| Resistance to change is the inevitable consequence | | | | of the "sub-groups" or sub-cultures in your organisation |
| when senior management overlook the people related | | | | that will assist or resist the change initiative. These can |
| issues that are crucial to success, but there is a | | | | be categorised as: |
| further, closely related, reason and that is to do with | | | | "Regressive-subcultures" and "Subversive-subcultures" |
| organisational culture. | | | | There are sub-cultures that are "regressive" and who |
| There is no single "golden bullet" that guarantees a | | | | show resistance to change, and there are sub-cultures |
| successful change initiative, and that overcomes all | | | | that are "subversive" and who will go beyond mere |
| resistance to change. Dealing with resistance to | | | | resistance to change and seek to undermine it. |
| change is based on a composite understanding of a | | | | "Emergent-subcultures" and "Aspirational-subcultures" |
| number of inter-related factors, including: clarity about | | | | Fortunately, there are other sub-cultures that are |
| what you are doing and why; good leadership; an | | | | "emergent", moving forward and receptive to change |
| appropriate change model and methodology; and clear | | | | but doing so "unknowingly" (that is without full |
| understanding of what is required to translate the | | | | conscious awareness of the significance of their |
| change vision and strategy into actionable steps. | | | | attitudes and behaviour). These people just naturally |
| Understanding the cultural composition of your | | | | and automatically seek to do things in the best way |
| organisation | | | | possible, and they are naturally open-minded about |
| One often-overlooked yet important dimension of | | | | change. |
| resistance to change lies in a clear understanding of | | | | Better still tho, there are sub-cultures that are |
| the cultural composition of your organisation. | | | | "aspirational" and who embrace change and seek it |
| The process that leads to this understanding involves a | | | | positively. These sub-cultures behave knowingly (that is |
| thorough cultural mapping and analysis focusing on the | | | | with full conscious awareness of what they are doing). |
| key questions of "How we look now" and "How we | | | | These are the people who are constantly seeking to |
| want to look in future". You need to define a cultural | | | | "up their game" and who are naturally change-positive. |
| framework for the organisation that identifies the: | | | | It is these last two groups who will be key to |
| (1) Dominant-culture of the company now, how it really | | | | overcoming resistance to change and who need to an |
| is now | | | | integral part of what John Kotter refers to as your |
| (2) Espoused-culture - what senior management think | | | | "coalition for change". |
| (or wish) the culture is - often reflected in so called | | | | For more on this please see: Resistance to Change |
| "mission statements" | | | | To learn about out the specifics of the tool and |
| (3) Desired-culture - how it will all look after a | | | | process that will enable you to undertake this detailed |
| successful change initiative | | | | cultural and sub-cultural analysis please refer to: The |
| But you need to go deeper than that and specifically, | | | | Practitioners' Masterclass which includes a whole |
| you need to know how to identify and connect with all | | | | module specifically on cultural mapping and analysis. |