2.3 Provide Resources
GP 2.4 Assign Responsibility
GP 2.5 Train People
GP 2.6 Manage Configurations
GP 2.7 Identify and Involve Relevant
Stakeholders
GP 2.8 Monitor and Control the Process
GP 2.9 Objectively Evaluate Adherence
GP 2.10 Review Status with Higher Level
Management
GP 3.1 Establish a Defined Process
GP 3.2 Collect Improvement Information
RH
17. 17
Common Features –
A Lost Perspective in CMMI
v1.2!
Commitment to Perform
GP 2.1 Establish an Organizational Policy
Ability to Perform
GP 2.2 Plan the Process
GP 2.3 Provide Resources
GP 2.4 Assign Responsibility
GP 2.5 Train People
GP 3.1 Establish a Defined Process
Verifying Implementation
GP 2.9 Objectively Evaluate Adherence
GP 2.10 Review Status with Higher Level Management
Directing Implementation
GP 2.6 Manage Configurations
GP 2.7 Identify and Involve Relevant Stakeholders
GP 2.8 Monitor and Control the Process
GP 3.2 Collect Improvement Information
RH
18. 18
Problem#5 – Missing
Measurement
Examples:
• Not capturing a baseline first
• No accountability for the validation of ROI
• Lack of interim progress measures
– Where are we against vision?
– What level of institutionalization exists?
RH
19. 19
Assessing Change Readiness
For the organization…
• Current Culture
– Change is norm, cross-functional,
aligned goals, reward structure
• Change History
– Number, breadth, depth of
successful past changes
– Failures/lessons learned
For the specific initiative…
• Vision
– Defined, aligned, communicated…
• Plans and Expectations
– Expectations re: time to change
(what is timeline)
– Expectations re: resistance to
change
– Complexity (breadth/depth) of
planned change
• Change Team (by key role)
– Level of personal belief in change,
chg mgt experience, communication
skills, opinion leadership, openness,
team players…
• Infrastructure
– Long-term personnel support
budgeted, technology/tool support
– Systems exist - Training, Process
Mgt, Reviews, Measures…
Change Capability/Maturity
can be determined.
RH
20. 20
Knowledge is Power
What to do with this?
If you are leading a change/improvement program:
1. Conduct an honest, objective assessment of change readiness and
your “change maturity” level
2. Use results to tailor the improvement roadmap
• Big or sweeping changes may not be possible
• May need to build in additional support to remove roadblocks
RH
21. 21
Summary
• Change is predictability difficult
• Change must be tackled at the organizational and individual level
• Change management is a must, but will fail without change
leadership
– it’s the sine qua non of successful change!
Beth Layman, Layman & Layman
Phone: 321.777.2914
Email: beth@laymanandlayman.com
Web: www.laymanandlayman.com
Rick Hefner, Northrop Grumman
Phone: 310.812.7290
Email: rick.hefner@ngc.com
Notes de l'éditeur
Identifying and Overcoming Roadblocks to Change
Rick Hefner, Northrop Grumman Corporation
Beth Layman, Layman & Layman
2009 Systems and Software Technology Conference
Abstract (94 words)
How many dedicated improvement program leaders have pushed the proverbial boulder up the hill only to watch it roll back down, sometimes flattening the change agents and even the executive sponsor in the process? Why do we focus on the management of change (e.g., the models, processes, methods, plans and tactics) and fail to acknowledge and address the importance of cultural barriers and change leadership? This presentation will explain how to identify and overcome common roadblocks to successful change, including lack of alignment, siloed thinking, decision dysfunction, execution and endurance problems, and missing measurements.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the difference between managing and leading change efforts
Discuss the symptoms of barriers to change, the root causes, and how to address them
Learn how to perform a critical assessment of "change readiness" and use the findings to plan for the change
Learn how to tailor your improvement plans based on organizational readiness and maturity
Bios
Dr. Rick Hefner has over 30 years of experience in software development, research, and management, and has served in industrial, academic, and government positions. He has over 80 publications and conference presentations, and is an SEI-authorized Instructor, CMMI Lead Appraiser, and Six Sigma Black Belt. Dr. Hefner currently serves as the Director of Process Management at Northrop Grumman. Northrop Grumman has been an industry leader in CMMI adoption, and over 40 Northrop Grumman organizations have been externally appraised at CMMI Level 5.
Beth Layman is a successful process improvement consultant, facilitator, instructor, and coach with over 25 years of experience in the high tech sector. She is a recognized authority on measurement, a published author, and a popular speaker. Her experience encompasses a wide range of commercial, government, aerospace, and product software organizations. Beth has a track record of providing high value consulting services yielding tangible results to satisfied clients. She has worked both independently and with the Quality Assurance Institute, TeraQuest Metrics, Inc., McCabe and Associates, Software Quality Engineering, and other consulting firms to provide training and interactive workshops, assessments, management consulting, and coaching in process definition, management, and improvement, software and performance measurement, project and portfolio management, software quality assurance, and other software engineering methods. Beth's consulting credentials are supported by time spent in industry as an individual contributor, change agent and senior executive. Early in her career, she worked for software product and IT organizations as a programmer, analyst, project coordinator, and quality assurance manager. She was COO of TeraQuest and helped manage the acquisition and successful integration of the company. Recently, she worked inside Borland Software and McAfee Software to establish worldwide employee development, software and business process improvement, and enterprise-level portfolio management programs and project management offices. Beth is an SEI Authorized CMMI® Lead Appraiser and is co-author of Practical Software Measurement: Objective Information for Decision Makers.
Defining Organizational Change Management = Successfully managing the changing of something that’s currently being done (or not being done) within the organization
So what’s the overall process? To leave the present state, the organization needs to modify something that’s being done (or not being done), go through a stage of unlearning and learning, then become comfortable with the new way of doing things. This shows change as “unfreezing and then re-freezing” the organization. “Freezing” the new way takes time and effort, and productivity generally suffers in the transition.
Present State – where we currently are. A need has been identified for a change (capability improvement)
Transition State – the disruption that WILL happen. There will be a loss of productivity when the organization is transitioning. Change management is about managing the amount of time and money spent in transition.
There’s an Ice Cube demonstration that provides a metaphor for how to best conduct transition:
Have two ice cubes
#1 –put ice cube on ground and smash it with your heel (or hammer)
#2 - hold the other ice cube in your palm and let it melt slowly into a bowl
These represent 2 ways change transition can happen.
Which is easier to put back together?
Desired State – Change has been implemented and business value has been returned. The desired state is at a higher productivity level.
Another definition is “The altering of people’s actions and behaviors -- evidenced by choices made, not intentions espoused.”
Highlights that fact that change is both individual and organizational
We spend a lot of time talking about the how to’s of process improvement and measurement. That is all fine and good, but one thing I’ve discovered with age and experience is that we (me included) spend too much time on the management of change and fail to address the critically important, harder, and albeit, softer, side – that of change leadership.
By Lack of Alignment, I mean that the change initiative is not shown to be connected to or in perfect alignment with (e.g., supporting) the achievement of the higher levels goals of the enterprise. “Because it’s the right thing to do” is not an answer! Why is it right? How is it connected to X? How does it support Y?
Obvious solution – think it out and write it down, then communicate the heck out of it – 7 times – 7 ways.
In my role as a process improvement coach and consultant, I often coach the management team – in this case, I played jeopardy with them during one of their meetings – I had a series of prepared questions and answers. One example of something I challenged to be able to answer and communicate to their staff is shown here.
Another way is to provide a visual of the “vision”. This communicates the rationale with a few expectations thrown in – more change, not less, for example.
Notice that the outcomes align with both corporate goals and with individual goals.
Change almost always spills over organizational boundaries – this is part of what makes it so hard. If people weren’t involved, this would all be so easy, right?
A clear indication of siloed thinking is when you find little/no cross-functional teams or committees of any kind – RUN! This is a senior leadership failure of magnitude 10 on the rictor scale.
Allowing personal ambitions to rule – when each department is it’s own fiefdom; when each manager is allows to care only about how good they look
Story of BPR – order operations – if we just could make the quote department do x
Examples: IT Portfolio Management without proper governance structure
Example 1 of 2 of Decision Dysfunction
For a larger organization, there might be executive oversight as well, and the PI Leadership Group might function for the whole organization -- or the structure from MSG down might be repeated across major divisions or departments.
The representation on the PATs depends on how far across the organization the processes will span.
Example 2 of 2 of Decision Dysfunction
Enterprise Portfolio Management requires a similar structure with upper and middle management and cross-functional project teams that are spawned based on the proposals selected. The Vetting Committee needs a charter and processes for things like proposal evaluation and selection. The Steering Committees need charters and processes for things like developing a long-term improvement roadmap and proposal. And, of course, the projects need a full set of charters and governance/processes.
People will become even more skeptical if you try to feed them a line of bull about having achieved something if you haven’t and don’t have data – in God we trust, all others bring data.
Senny-quanon - An essential or indispensible element.
Sine – without
Qua – that/which
Non - nothing