Comments on: Learning from Kotter http://www.changecommblog.com/2007/02/27/learning-from-kotter/ A collection of thoughts and experiences related to communication and change Sat, 09 Jan 2010 16:11:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Nicholas Ranken http://www.changecommblog.com/2007/02/27/learning-from-kotter/comment-page-1/#comment-147 Nicholas Ranken Thu, 15 Mar 2007 10:29:40 +0000 http://www.changecommblog.com/2007/02/27/learning-from-kotter/#comment-147 Mike, I wrote more on my experiences with surveys and polling here if you are interested: http://www.changecommblog.com/2006/06/16/the-secrets-of-effective-surveys/ Mike, I wrote more on my experiences with surveys and polling here if you are interested:

http://www.changecommblog.com/2006/06/16/the-secrets-of-effective-surveys/

]]> By: Mike Klein http://www.changecommblog.com/2007/02/27/learning-from-kotter/comment-page-1/#comment-139 Mike Klein Wed, 14 Mar 2007 14:49:34 +0000 http://www.changecommblog.com/2007/02/27/learning-from-kotter/#comment-139 Good stuff--as for polling, change situations need to use qualitative polling at least as much as quantitative stuff because the qualitative stuff can elicit hot and unanticipated issues which could otherwise be buried in a sea of numbers. It doesn't require a lot of effort, except in the analysis (I tend to use SurveyMonkey and ask a lot of open-ended questions). It's amazing what little online polls can bring to the surface. Good stuff–as for polling, change situations need to use qualitative polling at least as much as quantitative stuff because the qualitative stuff can elicit hot and unanticipated issues which could otherwise be buried in a sea of numbers.

It doesn’t require a lot of effort, except in the analysis (I tend to use SurveyMonkey and ask a lot of open-ended questions). It’s amazing what little online polls can bring to the surface.

]]> By: Liam http://www.changecommblog.com/2007/02/27/learning-from-kotter/comment-page-1/#comment-86 Liam Sat, 03 Mar 2007 15:02:39 +0000 http://www.changecommblog.com/2007/02/27/learning-from-kotter/#comment-86 Someone just sent me a link to this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/work/handy/kanter.shtml and is an interview with Rosabeth Moss Kanter in which she mentions her 10 rules for stifling change: 1. Regard any new idea from below with suspicion - because it is new and because it is from below. 2. Insist that people who need your approval to act first go through several other layers of management to get their signatures. 3. Ask departments or individuals to challenge and criticise each other's proposals. 4. Treat problems as a sign of failure. 5. Express your criticisms freely and withhold your praise (that keeps people on their toes). Let them know they can be fired at any time. 6. Control everything carefully. Count anything that can be counted, frequently. 7. Make sure that any request for information is fully justified and that it isn't distributed too freely (you don't want data to fall into the wrong hands). 8. Make decisions to reorganise or change policies in secret and spring them on people unexpectedly (that also keeps people on their toes) 9. Assign to lower-level managers, in the name of delegation and participation, responsibility for figuring out how to cut back, lay off or move people around. 10. Never forget that you, the higher-ups, already know everything important about this business Someone just sent me a link to this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/work/handy/kanter.shtml and is an interview with Rosabeth Moss Kanter in which she mentions her 10 rules for stifling change:

1. Regard any new idea from below with suspicion – because it is new and because it is from below.
2. Insist that people who need your approval to act first go through several other layers of management to get their signatures.
3. Ask departments or individuals to challenge and criticise each other’s proposals.
4. Treat problems as a sign of failure.
5. Express your criticisms freely and withhold your praise (that keeps people on their toes). Let them know they can be fired at any time.
6. Control everything carefully. Count anything that can be counted, frequently.
7. Make sure that any request for information is fully justified and that it isn’t distributed too freely (you don’t want data to fall into the wrong hands).
8. Make decisions to reorganise or change policies in secret and spring them on people unexpectedly (that also keeps people on their toes)
9. Assign to lower-level managers, in the name of delegation and participation, responsibility for figuring out how to cut back, lay off or move people around.
10. Never forget that you, the higher-ups, already know everything important about this business

]]> By: Nicholas Ranken http://www.changecommblog.com/2007/02/27/learning-from-kotter/comment-page-1/#comment-70 Nicholas Ranken Fri, 02 Mar 2007 10:37:22 +0000 http://www.changecommblog.com/2007/02/27/learning-from-kotter/#comment-70 Thank you Liam. Your point is very interesting. I'm going to take a look at the write-up you mention. Nicholas Thank you Liam. Your point is very interesting. I’m going to take a look at the write-up you mention.

Nicholas

]]> By: Liam http://www.changecommblog.com/2007/02/27/learning-from-kotter/comment-page-1/#comment-69 Liam Fri, 02 Mar 2007 09:58:27 +0000 http://www.changecommblog.com/2007/02/27/learning-from-kotter/#comment-69 I have always been very taken by Kotter's point that one of the reasons why change fails is that organisations declare victory too soon. When real change can take many years, but most managers are on a 12 to 24 month time horizon, is it any wonder? There's a good write-up in 'Harvard Business Review on Change' Liam I have always been very taken by Kotter’s point that one of the reasons why change fails is that organisations declare victory too soon. When real change can take many years, but most managers are on a 12 to 24 month time horizon, is it any wonder?

There’s a good write-up in ‘Harvard Business Review on Change’

Liam

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