How to lead change and bring your entire team into the improvement process?

In my opinion, change must be seen as a work process, as a value stream of work that moves a business organisation from one operating state to another more effective state. We must stop seeing it as a transaction, but as a core process of businesses that is required to stay competitive. We should continuously look for little tweaks and adjustments to enhance the efficiency of the process in small ways

I believe the best approach to lead change is to structure the company around value streams. A value stream is all the activities, both value-added and non-value-added required to bring a product or service from concept to launch and from order to delivery. Reorganising or restructuring operations around value streams should generally follow pilot project and kaizen team events.

For leading a change(improvement) in process of a system, we should discuss the things with open mind with relevent  persons as per availability of space . Collective knowledge is the cream which is found after churning of thoughts.  The leader should be Roll Model for the team members and have confidence of the entire team. First the leader should discuss the things in round table conference and later  in person as well to go the depth of the root cause of the problem why this improvement is the  necessity of the time and get feed back about how to implement  it and what are necessary precautions needed? The leader has to monitor the (+-) observations in the span of the process and correct it immediatly with the consent of the team members. The leader should be problem solving with Positive attitude and Honest in handling grivances of the concerned Team Members impartially. Where there is a will , there is a way.In one sentence the leader  should have confidence of team members and good human being first. 

Normally people dont want to change because they believe that change involve pain but it is important for company to change.

Change can be accepted or resisted by an employees in the organization it depends that change match with their ability or not. So before change company should go for training & development of employees to make them interested in the change. It leads co-operative environment.

Friends, so much has been written, practiced and failed in the realm of this enigma called "change". Everyone who can be someone wants to become a protagonist to change; some change. Good, very good indeed.

But what do you want to change, why and how would you embark upon the process of change? Remember Lee Iacoca! And remember a young fellow called Harshvardhan (hope I do recollect his name right, the one who headed Vayudoot at a young age of some 29 years or something). History must be replete with such heroes (or failures) who may be wanting to change, becuase change is natural and so on.

Whilst I may not like to completely negate or discourage someone initiating such a debate, it must be said at the very outset that the sole question that must be in the mind of a person commencing a change process - what is that you want to change, how much, in what time, by what means and upto what degree of success to become acceptable/visible as a change.

I would like to change the way India is being (ill)administered. The way politicians and bureaucrats and engineers and judiciary and doctors and janitors and taxmen and all those who are there in public or private service are (ill)performing their tasks. Look at Air India. Last night their Director for Communications was telling lies blatantly and hoodwinking a nation. Bureaucracy has meticulously marred this lovely organisation. But can you do anything; though one would like to.

Aim of saying all this is that before even thinking of changing something please draw out for your self a map of how much do you want to change; in fact what is within your control to change and then start. Your databank of experience will be the bedrock and your communication skills your shaping tool. And if you do not possess the capability to stand at the end of your actions of change and view the process from the end point, you may be in wrong business.

Change, perhaps has seen many a book written on one single subject than any other subject. Yet no two situations have similar solution. And that's why people do not succeed changing anything by reading those books. You got to be a damn good leader to see the results of your efforts. And leadership is not taught. It is constantly innovated at the stand point of your daily failures (and also successes). Wordsmithy is one good virtue for some kind of success in this arena and the truth of your conviction your main plank.

And a chage to be of some GOOD, must endure.

Thanks and all the Very BEST.

Friends,

Huge number of Americans wrote books commencing "HOW........" and got rich especially during the seventies and eighties. Even now, we do see some on this "How" trying to tell all others (we gullibles) as to how to do what all to perform better in such and such field. They (tHose writers) became rich by trying to sell an idea which by and large was all fiction or at the max worked in a particular situation. Will that idea work effectively and successfully in another situation, is yet to be proved. In fact I also a book while I was a student over 35 years ago on "How to make friends and influence people" and ended up winning nothing.

My pijnt is plain and simple.

As the adage goes, each and every situation is as different as people living those. If that be so, and it indeed is so, then let's at best try to share our experiences, our knowledges, our successes and our failures while dealing with those situations. Rather than trying to tell otheR as to what is to be done to become successful in as complex a phenomenon as setting out on a change process.

My faith lies in the simple aspect of leading or initiating a change - let us understand the whats and the whys. Hows will in any case come about.

May I recommend to all our participating firends that let us share as to what to do to improive our stocks, our organisations and why.

My firm belief is that we lot on TooStep do possess cerebral inventory to find answers to our difficulties and make ourselves and our orgnaisation, smarter.

May I bring to fore another dimension inexorably linked to changing anything.

We must not just pick up any idea form somewhere and set out to bring about a change. Cliched endeavours towards change will meet a stalemate sooner than otherwise.

Change whilst being serious professional work requires one to first map the processes involved in any system. It may well be that under the circumstances, the processes are being run fairly efficiently. In that case though there may be some scope to change, it is important that we study the flaws and gaps in the systemic processes very closely and in a professional manner. Will the people who have to implement the change process(es) work towards the success of such an effort? Will they understand the need for change in the first place?

In order to garner support for our ideas for change, we must locate very tangible benefits for the people at the grass root level and not so tangible ones for more educated/highly skilled people. If we can do that we may like to speak and argue with the people, may be with a more enlightened section of them, regards our newer ideas and how will they benefit the people, the organisation and perhaps enhance our market share & raise our efficiency.

People must see themselves intrinsically reflected in the entire process otherwise they will resist it tooth and nail. As it is there may be enough resistance for two fears namely - fear of failure for some and fear of success for a few antagonists.

May (in the light vein) I remind you what Mirza Ghalib had once said - ek aag ka dariya hai aur doob ke jaana hai - it is a river of fire and we have to swim it through underfire (literal translation). To understand the very purport, it does not need an Einstein. Suffice to state that it is difficult. Very difficult. But if successfully accomplished, it is an open bliss. Real BLISS latent in the process.

Please feel free to write to me for I have done some very serious work in the related field, and with success, by His Kind Grace.

Have a Good Day.

CHANGES in any factor follows parabolic curve and it increases with time and attends peak and than start decreasing.................

The faster application does amplify the effect but takes time for settlement..... and nothing can result immediately.. but it will apprear in results slowly and slowly........

As far as the old organizations are concerned they take normally higher time for changes as the SET MENTALITY of work personnel, SET Rules and Procedures of Working (SOP), Higher resistance for changes can be seen in these kind of organizations... The older the organization becomes it loses the Flexibility and adaptability for changes....

What can be done is reducing the time for accepting the changes and slightly modifying the set of Rules and Regulations.. complete change may put in trouble....

Secondly the Point that will make biggest sense is TRANSPARENCY in Communication... The one has to convey the message to the implementer about the benefits that one/organization will be getting after making changes... The comparative benefits can be put up( Between Present and planned Stage) and convinced about the benefits of changes... this is wat I feel the best way to involve the team and can even ask for some suggestions that may help organizations to implement the things faster.... This will not only make them understand about changes to be done but also involve in the process.. the major factor that will help is again recognition and then promoting them by giving monitory and non monitory benefits ( awards, increment etc).... this will also encourage others in certain extent and increase involvement ............

This is wat I feel best way to involve your team to improvement process......

I think one way to lead change and bring the entire team into the improvement process is through widespread idea generation by the team members and timely evaluation and implementation of these ideas by the process leaders with different rewards for each idea generated and each idea implemented. This will not only bring positive change, but, at the same time, also instill confidence and motivation in the team to further the idea of change.

In my Openion, to lead any change you must choose change leaders in your team. You must know the capability & resistence to change in your team. Once you are over with that then make change plan & let your team to implemet the change.

For example; You you want to improve HR practice in your organisation. set a openion pole from all employees regarding best HR person in company other than HR head. Make a small team according to your company size. Make HR head team lead. Give next position to the best HR person. Now ask them to implement the HR practice company wants to implement. Give them target time to implement. Suggest them to make a CFT from all departments & rewards department wise. Collect feedback quarterly from all departments to moniter the change. If things are positive then appriciate them or bring them on table apprictiate for their effort, review there planning. Again ask if they need any support. Always trust your team & let them know how much you trust on their capabilty. Your team can do wonders for organisation.

People who contribute to the concept and ready to accpt changes must be recognised and then be rewarded

It's a Universal Phenomena that Change is Inevitable in all sphere of life. One who cannot change shall be left behind in this race of global development and shall pay the prices later on.

There are few basic rules to be followed in order to benifit from the change .

1) Motiovate, first

2) Training for adaptability, second

3) Assignment, Third

4) Fix the Responsibility, Fourth

5) Evaluate and Assessment, Fifth

6)Reward, Promotion and Recognition, Sixth

But I feel sorry to say that in today's corporate world, people are more keen to take the credit of success himself/herself rather than acknowledging the success of the peers. This negates the entire system and become a hindrance to any change.

There are other thumb nail rules also to revert the negativity , pls remain in touch.

I my opinion change which leads to positive motivation in your team is the way to improvement

Dear friends,

I would like to address a new type of dispersion. I am very honestly not aware whether such a topic has ever been discussed by anyone. But this site perhaps has provided me with a canvas on which I can spread my own colours.

Yes, indeed dispersion remains within the realms of scientific discussions.

But I have been constantly trying to figure out if dispersion of something else exists amongst the humans. It is the dispersion of a subtle force called Leadership. In my humble opinion it is a form of leadership quite apart from the situational or charismatic kind of leadership. It is a virtue that always pervades almost the entire spectrum of our activities yet we have perhaps, never deliberated on this.

In my life spanning over 55 years, I constantly felt intrigued by the fact that when a new leader appears on the scene of an organisation, what actually happens? Somewhere along the line I felt that when any such person enters the lives of others, there is some kind of expectation. Some kind of apprehension. Some kind of nervousness in the environment. Some kind of fear. Some people tend to become very observant, yet some remain overtly unconcerned. Whilst others just wait and watch.

But the air around gets definitely filled with a new fragrance, a new freshness. The intensity of this fragrance is more if the Organisation has not been performing to its true potential.

I would want to call this "Dispersion of Leadership".

I would invite from the friends whoever reads this piece, whether it makes any sense to them, or is it my mere feeling which may not have any psychological basis. But if tHis gut Feeling be true, we may be looking at something beyond the realms of persoan charisma of a certain kennedy, beyond the magnetism of a macArthur or sheer force of personality of a certain Patton or Bill Gates or anyone else for that matter.

With hopes to get some feedback.

09881414267, sksharma267@yahoo.co.in

Nice topic Ms Roy... I think that proper documentation must be done on the processes or value streams that are used in the company's change initiatives, these may include vision creation, communication, tool redesign, tool deployment, etc. The work of process improvement is never done, the organization can hold Kaizen events periodically as well as more frequent and must held informal meetings where suggestions can be discussed and tested.

One way is to improve the quality of the product and reducing the cycle time. This is a continual process.

Change in itself needs to come from the set of individuals participating in it. Attitude plays a major role in accepting the need to innovate, invent and accept change as an individual and then as a group of individuals to contribute to the organization in perspective. Process, policies, metrics will come later when the acceptance to improvement has been effected across individuals

1st it is needed to identify the process of change and needed to design how to implement it. Then it is neccesary to gather the ideas from the enviorenment and from the team to improove the outcome of change or the procedure of implementing. Then it is ready to proceede change and can implement by using motivational, and administrative thoeries with the counseling and awarness.