I have always felt that organizational change simply could not be linear. Somehow the notion that shifts in structure, culture, technology, processes and systems could be introduced according to some fixed recipe has always grieved me, as if it missed the most important components, the deeper humanity of changing what is toward what can or… Continue reading A Spiral Model of Change
Category: Organizational Culture
Having Tea with the Dragon
In a transactional world where on-time, within-budget results are the Holy Grail, it is no wonder that what we often seek most is not how to grow as leaders but simply how to get other people to do what we want them to do. The study of our leadership too often becomes the study of… Continue reading Having Tea with the Dragon
Leading Change in a VUCA World
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the nature of what it takes to create and respond to meaningful change these days. Yesterday, I brainstormed the following after reading an article by John Kotter, one of the most respected culture change experts. How would you modify what I’ve written? What would you add? In a VUCA… Continue reading Leading Change in a VUCA World
Two Types of Leadership Action
In a recent conversation with an executive I found myself explaining the difference between what I spontaneously called “Type I” and “Type II” leadership action. Type I is when a leader inquires informally about the experience of people, say over a cup of coffee or part of hall talk, welcomes a genuinely open exchange, learns… Continue reading Two Types of Leadership Action