Red Tulip Press: Five Things to Know Volume 1, Issue 2

Welcome to the second edition of the Red Tulip Press and our weekly installment of “Five Things to Know!”

Here are this week’s topics:

TOPIC ONE: THE KOTTER 8-STEP MODEL FOR CHANGE

Last week, we talked about one of my favorite change management models - the ADKAR model. ADKAR is a core component of Prosci’s change management methodology, and I anticipate we’ll delve further into the Prosci methodology as time goes on. But for now, I wanted to provide a bit of a contrast with an overview of a competing change management framework: the 8-step approach developed by John Kotter. This method is codified in his well-known 1996 book, Leading Change, but Kotter has written more than a dozen books on leadership, change management, and organizational strategy and is currently an emeritus professor at Harvard. He also founded the consulting organization Kotter International. To be perfectly honest, having been trained specifically in Prosci’s methodology I have spent comparatively little time studying the works of Kotter. His insights and research go far beyond the 8-step method he’s most famous for, but this is a good entry point into Kotter’s world. Let’s dive in with an overview of the 8 steps.

The Explanation

One caveat to start with - the original 8-step method as outlined in Leading Change in 1996 has since evolved and been updated, most notably in Kotter’s 2014 book, Accelerate. The 8 “steps” themselves (though they remain popularly known as “steps”) are referred to as “accelerators” and Kotter has added four “change principles” which we will also cover briefly. Here’s a quick comparison of the 2014 model with the original 1996 - you’ll notice a few differences in terminology, but steps are generally similar:

2014 “Accelerator” Version

1996 “Leading Change” Version

To help us keep track, I’ll reference both versions (2014 first, then 1996) as we walk through each step.

1) Create a Sense of Urgency (same in both versions)

This initial step calls on organizational leaders to identify a window of opportunity for change and transformation, then build a sense of urgency by bringing people together around the stated opportunity. Without this sense of urgency at the beginning of a change initiative, Kotter maintains, the initiative is likely to lose momentum and ultimately fail.

2) Build a Guiding Coalition / Create a Guiding Coalition

Without digressing too much from the discussion at hand, you may have heard of Kotter’s idea of the dual operating system, a concept he discusses in Accelerate. Kotter’s theory behind this concept is that in order for organizations to develop the agility needed to operate in a world where the pace of change is ever-increasing, they must bend (but not break) the traditional hierarchical structure of the organization by creating a flat, cross-functional, networked “second system” that operates outside of the hierarchy and is able to move quickly in response to the changing environment. This is a similar idea expressed in the concept of a “guiding coalition” - ?a group of people, brought together from across all levels and functions of the organization, to serve as committed drivers of of the change opportunity.

3) Form a Strategic Vision and Initiatives / Create a Vision for Change

This step, targeted back at the leadership level, challenges leaders to craft a vision for change that is simple, desirable, and easy to communicate. This vision should paint a clear picture of the desired future state and motivate people to action.

4) Enlist a Volunteer Army / Communicate the Vision

Aligning closely to the “Desire” step in the ADKAR model, this step is all about building momentum for change by giving people across the organization clear reasons and motivations to support the change initiative. The “Volunteer Army” is ideally a network of change champions from multiple areas and levels of the organization, similar to the guiding coalition, that work to bring others on board with the change.

5) Enable Action by Removing Barriers / Remove Obstacles

At this stage, leaders and others across the organization must begin to think critically about what barriers exist to creating the desired future state. These barriers could come in many forms - processes that are no longer effective, old mindsets and behaviors that need to evolve, or outdated management practices. By being honest about why past change may not have succeeded, identifying the root causes to change resistance, and working diligently to remove identified barriers, the path is cleared for action.

6) Generate Short-Term Wins / Create Short-Term Wins

This step speaks to the importance of tracking organizational progress through change. Assuming that a clear picture of the future state has been defined in Step 3, it is possible to track progress toward that vision. Reinforcing change and continuing to build desire by communicating and celebrating progress and wins, no matter how small they may be, drives momentum and accelerates the change.

7) Sustain Acceleration / Consolidate Improvements

Building on the momentum created by the initial short-term wins, Kotter here recommends revising the sense of urgency and keeping sight of the ultimate goal. The volunteer army should continue to grow, and more barriers may arise at this stage that require removal. This is the time, Kotter argues, to press forward even while it may be tempting to rest.

8) Institute Change / Create the Changes

Finally, we reach the point where we are ready to begin embedding the change into the organization’s ways of working. Kotter here calls for both strong leadership and strong management to ensure the change is sustained into the future and is sufficiently reinforced to prevent backsliding. Meanwhile, the network of volunteers in the “dual operating system” remains on the lookout for the next big opportunity.

The Four Core Change Principles

To help harmonize the steps, the newer version of Kotter’s model synthesizes some of the key elements of the steps into what he terms the “principles” of change.

• Select Few + Diverse Many: Leadership is critical in effecting change. This principle emphasizes the dual importance of hierarchical leadership along with democratic leadership emerging from people at any level of the organization - i.e., your guiding coalition.
• Have To + Want To: Most change initiatives contain a “have to” component - that’s just the reality. However, the more we can invite people to participate in the journey with us, bringing along their unique experiences and insights, the more likely we are to achieve a “want to” change mindset.
• Head + Heart: While people need “hard” reasons like data and logic to motivate change, change leaders must appeal equally to emotions in order to truly generate desire.
• Leadership + Management: At the end of the day, change must still be “managed” - it must be organized, not chaotic. But it’s leadership that truly drives the vision forward.

The Synthesis

This model is a lot to absorb. It lacks the easy-to-remember simplicity of ADKAR, demanding scrutiny and study to truly make sense of it. We’re just scratching the surface here, of course, but here are my observations:

• This model seems to hold the most value for large-scale, transformative organizational change. It’s not well-suited for small, low-risk change, and ultimately that’s fine. If an organization is seeking to completely reorganize, shift to a new business model, enter a new market, or the like, Kotter’s methodology provides a solid approach; particularly for organizations that are newer to change management, the step-by-step approach provides clear direction and guidance. But I think we need to be careful about the situations in which it’s appropriate to deploy this model specifically.
• The model leans heavily on formal leadership structures to drive change. Yes, it includes the notion of a guiding coalition and a volunteer army, but it’s ultimately still a top-down model of change that very likely to be driven by those with formal authority in the organizational hierarchy. To my first point, that’s probably necessary in the case of a significant, high-risk organizational transformation, but it may not be appropriate in all scenarios. In recent years, there has been increasing discussion around the value of open-source change, a bottom-up approach that drives decision-making and accountability deeper into the organization in greater alignment with Agile methodologies. Again, this doesn’t negate the validity of Kotter’s approach, it simply calls on practitioners of change management to evaluate the right strategy for the situation.
• The four principles are an excellent way to frame change management as a discipline. This is my favorite update to Kotter’s model. The principles are easy to remember and truly apply to any change situation, no matter which methodology you may ultimately choose to implement. In fact, I would argue that the principles can serve as effective guide for choosing the appropriate methodology that, given the situation, seems best suited to produce the balance that these principles outline.

The Nutshell

Kotter’s 8-step change model provides a structured approach to conceptualizing and executing broad, transformative organizational change. Notably, Kotter has evolved the model as times change and has expanded it to include a set of four core change principles that apply to every change situation, regardless of the chosen methodology. These frameworks can and should remain an important tool in any change management practitioner's kit.

Further Reading

https://www.kotterinc.com/methodology/8-steps/

https://www.ocmsolution.com/john-kotter-change-model/

TOPIC TWO: DEEP LISTENING

This concept comes from Oscar Trimboli, author and host of the podcast “Deep Listening.” His work focuses on coaching organizational leaders to “listen beyond words” and experience the power of true listening. Trimboli explains some of the core concepts of deep listening in a conversation with Brian Gorman on the Change Management Review podcast. I highly recommend listening to the whole episode, but the below provides a synopsis of some of the most eye-opening points.

The Explanation

Trimboli begins by explaining the significance of three numbers: 125, 400, and 900. What is the importance of these numbers, according to Trimboli, when it comes to deep listening?

• We speak about 125 words per minute on average (in English-speaking workplaces).
• We listen at about 400 words per minute. This is why it’s so easy to get distracted while listening to someone else. While it’s not easy to avoid distractions, we can train ourselves to become more aware of these distractions.
• We think at about 900 words per minute. This means that what we can actually say it a small fraction of what we’re thinking. This is why listening to what’s not being said, in other words, listening beyond the words, is such a critical skill to develop.

Trimboli further outlines five “levels” of listening that define our ability to truly listen deeply in a conversation.

• Level 1: Listening to Yourself According to Trimboli’s research, 86% of us live here. Think about that ?- 86%. This means that the common advice to simply listen to the other person’s words is not necessarily helpful, as we’re already too distracted to focus on what’s being said. Therefore, we have to work to make space in our own minds to listen to others before we even have a chance of hearing them.
• Level 2: Listening to the Content Once we begin to master the first level, we can turn our attention here. Listening to the content is the most common way we’re taught to listen, but there are still three layers to go!
• Level 3: Listening to the Context This is the point at which to begin introducing questions to clarify your understanding.
• Level 4: Listening to the Unsaid This is where we begin to explore the gap between 125 and 900 - what the other person might truly be thinking versus what is being said.
• Level 5: Listening for Meaning Listening at this highest level, which a scant 0.5% of us are adept at according to Trimboli, means that we are truly able to make sense of the discussion, both for us as well as the other(s) involved. This perspective helps us better understand our differences and envision a wide range of possibilities to move forward.

Trimboli states that “good listeners try and make sense of what the speaker is saying,” while “great listeners help the speaker make sense of what they’re thinking.” We should evaluate the questions we’re asking to see if we’re asking them to clarify our understanding or the speaker’s own understanding. He talks about the importance of the questions we ask and how they can move a conversation in different directions. For example, saying “Tell me more” in response to someone prompts them to continue along the same line of thinking, while asking “And what else?” is more likely to prompt a different direction or line of thinking. He also notes that questions of greater than eight words in length are more likely to be biased. Finally, he notes that “silent” and “listen” have the same letters - sometimes just remaining silent, rather than asking a question, is more likely to pull people into a conversation.

The Synthesis

What great advice jam-packed into a short little podcast! Here are my observations:

• First, it should be clear that no matter how good we think we may be at listening, we’re probably not that good at it in reality. I can say with high confidence that I likely fall into the 86% of Level 1 listeners, and I often struggle with distraction. But, as Trimboli says, simply becoming aware of distractions as they happen is the first step toward progressing to the higher listening levels, and it certainly seems well worth the effort.
• Trimboli’s insights also illustrate the close ties between listening skills and emotional intelligence. Listening at deeper and deeper levels not only requires strong self-awareness and self-regulation (to develop our own capacity for listening) but also empathy to be able to listen to what is being unsaid, that gap between the 125 words per minute being spoken and the 900 in the mind of the speaker.
• Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that there is always so much more going on behind the curtain. Trimboli cites a colleague’s observation that trauma is a “silent stakeholder” in organizations. It’s important to acknowledge the past and understand that the actual words we hear people say are only the very tip of the iceberg of what truly may be motivating those words.

The Nutshell

Listening is a skill that all of us can improve, and Oscar Trimboli’s explication of the five levels of listening give us a roadmap to begin the journey to deep listening. We can also work to become more mindful of the questions we’re asking the what we choose not to say to drive deeper and more impactful conversations.

Further Reading

https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Listening-Impact-Beyond-Words/dp/099537774X

https://www.oscartrimboli.com/five-levels/

TOPIC THREE: FACTORS OF PRODUCTION

I’m just days away from approaching the three-year anniversary of beginning my MBA. Three years may not sound like a lot, but there’s a lot to forget in that short time period. So, as part of this little endeavor here at Red Tulip Press, I’m going to revisit topics from my studies to combat that dreaded forgetting curve. Starting at the very beginning, let’s dive into some basics of economics with a refresher on the four factors of production.

• Land: Land means much more in the economic sense than just the ground we walk on. It can refer to natural resources, like forests and bodies of water; the products that can be extracted from land, like oil, minerals, and precious metals; and the productive capacity of land, from serving as farmland to space for housing or commercial real etsate.
• Labor: Labor refers to the efforts and activities that individuals contribute to the production of goods and services. Labor can be physical, such as construction work or cooking, knowledge-based, such as software development or teaching, or even artistic, such as making music or designing landscapes.
• Capital: Also known as capital goods, this category includes any item that facilitates the production of goods and services. This could be anything from machinery in a factory, to a train hauling freight, to servers housing data. Money is not considered a capital good because its sole function is as a means for purchasing a capital good.
• Entrepreneurship: Also known as entrepreneurial ability, this is the distinctive human characteristic that brings together the other three factors of production and results in the creation of beneficial goods and services. Entrepreneurship embodies the initiative, innovation, and strategic vision needed to bring a product to life.

Further Reading

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/factors-production.asp

TOPIC FOUR: HATHA YOGA

Last week, we talked about a unique style of yoga known as Ashtanga. This week, I’d like to take a step back and talk about Hatha Yoga, the most well-known style we are familiar with in the Western world.

Let’s start with the word “hatha” itself. Until recently, I was pronouncing it wrong! (And I bet many of you are too). It’s not pronounced like it’s spelled, i.e., “ha-tha.” It’s actually pronounced more like “ha-taa” with a soft “t” sound but no “h” sound. It comes from the Sanskrit word meaning strength or force, which also might be at odds with the visions of soft music and relaxing poses that the term Hatha tends to bring to mind. The goal of Hatha yoga, through both breathing exercises and physical poses or asanas, is to cleanse and connect the mind and body. It is intended to promote a sense of calm while at the same time increasing strength, balance, flexibility, and concentration.

Hatha is an umbrella term that encompasses many general styles of yoga, and even in ancient texts it has a fairly broad definition. Hatha classes are the most common class type offered today and most commonly use a combination of deep breathing techniques along with poses to achieve a calm, meditative mindset. A Hatha class may also involve meditation and visualization techniques.

Further Reading

https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/philosophy/what-is-hatha-yoga

TOPIC FIVE: A LITTLE LATIN PRONUNCIATION

Revisiting my old economics textbook, I ran across the original Latin version of a term you’re probably familiar with - “all other things being equal,” also known as the other-things-equal assumption. Its Latin translation is “ceteris paribus.” I took two years of Latin in high school, so I’m going to end this week’s newsletter by teaching you the correct pronunciation of “ceteris.” It’s not a soft C! It’s a hard C. Every “c” in Latin is pronounced like a “k,” so this word would sound like “keteris.” You’re welcome!