You might wonder what qualifies me to write about cultural change in an
organisation. Well, I’ve done it several times, and I thought I’d set myself the
challenge of trying to describe some of the success stories I’ve enjoyed in 250
words or fewer.
My main motivation in writing these vignettes is that I keep meeting
depressed people: people who are in such a dire situation that they have started
to believe that they will never be able to change it.
So what I should like to do is provide very brief case studies comprising the
before and after, but not the during: my aim is to uplift, rather than instruct,
in these stories. That's why I aim to publish them on a Friday: so you can go
home full of hope rather than despondency!
This week: the myth of leadership
Leaders and managers don't change people: people change themselves. All that
an effective leader or manager can do is get the right conditions in place for
effective change (for the better) to happen. In political terms, it's the
difference between power and authority. Power is where when someone says "X will
happen", people say "We must do X"; authority is where when someone says "X will
happen", people say "X ought to happen". Having authority is better than having
power in the long run.
What are the tell-tale signs of effective leadership? Well, a sign of
ineffective leadership is the absence of change.There are three key indications
of effective leadership:
1. Some team members rebel, argue for the status quo, and resist the changes
you're trying to bring about.
2. Eventually, they leave. Or they join the 3rd group...
3. Some people thrive in the new conditions you're establishing.
You need to exercise caution in interpretation: the status quo may work
perfectly well, people may leave because you're a bully, and the incompetents
may be the ones who are thriving. So there needs to be other signs as well, such
as:
1. More support from senior management and co-workers.
2. Greater interest in doing your courses.
3. Improving grades.
4. More respect for the computer facilities.
And other indications in the same vein.
So, if things look like they're starting to unravel, you may be succeeding!
Much of my work is in helping to bring about transformation in the use and
management of educational technology in schools and other institutions. To find
out more about the sort of work I do, and how I could work with you, look here. You may find it
useful to scroll down the left hand side and click on the page about the
assignments I've undertaken as an independent education consultant.
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