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DB8008
Established
Epistemological Position
In your post,address the following:
Can we ever conduct research without having first established an epistemological position? Why or why not?
What is your epistemology?
Take the “What’s Your Epistemology?” quiz from this unit’s readings,if you have not done so already.
What were the results?
Response Guidelines
Ask a probing question.
Offer a suggestion.
Elaborate on a particular point.
Provide an alternative opinion.
Introduction
Epistemological Position
When conducting research, the choice of methods used is influenced by the research methodology chosen (Gray, 2017). The methodology is then influenced by theoretical perspectives influenced by the researcher’s epistemological stance (Gray, 2017). Because the researcher’s epistemological stance is influential in theoretical perspectives and research methodology, research cannot be conducted without first establishing an epistemological position, having an epistemological stance in research assists in clarifying issues of research design and will assist the researcher in recognizing which designs will work and which ones will not (Gray, 2017).
My Epistemology
The results of the quiz determined that I am Jane Addams. In essence, I seek to solve social problems through research and am a pragmatist. Jane Addams was a social worker and was instrumental in consolidating some of the major concepts underlying contemporary occupational theory and founded Social Work and Social Ethics (Morrison, 2016). Her greatest contributions helped achieve social reform in the United States and improving equality between men and women at the beginning of the 20th century (Morrison, 2016). In learning about Jane Addams and her pragmatic epistemology, I would have to agree with the results. Given that most of my life, I have always wanted to make an impact on how to help those that cannot fight for themselves; this aligns with not only my perspective on helping others but also with the work I do in my current job.
Conclusion
References
from
https://capella.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781526408…
Morrison, R. (2016). Pragmatist epistemology and jane addams: Fundamental concepts for the social paradigm of occupational therapy. Occupational Therapy International, 23(4), 295-304. doi:10.1002/oti.1430
Response:
Introduction
The purpose of this discussion posting is to discuss the importance of epistemology in conducting. First, an evaluation of the feasibility of researching without establishing an epistemological framework will be done. Next, an evaluation of this leaner’s epistemological stance will reveal. The discussion will evaluate whether the learner agrees with this assessment. This posting will be supported by several academic resources from Unit4 of DB8008 – Becoming a Business Researcher.
Conducting Research w/o Establishment of an Epistemological Position
It would be hard to conduct research without an epistemological position. Research, whether it follows a quantitative or qualitative design model, will be influenced by what we know and where we learned it from. Staller (2010) noted that qualitative research would involve incorporating ontological, epistemological, and theoretical viewpoints that are non-numeric and reflects reality. Since quantitative research involves statistical testing of data, the researcher will have some knowledge of the data.
When you look at the relationships between epistemology, theoretical perspectives, methodology, and research methods, there is a common theme that appears: the latter is based upon the former (Gialdino, 2009). The methods used by the researcher will be driven by the methodology chosen (Gray, 2017). This leads to the methodology being drive by the theoretical perspectives associated with the research. Finally, the perspectives are greatly influenced by the epistemological stance of the researcher.
What is Your Epistemology?
The results of the epistemology quiz taken show me as a Jurgen Habermas (QZZR, n.d.). Applied business researchers who are Jurgen Habermas are those who typically try to sort of the meanings of this that are around them. This results in applied business researchers bringing their own perspectives to the research project. Unfortunately, these researchers do not believe that there is absolute truth; thus, they rely on logic, reason, and argument to support their basis (QZZR, n.d.).
Agree / Disagree with Epistemology Results
After reviewing the analysis of the quiz, I am split over the results. Yes, I do rely on my perspectives to sort out meanings. Yes, I do rely on logic, reason, and argument to support my basis. On the other hand, I do believe that there is an absolute truth to most things. There are cases where things are black and white, but there are some things that have a shade of gray. T
This can be examined in a leadership article noted by Marsh (2013). Marsh noted that the ethics of leadership has a direct impact on the organization and will drive ethical choices by employees. That is an absolute truth. On the other hand, Marsh (2013) noted that authentic leaders have the courage to admit the weaknesses. This is when the grayscale comes into play for, and I do not believe every authentic leader will be willing to admit their weaknesses, because it may show a sign of weakness.
References
de Gialdino, I. V. (2009).
Ontological and epistemological foundations of qualitative research
. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 10(2), 1–18.
Gray, D. E. (2017). Doing research in the business world. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Marsh, C. (2013).
Business executives’ perceptions of ethical leadership and its development
. Journal of Business Ethics, 114(3), 565–582.
QZZR. (n.d.).
What’s your epistemology?
. Retrieved from
https://www.qzzr.com/c/quiz/49304/17d1b70c-c863-4d…
Staller, K. M. (2010).
Qualitative research [PDF]
. In N. J. Salkind, Encyclopedia of research design (pp. 1159–1163). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Response:
Resources:
Readings
Use your Doing Research in a Business World text to read the following:
Chapter 2, “Theoretical Perspectives and Research Methodologies in Business.”
Review the following:
Chapter 2: Theoretical Perspectives and Research Methodologies in Business [PPTX]
.
Use the Companion Web site of your Doing Research in a Business World text to view or read the following:
Sage Publishing. (Producer). (n.d.).
Chapter 2: Theoretical perspectives and research methodologies [Video]
|
Transcript
. Retrieved from https://study.sagepub.com/grayresearchbusiness/student-resources/chapter-2/videos/author-videos
Running time: 01:28
Use the Internet to review the following:
Marshall, D. (n.d.). (Producer).
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning [Video]
| Transcript. Retrieved from
Running time: 09:47.
Cooksey, R. (n.d.). (Producer).
Paradigms & meta-criteria [Video]
| Transcript. Retrieved from
Running time: 09:21.
QZZR. (n.d.).
What’s your epistemology?
. Retrieved from https://www.qzzr.com/c/quiz/49304/17d1b70c-c863-4d…
Take this quiz and use the results to complete the first discussion in this unit.
Use the Capella library to read the following:
de Gialdino, I. V. (2009).
Ontological and epistemological foundations of qualitative research
. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 10(2), 1–18.
Al?Emadi, M. A. S., & Marquardt, M. J. (2007).
Relationship between employees’ beliefs regarding training benefits and employees’ organizational commitment in a petroleum company in the State of Qatar
. International Journal of Training and Development, 11(1), 49–70.
Marsh, C. (2013).
Business executives’ perceptions of ethical leadership and its development
. Journal of Business Ethics, 114(3), 565–582.
Action Research Caution
In your post, address the following:
What are some of the dangers of a researcher undertaking an action research project in his or her own organization?
Is it possible to avoid these dangers? If so, how? If not, why?
Response GuidelinesRespond to at least two learners. Your responses should be substantive and do at least one of the following:Ask a probing question.Offer a suggestion.Elaborate on a particular point.Provide an alternative opinion.
In your responses, reference the assigned readings and other theoretical, empirical, or professional literature as needed to support your views and writing.
Portfolio Prompt: You may choose to save this learning activity to your ePortfolio.
Learning Components
This activity will help you achieve the following learning components:
Characterize the role of context, setting, and rationale for identifying business problems, opportunities, and challenges with the goal of developing concepts for potential research topics applicable to business research.
Define processes for translating business problems, opportunities, or challenges into research projects directed at developing practical solutions based in scholarly research and thinking.
Describe the role of the practitioner/researcher in qualitative research.
Resources:ReadingsUse your Doing Research in a Business World text to read the following:
Chapter 11, “Designing Case Studies for Business.”
Chapter 13, “Action Research and Change in Business.”
Review the following:
Chapter 11: Designing Case Studies for Business [PPTX]
.
Chapter 12: Designing Evaluations for Business [PPTX]
.
Chapter 13: Action Research and Change in Business [PPTX]
.
Use the Capella library to read the following:
Zeni, J. (2009).
Ethics and the ‘personal’ in action research
[PDF]. In S. E. Noffke & Somekh, B. (Eds.). The SAGE handbook of educational action research (pp 254–266). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Use the Internet to read or view the following:
Swantz, M. L. (n.d.).
Participatory action research as practice [PDF]
. In P. Reason & H. Bradbury (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of action research (pp 31–48). Retrieved from
http://study.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/Swant…
Paddock, S. (2015).
Action research: Learning by doing
. Retrieved from
Tellis, W. M. (1997).
Application of a case study methodology
. The Qualitative Report, 3(3), 1–19. Retrieved from
http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol3/iss3/1
Sage. (n.d.). (Producer).
Alan Bryman on research methods [Video]
| Transcript. Retrieved from
UELRDBS. (n.d.). (Producer).
Postgraduate research planning workshop – Case study Dr John Chandler [Video]
| Transcript. Retrieved from
Running time: 45:51.
Use the Companion Web site of your Doing Research in a Business World text to read the following:
Sage Publishing. (n.d.).
Flashcards
. Retrieved from
https://study.sagepub.com/grayresearchbusiness2/st…
JWI 521
Discussion 1
Letting People Go
You have identified an individual in your department who falls into the bottom 10%. Using Jack’s advice on no surprises and no humiliation, how would you approach the conversation with the individual? Specifically outline how you would prepare for the meeting. Where and when would you have the conversation? What documentation or other resources will you want to have with you at the meeting?
https://blackboard.strayer.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-29461205-dt-content-rid-146911533_4/institution/JWMI/HR/521/Lectures/JWI_521_Week_6_lecture_1192.pdf
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/07/17/14-ways-to-approach-conflict-and-difficult-conversations-at-work/#388ed71a3cfd
https://services.hbsp.harvard.edu/lti/links/content-launch
Discussion 2
Rewarding Top Talent
https://blackboard.strayer.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-29461158-dt-content-rid-146911535_4/institution/JWMI/HR/521/Lectures/JWI_521_Week_7_lecture_1192.pdf
JWI 522
Discussion 1
Strengthening the Relationship Between HR and Business Unit Leaders
In Chapter 6 of Powerful, McCord shares a story about an attempted handoff of staffing responsibilities and about a lack of responsiveness from business-unit leaders for either hiring or firing. As you consider this, and as you reflect on the team approach advocated by Conaty and Charan, comment on the following:
How would you address a situation in which you were not getting the support you needed from a hiring manager?
What is the right balance of motivation and leverage needed to get this support? Be specific, citing practices you have seen to be effective and explain why these have worked well.
If you are currently a business leader, what support do you want from HR in executing your strategic people plan? Or, if you are an HR leader, what do you want from your business leaders in executing the plan?
https://services.hbsp.harvard.edu/lti/links/H035DZ-PDF-ENG
Discussion 2
Candor, Integrity Violations, and Whistle Blowing
In our readings this week, we explored a number of topics related to building a culture of trust and transparency and in managing confidential information in the face of potential integrity violations.
Find an article in the WSJ about a scandal from the last 12 months related to an ethical violation. Provide the URL in your response.
Discuss what the company did right and what they could have done better.
What was the impact to the business? Were there any financial repercussions? Was anyone terminated?
JWI 556
Discussion 1
What Else Is Going On Out There?
Using the Wall Street Journal, or another reputable news source, locate and post an article published in the last 12 months about an organization undertaking a change initiative.
What was the driver for the change?
Was it a change in leadership? Strategy? Structure?
Did it impact the entire organization, or was it primarily focused on one region or business?
Was the change initiative undertaken with a “people first” agenda? How can you tell?
Is there any mention of steps taken during the change that indicate the use of a particular change model to support the initiative? Explain.
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/rts/our-insights/transformation-with-a-capital-t
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/the-science-of-organizational-transformations
https://services.hbsp.harvard.edu/lti/links/R1001C-PDF-ENG
https://services.hbsp.harvard.edu/lti/links/R1805C-PDF-ENG
Discussion 2
Managing Complex Change
As you explore different types of change initiatives (e.g., large-scale enterprise transformations, strategy, M&A, crisis/emergency, operational/technical change), and the characteristics and challenges of each, answer the following questions:
Which of these are part of the “Merging American Airlines and US Airways” case?
Based on the examples in the case, and drawing on the course materials as your as well as on your own experience, are there some types of change initiatives that HR should stay out of? What are they and why?
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/communications-in-mergers-the-glue-that-holds-everything-together
https://www.hrdive.com/news/how-to-manage-talent-during-disruption/552192/
https://blog.hrps.org/blogpost/5-ways-to-manage-the-disruption-of-change/
https://blog.hrps.org/blogpost/managing-talent-in-a-scaling-organization/
https://services.hbsp.harvard.edu/lti/links/R1211A-PDF-ENG
https://services.hbsp.harvard.edu/lti/links/R1611F-PDF-ENG
https://services.hbsp.harvard.edu/lti/links/R1801B-PDF-ENG
https://services.hbsp.harvard.edu/lti/links/417054-PDF-ENG
JWI 521
Recruit, Develop, Assess, Reward, Retain
Week Six Lecture Notes
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JWI 521 – Week 6 Lecture Notes (1192)
Page 1 of 5
DIFFERENTIATION
What it Means
Effective leaders use differentiation to identify the most important strategies to pursue, the most important
positions in terms of executing their strategy, and the most talented employees who can make those
strategies a reality. The top twenty percent of your workforce should be identified, and given varied and
challenging professional development opportunities, as well as financial rewards. Good leaders and
managers make sure that all employees know how their performance is assessed, both so that they have
the chance to improve their performance, and so that there are no surprises when decisions are made about
promotions and personnel changes.
Why it Matters
•
Effective leaders differentiate among top talent, solid performers, and underperformers
•
The most promising employees need demanding roles that will develop their leadership skills
•
Candid and rigorous performance evaluation allows all employees to know where they stand
“People need to get differentiated rewards
and recognition to be motivated.”
Jack Welch
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copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
JWI 521 – Week 6 Lecture Notes (1192)
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USING DIFFERENTIATION AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL
Differentiation begins with the realization that not all jobs are equal, nor are people equal in their ability to
excel in strategically important jobs. Successful leaders differentiate among positions, identifying those jobs
that are strategically important to their company. They also differentiate among their employees, based on
their natural talents, acquired skills, experiences, and motivation. Strong managers strive to place the best
people in the most important strategic positions.
In Winning, Jack Welch describes the advantages of differentiating the workforce into three groups based on
their performance: the top 20%, the middle 70%, and the bottom 10%. Although he approaches the topic of
differentiation with his own unique perspective, his “20 – 70 – 10” system is roughly equivalent to the
traditional categorization of employees into A players, B players, and C players. How can this differentiation
process be used to support better management of employees across the organization?
Managing Your A Players
Your A players and A-minus players are your top talent and emerging talent. These people are crucial
to your current and future success, so you should devote a lot of time, energy, and money to managing
them. They should be singled out for special treatment, including generous amounts of both financial and
non-financial rewards.
General Electric (GE) under Jack Welch would place high-potential managers into significant leadership
positions, even though the company knew these new managers would not perform as well as more
experienced leaders. The units they were selected to lead were not major contributors to GE’s revenues. It
was an exercise in leadership development so that, by the time these new managers were given leadership
of one of GE’s key businesses, their strengths and weaknesses were well-known, and they had acquired the
requisite competencies to be successful in more important roles.
Managing Your B Players
Your B players are those solid performers who are strong contributors, but are unlikely to develop much
further. This group of employees typically represents the large majority of a workforce, and it is tremendously
important to an organization. You should devote significant time and resources to your B players; they need
training, positive feedback, and thoughtful goal-setting. Some of them may end up surprising you as they
© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be
copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
JWI 521 – Week 6 Lecture Notes (1192)
Page 3 of 5
develop into A-minus or A performers. But everyone in this large group should be made to feel as if they truly
belong. You do not want to risk losing your B players; you want to keep them engaged and, if possible, make
modest improvements to their skills and job performance.
Managing Your C Players
What about your C players, your chronic underperformers? In a well-managed organization, these are the
employees who have to go. They may be good workers and even talented people in their own way, but the
fact is that their talents do not support your strategic objectives. Letting go of underperformers is more easily
said than done. But if your organization has a candid evaluation process, C players generally know who they
are. When an employee has been a mediocre performer for a sustained period of time, their manager should
start a humane but unambiguous conversation about moving on. People changes are tough to implement,
but they are easier for employees to accept if they perceive that the decision is based on a systematic,
impartial review process, rather than on purely subjective or political considerations.
CANDOR AND PEOPLE CHANGES
Even if there is no immediate need to remove people on your team, you should always be looking for
opportunities to do so, whether the move is a promotion to a new role or a departure from the company. As
Jack Welch puts it, “Leaders relentlessly upgrade their teams.” In light of the powerful forces that work
against successful people changes, you need to make a special effort to act on what you know to be the
truth, even when the truth is unpopular. Strong leaders and good managers set clearly defined expectations,
assess honestly against those expectations, and consistently apply high standards to all their direct reports.
No one should have the title of manager if their employees do not know where they stand in the organization
today, or what their prospects are for continued employment or promotion in the future. A culture of candid
performance evaluation increases the chances for authentic conversations throughout the business. After a
while, authenticity becomes a way of life in the company.
Authenticity is not only good business. It is also ethical business. When you are candid and honest with your
employees, you are treating them with dignity. Not every conversation will be easy, and not every message
will be positive. But it is a basic human right to be told the truth, and it is the responsibility of every leader
and manager to uphold that right.
© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be
copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
JWI 521 – Week 6 Lecture Notes (1192)
Page 4 of 5
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS WEEK’S CLASS
As you read the materials and participate in class activities, stay focused on the key learning outcomes for
the week:
• Explain the importance of using differentiation in the workplace
What are the benefits of differentiation for effective workforce management? Does the leadership in
your organization provide varied and challenging professional development opportunities to
prospective leaders like yourself? Do managers strive to place the most talented people in important
strategic positions? If not, what can be done to address these issues? How can HR provide
resources to support better workforce management?
• Understand how performance assessment supports talent management
How do managers in your organization talk to their direct reports about performance evaluations?
Are they candid about the employees’ performance? Do they set clear and rigorous expectations
and evaluate against those expectations? Do employees know where they stand and what their
future prospects with the company really are? Are leaders and managers willing to make the tough
decisions that are needed when it is time to let go of underperformers?
•
Explore ways to manage difficult conversations with employees
It is not easy to deliver a warning based on poor performance, or the bad news of a dismissal to an
employee. But as a manager or leader, you must develop the ability to cope with these difficult
conversations. It is important to understand that such conversations should not come out of the blue.
A culture that fosters authentic and candid conversations between managers and their direct reports
eases the challenge of difficult conversations, since the employee already knows from previous
discussions that their performance has been under scrutiny by management.
© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be
copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
JWI 521 – Week 6 Lecture Notes (1192)
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JWI 521
Recruit, Develop, Assess, Reward, Retain
Week Seven Lecture Notes
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JWI 521 – Week 7 Lecture Notes (1192)
Page 1 of 5
COMPENSATION AND INCENTIVES
What it Means
Money is a highly motivating reward, and so, most people assume that a promotion, accompanied by higher
pay, is the incentive that should be used to reward and retain your most talented employees. The reality is
not so simple. Non-financial incentives, such as professional growth opportunities and access to top
leadership, can be very motivating for high performers. HR professionals need to have a nuanced
understanding of the way that incentives work, so that they can design incentive packages with an effective
combination of financial and non-financial rewards.
Why it Matters
•
To design effective incentive packages, HR needs a solid understanding of how rewards work
•
Non-financial rewards, such as growth and leadership opportunities, are important incentives
•
The best incentive packages offer a combination of financial and non-financial rewards
“People are happy when you give them
what they ask for. People are delighted
when you anticipate what they didn’t
think to ask for.”
Laszlo Bock
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JWI 521 – Week 7 Lecture Notes (1192)
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INCENTIVES THAT WORK
What is an incentive? Is it the same thing as a reward? According to the dictionary, a reward is anything that
increases the probability of a future response. By that definition, money is a great and highly motivating
reward. If you offer your people cash for doing something, you increase the chances that they will do it. By
the same token, then, performance feedback is also a great reward. If you give your people incisive and
productive guidance, you increase the chances that people will behave more productively in the future. A
challenging new assignment is also a great reward, whether it is structured as a promotion or a simple
transfer. For a top performer, the chance to learn and develop new skills is motivational and encourages the
employee to work hard, so as to benefit from the opportunity.
However, most organizations do not think about performance feedback and stretch assignments in the same
way as money. They fail to recognize the role that all three can play in retaining talented employees. Many
HR managers refer to their organization’s package of motivational tools as reward and recognition systems.
In this approach, reward is shorthand for financial compensation, and recognition refers to plaques and
awards. Rewards like performance feedback or stretch assignments are not mentioned at all.
THE ADVANTAGES OF FINANCIAL REWARDS
Money is among the most powerful of all rewards and therefore an almost universally effective way to
motivate people. Money is uniquely attractive, in that no one refuses it, no one returns it, and even people
who already have more money than they can possibly spend will go to great lengths to get more.
Another distinctive aspect of money is that it does not saturate. What does this mean? Offering too much of
something, even something people really like, will usually trigger negative results. Providing workers with
more autonomy, for example, often improves morale and productivity, but at some point can lead to role
ambiguity and confusion. Too much job responsibility and challenge can give an employee an ulcer. As for
large quantities of critical, candid feedback, don’t offer that to anyone for more than an hour straight! More
money, by contrast, is invariably received with considerable enthusiasm.
The reason is that money satisfies people on many different levels. To understand this better, let’s step back
and think more broadly about human motivation. The psychologist Abraham Maslow developed a classic
Theory of Human Motivation, which states that lower level needs must be satisfied before people can focus
on higher level needs. There are 5 levels in Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs:
•
Level 1: basic physiological needs, such as food, water, and shelter
•
Level 2: the need for security, including personal safety, employment, and health care
•
Level 3: social needs, such as for friendship, family, and a sense of connection
•
Level 4: self-confidence, including respect, achievement, strength, and freedom
•
Level 5: self-actualization, the need to realize your full potential as a creative human being
© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be
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JWI 521 – Week 7 Lecture Notes (1192)
Page 3 of 5
Financial rewards pack a punch because they have value to people on every level of the hierarchy. Money
makes physiological and security needs evaporate. At the social and achievement levels, while money may
seem less important, in American culture and many others, money goes a long way toward ensuring cultural
acceptance and opportunities for achievement. Only at Level 5 does money become less powerful, but it is
still the case that having more money frees people up to pursue self-actualization activities.
THE PROBLEMS WITH FINANCIAL REWARDS
What are some of the problems associated with using money to motivate people? The most obvious one is
limited supply. Simply put, more money is not always available. Most organizations do not have enough
money to attract, motivate, and retain everyone who is talented and deserving of a reward. They must
choose where to use financial rewards and where other types of incentive may be beneficial.
Another problem with financial rewards is that they are essentially commodities. The word commodity is
used in business to describe an article that is interchangeable or can be traded. Financial rewards are
commodities in the sense that they are not something distinctive, like the activities of a specific professional
role. So, while another company may not be able to match a specific job opportunity you are advertising, it is
relatively easy for another organization to match or exceed the financial rewards you are offering.
If your team members are working with you just for the money, they will leave when someone offers them
more of it. And eventually, someone is likely to offer more. Not to everyone on your team, of course – just to
your best performers, the people you can least afford to lose.
THE ADVANTAGES OF NON-FINANCIAL REWARDS
Non-financial rewards fall into two categories. Prestige rewards are designed to increase people’s stature,
be it inside the company or out. Examples are plentiful: job titles, direct access to top leadership, a business
credit card, or the size and location of one’s office, to name just a few.
Far more powerful and sustainable are job content rewards, which increase the satisfaction an employee
derives from his work. Performance feedback is a job content reward. So are recognition, responsibility, and
autonomy, as well as the opportunities to participate in decision-making and to work on important and
interesting tasks. An especially important non-financial reward is the opportunity to develop managerial and
leadership skills.
Unfortunately, job content rewards are typically not thought of as motivational incentives. This represents a
missed opportunity that leadership and HR would do well to consider. The best organizations use a
combination of financial and non-financial incentives. Both types of reward have the potential to exert a
powerful impact on employee performance. Used together, they can have a significant impact on retention of
top talent, those employees with the potential to become future leaders for your company.
© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be
copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
JWI 521 – Week 7 Lecture Notes (1192)
Page 4 of 5
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS WEEK’S CLASS
As you read the materials and participate in class activities, stay focused on the key learning outcomes for
the week:
• Assess what type of rewards work best to motivate employees and why
What incentives motivate the A players at your company? Are promotion and higher pay the keys to
retaining them? Do non-financial incentives, such as growth opportunities and access to top
leadership, have an impact, too? What about the B players, those solid performers that make up the
largest percentage of your workforce? You will likely offer them more modest promotions and pay
increases than the top talent. Can you use non-financial rewards to reinforce their sense of
engagement with the company, while also developing their professional skills?
• Examine the relative importance of compensation versus other rewards
Clearly, increases in compensation and promotion are important tools to retain employees. Financial
rewards are highly motivating, providing employees with recognition for work well done, added
security, and a sense of progress in their career. Does HR make sufficient use of other, less tangible
rewards to incentivize employees at your company? Have they set up systems to ensure that
employees receive frequent, productive feedback, as well as stretch assignments and professional
development opportunities?
• Analyze your organization’s approach to rewarding top talent
What are the reward and recognition systems in use at your company? Do you think the current
systems are effective at motivating and retaining top talent? Are new professional challenges and
leadership opportunities used as rewards for top talent, or are they only offered more traditional
types of incentive, such as promotions and awards? How can HR work with the executive team to
adjust the balance where needed, so as to use all available tools to retain the leaders of the future?
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JWI 521 – Week 7 Lecture Notes (1192)
Page 5 of 5
JWI 522
Strategic Partnering with the C-Suite
Week Six Lecture Notes
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JWI 522 (1192)
Page 1 of 6
EXECUTING THE PLAN:
ENSURING THE RIGHT PEOPLE STAY INVOLVED
What It Means
HR leaders and business unit leaders must be true partners. Neither party should be expected to own the
entire process of talent acquisition and development on their own. One of the most important factors in
developing a strong workforce is establishing an effective model for how these two groups will work
together to hire, assess and support their people.
Why It Matters
•
HR leadership is only successful when it works hand-in-hand with business leaders.
•
The expertise that business leadership and HR leadership has together is much more than either
has alone.
•
Business leaders need the guidance of HR experts to help them evaluate performance and
determine when and how their teams need support and when changes need to be made.
“Make talent development an explicit part
of every leader’s job and hold him or her
accountable for it.”
Bill Conaty
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Page 2 of 6
HR CAN’T DO IT ALONE
You’ve probably noticed by now that there is a lot of alignment between the talent development practices
advocated by Conaty and Charan and those advocated by McCord. While they don’t agree on
everything, there is one point they are both adamant about.
“Hiring great performers is a hiring manager’s most important job. Hiring managers should
actively develop their own pipelines of talent and take the lead in all aspects of the hiring
process.”
Powerful, P. 108
Get senior leaders involved in selecting leadership talent … don’t just hand off recruiting to
whoever is convenient. Have your senior-most people leaders involved in the recruiting process
from the campus level to the top of the organization.
The Talent Masters, P. 262
A true partnership is about leveraging the deep expertise that each partner brings to the process.
However, one of the realities that many organizations face is that functional units find themselves working
in silos. While these structures have evolved to promote efficiency, the unintended consequence is often
a reduction in the open and regular exchange of ideas. Most organizations have made more than a few
valiant attempts to tear down walls and improve communication across departments. While some have
experienced successes, many have found that their gains were short-lived and that things reverted to the
old ways.
It’s not that most employees oppose cross-functional work environments or even that a handful of
conspirators were working behind the scenes to undermine the effort. It’s more about natural forces at
work. Most day-to-day interactions naturally occur among people doing the same sort of job. HR is no
different and is probably at least as vulnerable to working off on its own as any department is.
But no partnership is going to be strong and effective if the teams (or at least the leaders of the teams)
only get together once or twice a year, and then only to discuss specific tactical matters such as training
programs or annual performance reviews. Working well with business leaders requires a plan to make it
happen. Patty McCord describes the objective and approach at Netflix:
“All hiring managers should understand, really deeply, what the company’s approach to hiring is
and how to execute on it, down to every detail. And this should be modeled from the top.”
“Our recruiter’s job was to coach our hiring managers and they created a slide deck to go over
with every one of them, one on one. They would ask every hiring manager, “What’s your
interview process look like? What’s your interview team look like? What’s your structure around
having people come in for interviews look like?”
Powerful, P. 102
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JWI 522 (1192)
Page 3 of 6
STRENGTHENING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
BUSINESS LEADERS AND HR
Bill Conaty was a leader of a business before he became the head of HR for GE. This experience helped
him better understand the realities faced by his fellow operators and gave him the insights needed to
drive proactive strategic talent management practices without having HR “get in the way” of operating the
business.
Several of our readings discuss the importance of HR professionals having “real-world” experience in the
operation of a business. Some even advocate having HR professionals rotate through internships or
temporary assignments in the organization in order to gain a deeper understanding of how the business
works. How practical this is will vary from company to company, but the point is a valid one – HR can’t be
an effective strategic partner if its leaders don’t understand the needs of the managers on the ground.
Patty McCord writes:
“HR must be business people who truly understand the way your business works, even if that’s
quite technical. They should be creative, proactive partners in the hiring process. Investing time
in explaining to them the details of the talents you need will pay remarkable dividends.”
Powerful, P. 107
“One thing I absolutely advise is making sure your HR people are your partners; you must stress
to them that you want them to be true business partners. When your HR people are
businesspeople first, it doesn’t seem odd to the rest of your management team to have them in
the room for a staff meeting or to coach hiring managers about how to interact and give feedback.
Instead of thinking HR is there to catch them misbehaving, team leaders will open up to input.
Make sure they really know how your business operates. Do they know the three key drivers of
revenue? Do they know who your top four competitors are? Do they know about the technology
that’s about to disrupt the market? Tell them. If they don’t want to know, replace them.”
Powerful, P. 147
Bill Conaty says that the time he spent running a business added to the credibility of talent management
recommendations made by him and his HR team. When business leaders see that you have real-world
experience to back you up and that you care enough about understanding their needs to leave the safety
of the HR wing to get out and ask questions, you can do a lot to address the image problem that many
HR professionals face. Whatever steps you take to gain this experience in your own career, there’s no
substitute for time spent “in the trenches”, if you really want to understand what’s going on.
EVALUATING STAFFING PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE PLAN
One of the challenges that undermine the effectiveness of the partnership between HR and business unit
leaders is that staffing plans get put in place and can exist for years without adjustment. As you read in
The Talent Masters, C-Sessions were a regular and highly structured process at GE. The role of HR in
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JWI 522 (1192)
Page 4 of 6
these was to help the leaders step back and ask important questions about talent management and
strategy, and to assess whether the plan and the people were still the right ones to get the job done.
Whether you follow something as structured as a C-Session at your organization or not, staffing plan
evaluations must address four things:
1. Current status of the business
a. Has a new competitive force surfaced that changes the game?
b. Is a new strategic direction or technical skill needed?
c. Are there skillsets held by some employees that are no longer needed?
d. Have financial conditions changed?
e. Do you need people you don’t have?
2. Looking ahead – what’s coming down the road in a year or five years?
3. Opportunities across other business units to work together and find synergies that can strengthen
your competitive advantage
4. Performance of the team members
Other than voluntary turnover, staffing changes and corrections occur either because the business
conditions have changed or employee performance has not met expectations. If the HR team stays
involved, it is more likely that these corrections can be made effectively and humanely.
It’s true that some managers will rush to make cuts in personnel without proper support for the employee,
but in reality, this is not as common as some may think. It’s more likely that they will hang on to someone
because they don’t want to make the tough decisions and let them that person go. While these can be
difficult conversations to have with managers, HR has a responsibility to both the business and to the
employee to help business leaders make honest evaluations of their team members and take the
appropriate actions.
As HR leaders, we have to guide our managers to make sure they are accurately assessing the situation
and providing feedback to their team members. This includes asking the all-important question, “If this
person applied for the job right now and you knew everything about them that you know now, would you
hire them?” Then, depending on the answer, HR leadership has to provide the support and courage to
make the change that is needed.
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JWI 522 (1192)
Page 5 of 6
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS WEEK’S CLASS
As you read the materials and participate in class activities, stay focused on the key learning outcomes
for the week:
•
Discuss the importance of having engaged hiring managers
One of the most important roles an HR professional can play is to help business unit leaders
assess their team’s hiring needs and performance against the strategic plans they are expected
to execute. How often do you or your team meet and work with business leaders to evaluate
staffing needs before a search is requested? What mechanisms do you have for circling back
with managers to see how new candidates are doing? The assumption is often that, if there is no
feedback on shortcomings of a new hire from the manager, then the person must be doing okay,
and the HR team can turn their attention to the next hire.
•
Strengthen the relationship between business leaders and Human Resources
For HR to remain a strategic partner, there must be a close and ongoing relationship between the
HR department and the business unit leaders they support. How solid is this relationship in your
organization? HR leaders should be scheduling meetings with business leaders at least
biannually to talk about the business. What’s going well? What’s not going so well? How is the
team doing? What’s coming down the road in the next six months or a year that could place
additional demands on team members? How are the new members of the team doing? This
doesn’t have to be an overly formal meeting – often the best discussions take place over lunch.
•
Evaluate staffing performance against the business plan
Busy managers often find it challenging to accurately assess the performance of their staff. This
sounds counterintuitive since they are the ones closest to their teams, but sometimes that
closeness hides performance issues. Sometimes managers will try to “manage around”
challenges. They will compensate for a low performer on a team whom everyone likes, and
unintentionally undermine team performance and place additional burdens on others. Or maybe
they will decide that a team member needs to be let go when, in fact, there are opportunities
elsewhere in the organization that are a better match for that person. HR can play a valuable and
impartial role in helping managers step back and assess whether their team is delivering what is
needed and has the support it needs to get the job done.
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JWI 522 (1192)
Page 6 of 6
JWI 522
Strategic Partnering with the C-Suite
Week Seven Lecture Notes
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JWI 522 (1192)
Page 1 of 7
TRUTH AND TRUST
What It Means
The vast majority of companies do the right thing. The same is true of employees. However, from time to
time in the life of nearly every business, something will go wrong. Someone will make a morally
questionable decision, cross a line that shouldn’t have been crossed, and occasionally, even engage in
criminal activity. In such times, HR leaders are often called upon to step into the middle of a firestorm and
help the organization make sound ethical and legal decisions that safeguard company assets and protect
the rights of the individual.
Why It Matters
• Employees will stand behind leaders who are honest with them and will give it their all, even
when the future is uncertain.
• Trust opens the lines of communication and empowers people to share ideas freely without fear
of reprisal.
• Candor is a tool of speed that cuts through the clutter and gets to what really matters.
“Leaders establish trust with candor,
transparency, and credit.”
Jack Welch
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JWI 522 (1192)
Page 2 of 7
DEVELOPING A CULTURE OF TRUTH AND TRUST
What does it mean to have a culture of truth and trust?
It goes without saying that you must follow the law. Your workplace must be free from biases that
discriminate against sexual orientation and religion and it must provide a safe and secure environment for
people in need of special accommodations, but it’s more than that. It’s about establishing a culture where
employees are confident that leaders will tell it like it is.
Telling it like it is should be a principle that is familiar to JWMI students. For Jack Welch, this is
expressed in a single word: candor. While it would be impossible to reduce the entire body of Jack’s
leadership lessons to a single practice, if we had to single out just one as being the foundation upon
which everything else is built, we would probably vote for candor.
For Jack, candor isn’t simply a belief in always telling the truth because it’s the right thing to do. Candor
is, in his words, “a tool of speed.” Candor, “cuts through the clutter of ‘business speak’ and gets to what
really matters.” It requires people to face facts and to share information openly. That includes not just
feedback on individual performance and letting people know where they stand, but also information about
how the business was doing. This is something Patty McCord strongly agrees with:
“One of the most important insights anyone in business can have is that it’s not cruel to tell
people the truth respectfully and honestly. To the contrary, being transparent and telling people
what they need to hear is the only way to ensure they both trust you and understand you.”
Powerful, P. 32
Building an organization that truly embraces candor as a way of life is not an easy task. In fact, Jack says
it was one of the toughest things he did at GE. That sounds a bit strange, doesn’t it? It seems simple
enough, just tell the truth, but there is a little more to it than that. The reality is that we are fighting against
millennia of human conditioning. People don’t want to deliver bad news. We don’t want to tell others
they’re not doing a great job or that things aren’t going well. We want to hold off in the hope that it will get
better.
A problem that plagues far too many organizations is that upper management keeps an excessively tight
hold on performance information. Such a mindset does a huge disservice to the organization for two
primary reasons:
1. Not sharing information about performance – both at the individual or corporate levels – robs
people of the chance to make meaningful changes in their own performance or change in how
they manage their teams and their businesses.
2. It undermines the opportunity to get every brain in the game. Sharing information more openly
allows the entire team to come together and attack the problem, think about other ways of doing
things and find better solutions.
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JWI 522 (1192)
Page 3 of 7
The tough thing about building a culture of truth and trust is that it’s not always pleasant. It often means
delivering some pretty harsh news. The thing is, however, that while not everyone will like what you have
to say, at least they will know where things stand. People are a lot more willing to rally behind a leader
they trust even when the odds are against them than they are for someone they think is hiding the facts.
“Too often upper management thinks that sharing problems confronting the business will
heighten anxiety among staff, but what’s much more anxiety provoking is not knowing. You
can’t protect people from hard truths anyway. And holding back truth, or telling them halftruths, will only breed contempt. Trust is based on honest communication, and I find that
employees become cynical when they hear half-truths. Cynicism is a cancer. It creates a
metastasizing discontent that feeds on itself, leading to smarminess and fueling
backstabbing.”
Powerful, P. 42
Having a seat at the table presents HR leaders with the opportunity to guide decisions on how and when
information gets shared from the top down, as well as how feedback from the bottom up is encouraged
and rewarded.
“The other vital point about honesty concerning business issues is that it’s got to go both
ways. Employees should be told never to withhold questions or information from you or their
direct superiors. As a leader, you should model this, showing, not just telling, that you want
people to speak up and that you can be told bad news directly and disagreed with.”
Powerful, P. 43
This behavior has to be modeled at the senior-most levels of the organization. Management has to
demonstrate that when team members come forward with problems, the manager and the team rally
around to support the person and address the problem head-on. If you bring a problem forward and
management jumps down your throat, as Jack says: “That’s the end of candor.” Building a culture of truth
and trust requires that we, as HR leaders, work with our colleagues to foster an honest sharing of ideas,
present a realistic assessment of performance, and encourage open debate where opposing views can
be expressed without fear of reprisal.
HR AS PEOPLE ADVOCATE
In examining what HR needs to do to get a seat at the table, much of our focus has been on addressing
the problem that too many HR departments don’t align their activities well enough to the needs of the
business. We hope that our focus on promoting a “people first” agenda has been clear and consistent.
We firmly believe that people are the most important part of any organization and that effective talent
development practices are critical to building a winning organization and creating a sustainable
competitive advantage. But getting a seat at the table doesn’t give HR the right to abdicate its role as
people advocate.
There will be times, in even the most people-centric organizations, when choices will be presented that
create a tension in which for the business to win, some employees will have to lose. We can’t be naïve
about the realities that there will be choices that make good business sense, but which will have a
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JWI 522 (1192)
Page 4 of 7
negative impact on individuals who have given a lot to the company. There will be times when layoffs
happen, when teams become redundant and when factories have to be relocated. When faced with such
situations, what is the role of the CHRO as an advocate for people?
While the circumstances around such events will vary widely, Conaty and Charan argue that one thing is
critical … the strength and character of HR leadership.
“The key issue is whether the HR leader is strong enough to face off with a tough CEO and CFO
and be a true employee advocate without getting rolled.”
The Talent Masters, P. 51
Having a seat at the table does not mean that you can’t ever oppose the boss’s point of view. CEOs
need honest counsel. They need people around them who will push back when needed, and who will,
respectfully, but firmly, support an opposing view. Standing up to a tough CEO can be painful, and in
extreme cases, it can be career limiting.
Over the years, there were numerous times when Bill Conaty supported a position in opposition to Jack.
This was a stance that, as I am sure you can imagine, is not for the faint-hearted. But Jack encouraged
this. In fact, Bill would likely not have been around long if Jack did not feel he could count on him to
speak his mind and be an advocate for what he felt was right. Did that mean Bill always got his way? Of
course not, but it did mean that the facts and the arguments were put on the table and debated honestly.
Jack knew that Bill could always be counted on to be an advocate for people and to fight for what was
right when tough decisions had to be made.
MAINTAIN A CONFIDENCE OR TAKE OFFICIAL ACTION?
This is not a course on workplace law or industry compliance. We trust that, as an HR professional, you
are well acquainted with the regulations that you and your team must follow and that you participate in
regular training to stay on top of things. Further, we expect that you are working with your organization’s
legal team, and are seeking external or specialized counsel when needed. But there will be times when
the path forward in dealing with an ethical or legal issue is not as clear as we would like.
It would be wonderful if we all had access to a set of rules that covered every single circumstance and
told us when we should officially report something and when we need to maintain a confidence. The
reality is that each situation is different. There are, nevertheless, core questions that every HR leader
must ask when faced with a tough decision.
•
•
•
Does the person bringing an issue to me want me to do anything with it?
Is there a potential that a law is being broken?
Is there a risk that, if I don’t escalate the matter, the company will be put in jeopardy?
As those questions get assessed, they will lead to a decision about whether the issue must be brought to
the CEO or should be dealt with by the HR leader. In bringing an issue to your boss, however, there is a
right way and a wrong way to do it. An important part of being a trusted advisor is also being seen as a
competent manager. A competent manager doesn’t add work to the boss’s day; she takes it away.
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JWI 522 (1192)
Page 5 of 7
Bill would frequently have to knock on Jack’s door and say, “I want you to know what’s going on with such
and such … I don’t need you to do anything about it, I’m handling it and will keep you updated.” Taking a
problem to your boss without bringing a solution is not the way to demonstrate your potential as a leader.
When assessing your decision about escalating a problem, ask yourself: Is this something that the boss
even needs to know about? Does it impact the organization in a way that requires the attention of the
person you are bringing it to? If the answer is no, then deal with it yourself or hand it to someone at the
appropriate level to take care of it. If the answer is yes, then does it require action from your boss, or
does the boss just need to be informed? The only problems that should land on the desk of a CEO are
the problems that can’t be handled by anyone else down the ladder. That’s a pretty tall order.
When you do bring a problem to the CEO’s attention, make sure you come with as much information as
you can about all the relevant factors. It’s true that when something is unfolding quickly in real time and is
important enough that the CEO has to be updated, you are unlikely to know everything that’s going on,
but gather as many facts as you can first, and make the initial briefing detailed enough that the risks,
options and ownership of action items are made clear.
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JWI 522 (1192)
Page 6 of 7
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS WEEK’S CLASS
As you read the materials and participate in class activities, stay focused on the key learning outcomes
for the week:
• Explore the importance of developing a culture of truth and trust
Is management trusted in your organization? How do you know? What tools have you
deployed to reach that conclusion? Anonymous surveys, exit interviews? Off-the-record
discussions? Have you discussed the role of candor as “a tool of speed” with your team and
with other leaders? What concrete actions could be taken to identify and address trust issues
that may be holding the business back? How would things change if there were a significant
increase in the level of confidence that all employees were being told the truth and were treated
fairly, regardless of their level in the organization?
• Discuss the role of HR as a people advocate and steward of the business
How do senior HR leaders balance being advocates for people and strategic drivers of the
success of the business when conflicting interests arise? What are the checks and balances that
must be in place to guide your actions? How can having a strong and clear Mission and a set of
Values/Behaviors help all parties to make better decisions for the business and the employee?
• Assess when to maintain a confidence and when an issue must be officially addressed
What support mechanisms do you have in place to guide your decision-making process when
there are tough ethical and legal decisions to be made? Do you have your own trusted mentor
you can go to as a sounding board, knowing that things will be kept confidential? Are you fully
versed on the laws and regulations that outline when official action must be taken? How do you
escalate an issue without dumping it on someone else? It is important to have these guides be in
place before they’re needed. You don’t want to find yourself searching for a roadmap in the
middle of an ethical or legal crisis.
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JWI 522 (1192)
Page 7 of 7
JWI 556
Leading Change by Putting People First
Week Six Lecture Notes
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JWI 556 (1196)
Page 1 of 9
SCALING UP
What It Means
Many of the forces that impact change are common to both smaller and larger change initiatives.
However, as the size and complexity of the change increases, additional factors enter the mix that must
be addressed. These include the challenges of dealing with diverse teams that may have competing
interests, cultural norms that may be difficult to identify and reconcile, and communication challenges that
undermine the messaging needed to make sure everyone in the larger organization understands why
they are changing.
Why It Matters
The larger and more complex the change initiative, the more that can go wrong.
Understanding the differences inherent to leading large-scale change initiatives is important when
evaluating the pros and cons of different change tools you may consider.
Communicating effectively during large-scale change requires more structure than communication
during team-based change.
“Every time you have a success and pass
a milestone along the way of a change
process, stop and celebrate so people can
see it’s worth it.”
Jack Welch
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JWI 556 (1196)
Page 2 of 9
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF LEADING CHANGE IN TEAMS
AND LEADING ENTERPRISE-WIDE CHANGE
“Firms that try to juggle twenty change projects today by using the methods that
successful companies applied to the same problem three decades ago always seem to
fail…
The process fails for two interrelated sets of reasons. First, the management approach
back then was usually too centralized to handle twenty complex change projects. If a few
senior managers try to get involved in all the details, as was often the practice then,
everything slows to a crawl. Second, without the guiding vision and alignment that only
leadership can provide, the people in charge of each of the projects wind up spending
endless hours trying to coordinate their efforts so that they aren’t constantly stepping on
each other’s toes.
Running twenty change projects simultaneously is possible if (a) senior executives focus
mostly on the overall leadership tasks and (b) senior executives delegate responsibility
for management and more detailed leadership as low as possible in the
organization…More important, the leadership provided by senior executives helps give
those other people the information they need to help coordinate their activities without
endless planning and meetings.”
Leading Change, pp. 147-148
Despite numerous common threads, there are a number of additional complexities that come into play
when dealing with an enterprise-wide change initiative. Some of these are obvious, and others are a bit
subtler. First, let’s clarify what we mean by enterprise-wide change. When we use the term, we typically
mean a change initiative that meets one or more of the following criteria:
Is undertaken in a large organization
Involves multiple business units or geographical locations
Redefines or significantly reorganizes the business
This brings us to the challenge of interdependencies.
“Now and in the foreseeable future, most organizations need to be faster, less costly, and
more customer focused. As a result, internal interdependencies will grow. Firms are
finding that without big inventories, the various parts of a plant need to be much more
carefully coordinated, that with pressure to bring out new products faster, the elements of
product development need much closer integration, and so on. But these new
interconnections greatly complicate transformation efforts, because change happens
much more easily in a system of independent parts.”
Leading Change, pp. 140-141
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Page 3 of 9
“Few if any of us grew up learning how to introduce major change in highly
interdependent systems. That, in turn, makes the challenge in organizations today more
difficult.
Without much experience, we often don’t adequately appreciate a crucial fact: that
changing highly interdependent settings is extremely difficult because, ultimately, you
have to change nearly everything…Because of all the interconnections, you can rarely
move just one element by itself. You have to move dozens or hundreds or thousands of
elements, which is difficult and time consuming and can rarely if ever be accomplished by
just a few people.”
Leading Change, p. 142
Despite the challenges of interdependencies, large-scale change can deliver large-scale wins.
Kotter summarizes what a successful large-scale change initiative looks like:
More change, not less
The guiding coalition uses the credibility afforded by short-term wins to tackle additional and
bigger change projects.
More help
Additional people are brought in, promoted, and developed to help with all the changes.
Leadership from senior management
Senior people focus on maintaining clarity of shared purpose for the overall effort and
keeping urgency levels up.
Project management and leadership from below
Lower ranks in the hierarchy both provide leadership for specific projects and manage those
projects.
Reduction of unnecessary interdependencies
To make change easier in both the short and long term, managers identify unnecessary
interdependencies and eliminate them.
Leading Change, p. 150
He offers further guidance on the leveraging opportunities in a large-scale change initiative to set
the stage for more effective future change initiatives.
Cleaning up historical artifacts does create an even longer change agenda, which an
exhausted organization will not like. But the purging of unnecessary interconnections can
ultimately make a transformation much easier. And in a world where change is
increasingly the norm rather than the exception, cleaning house can also make all future
reorganizing efforts or strategic shifts less difficult.”
Leading Change, pp. 149-150
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MODELS FOR LEADING LARGE-SCALE ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
As explained previously, we have chosen to focus on John Kotter’s model not because it is the only viable
perspective on change, but because it is among the most widely used and has a track record of research
supporting it. In fact, it has become such a mainstay of modern change management, many alternative
models draw heavily on it.
GE, for example, developed a model called the Change Acceleration Process (CAP). It shares many
elements with Kotter’s model, but just as they did with Six Sigma, Jack worked with GE leaders to adapt
the model and make it their own. CAP has seven stages to it:
1. Leading Change
Establish a committed leadership team that will champion and guide the change process through
to completion.
2. Creating a Shared Need
Address the inertia and complacency that resists the change, and build a broad base of support
that accepts that change is needed to make the organization stronger.
3. Shaping a Vision
Create a clear and compelling vision of the future state that is easily understood and shared, and
that presents a roadmap for how the organization will get there.
4. Mobilizing Commitment
Begin the rollout by leveraging early adopters or a targeted subgroup of the organization; identify
pockets of resistance and make improvements based on early feedback.
5. Making Change Last
As the change takes hold, identify the threats that could cause business to revert to the old ways,
and implement safeguards to defend against this.
6. Monitoring Progress
Track the effectiveness of the change using specific, quantifiable metrics that can be evaluated,
shared, and used to make further refinements.
7. Changing Systems and Structures
Change the systems, workflows, and other structures to support the new way of doing business
and further anchor the change.
In your readings this week, you will find an article by Robert Miles called “Accelerating Corporate
Transformations” (2010). One obvious connection between this and the Change Acceleration Process is
the focus on speed. This is a helpful counterpoint to what is, somewhat unfairly, a takeaway from Kotter
that change must be undertaken slowly. What is occasionally lost in Kotter’s focus on a methodical
approach is the importance of keeping momentum going. Miles argues, “The biggest barrier to corporate
transformation was getting organizations to execute their bold new ideas quickly.” He identifies six
barriers to speed that most organizational transformation efforts encounter.
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1. Being overly cautious and placing too much emphasis on not making mistakes rather than on
taking bold action.
2. Allowing business-as-usual to extend the time frame to get work done. He advocates a no-slack
approach focused on tightening the timeline.
3. Initiative gridlock that comes from trying to tackle too many initiatives at once, and not being
willing to abandon initiatives that show signs of going down the wrong path.
4. Recalcitrant executives who are not confronted about their behaviors.
5. Disengaged employees who aren’t brought into the loop. He suggests a “rapid-high-engagementall-employee-cascade” not unlike a Work-Out.
6. Loss of focus during execution.
This model is not wholly different from Kotter’s, but the focus on speed and the willingness to make some
mistakes is a bit different. As you consider his arguments, think about how the two models balance, and
which elements of each can be best leveraged to drive people-first change initiatives.
STAKEHOLDER MAPPING
The stakeholder map is an effective tool for understanding who will be impacted by a large-scale change
initiative, and how that can influence both process and communication.
1. Identify your key stakeholders. The first step is to develop a list of all the players who will
participate in or influence the outcome of the change initiative. Who may need to lead parts of the
effort? Who will it affect most? Whose expertise is critical to success? Your list may include
executive team members and other managers, board members, specific individuals or employee
groups, key customers, regulators, and so on.
2. Create a map that depicts the relationship among the stakeholders. A map is not a
traditional organization chart. It is a picture of how the key stakeholders are positioned with
respect to each other and the work to be done, and how they interact with each other.
3. Analyze relationships. The third step is to discuss the implications of your map. What does it tell
you about where support is most needed, possible sources of resistance or conflict, current
involvement in the change effort, and lines of communication? A map helps you decide where to
focus your mobilization efforts and who must be engaged.
While stakeholder maps may be created by one person, when you design them with other members of
the guiding coalition, they become powerful tools for building a shared understanding of the change
initiative and ensuring its success.
Stakeholder mapping will not only help you identify key people or groups who must be mobilized in
support of the change initiative. It can also help you clarify their current level of support, their reasons for
resistance, where to focus your mobilization efforts, and who might be available to help you. Its real
power lies in the discussion that it can generate among members of the guiding coalition.
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This is important for ensuring that you are able to work quickly by not getting bogged down in the wrong
sorts of communication. This is less of an issue in team-based change projects, but it becomes critical in
larger-scale initiates. A popular way to categorize stakeholders has become known as RACI.
Responsible
The individuals or groups that are entrusted with executing certain activities
Accountable
The person or group which is ultimately in charge of the activities
Consulted
Those who have a say in how the initiative is executed – for example, because of their expertise
or their vested interest in the initiative
Informed
Individuals and groups that should be kept abreast of the developments, but are not actively
participating in managing the initiative
Using consistent terminology, like RACI, is important in supporting clear communication. If everyone
understands and uses common language, it reduces the likelihood that key steps or people will be
missed, or that there will be misinterpretations of expectations.
CHALLENGES OF EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATING CHANGE IN LARGE,
DISTRIBUTED ORGANIZATIONS
In a large and complex organization, some people or divisions will be motivated and able to change
before others. The wise change leader takes advantage of these pockets of readiness to get started with
the change effort while others are still making up their minds. When these early movers are successful
and that success is publicly recognized, it will act as a powerful motivator for the slower movers. Frequent
and clear communication is essential.
“…most human beings, especially well-educated ones, buy into something only after they
have had a chance to wrestle with it. Wrestling means asking questions, challenging, and
arguing. This, of course, is precisely what happens when the vision is first created by the
guiding coalition.”
Leading Change, p. 102
Consistency in messaging is critical. If one groups hears one thing (whether you intended that way or
not) and another group hears something different, the change will be undermined. The takeaway will be
that there is a lack of focus and leadership. Perhaps resisters will say that someone knows what’s going
on, but it’s not them, so they’ll just check out.
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JWI 556 (1196)
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Another risk is that if there are tensions among the different groups impacted by the change, an
inconsistent message may be taken as “spin” where one group is being told something to make them
happy, whereas a different group is told something different.
Kotter leaves us with the following advice on the role of leadership around communication during largescale change initiatives:
…good leadership from above helps everyone understand the big picture, the overall
vision and strategies, and the way each project fits into the whole. Here the people
working on different activities all aim for the same long-term goal without ever having to
meet…With good leadership from above, these lower-level managers will also be
committed to the overall transformation and will thus do what is right with a minimum of
parochial political silliness.
Leading Change, pp. 148-149
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GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS WEEK’S CLASS
As you read the materials and participate in class activities, stay focused on the key learning outcomes
for the week:
Examine the similarities and differences between leading change in teams and leading
enterprise-wide change
As your explore what it takes to lead more complex change initiatives, it is helpful to examine
your own place of work in order to identify real-life examples of the challenges that scale brings
with it. Identify a change initiative the HR team could lead that would impact the entire
organization, or at least several different functional and/or geographical units. This could be a
change in compensation models, retooling the way performance reviews are conducted, or
revising policies on working remotely. Map out the interdependencies that need to be addressed
to implement the new way of doing things. What other changes need to be made either
simultaneously or in quick succession to allow the change to be rolled out? What communication
or other challenges do these changes bring to the surface?
Review additional models for leading large-scale organizational change
Spend some time doing a web search for other change models. Some will be propriety and be
marketing tools for consulting or training firms. Others will be models developed by academics or
authors. Download the literature and map out the similarities and differences between these
models and what we have covered in this course. Which ones bring something useful to the
process? If you are launching a change initiative at work, share the different models with your
colleagues and get their feedback on what they like/dislike about each.
Analyze the challenges of effectively communicating change in large, distributed
organizations
Develop a stakeholder map for a large-scale or complex change initiative you are considering at
work. Use the RACI categories to group stakeholders and add additional information on what you
know about the level of support and resistance these people/groups have for the initiative. In what
ways do your communication processes need to be the same for all groups, and in what ways do
they need to be different? Why?
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JWI 556 (1196)
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