Leading and Sustaining Organizational Change

The behaviors that leaders display can have a daily impact on a project. This includes something as minimal as a specific leader's mood to something as important as the leader's directed input on the project.
The behaviors that leaders display can have a daily impact on a project. This includes something as minimal as a specific leader's mood to something as important as the leader's directed input on the project.
The behaviors that leaders display can have a daily impact on a project. This includes something as minimal as a specific leader's mood to something as important as the leader's directed input on the project.

There are behaviors that leaders can display to keep a project on track and the employees motivated. Nothing may be more valuable then having a positive attitude. An attitude of excitement and eagerness to succeed with the project is infectious and demonstrates to the employees that the project is important and worthwhile.

Stever Robbins is co-founder of the Harvard Business School's "Foundations" program and a long-time advisor to start-up initiatives. He lists a few behaviors that can help any leader to build motivation among employees. These include:

• Take responsibility for the organization and the people who will make it up.
• Become a Steward for your organization and its people.
• Become a Steward for your group.
• Become a Steward of your co-workers.
• Lead by living the company's values.

(Building Organizational Momentum through Leadership…2005)

Steward can mean many different things, but in this context it foes hand-in-hand with taking responsibility. By assuming responsibility, a leader becomes personally invested into the outcome of a project. Becoming invested means supporting the elements of the project and doing whatever is necessary to ensure that project receives the attention it requires.

Becoming a steward for the organization and its people requires the leader to be a driver for success. The leader should actively seek to learn about the business and any projects, as well as seek the elements that will benefit the company and its employees. The leader should be the resource and the go-to person for problem solving and constructive support.

Robbins explains the importance of becoming a steward for your co-workers," Keep people going by helping them make their job part of a larger success. After all, group goals only matter if they further the company's overall goals. Keep the connection in mind, and help others "get" the connection. Even a janitor helps a company's success by freeing folks to work without the distraction of maintaining their space. There's pride to be taken; help them take it!" (2005)

That last sentence is the essence of motivating employees. There is pride and success to be had, let's get together and do this. It really can be that simple. Robbins completed his article with this statement, "Building a strong organization is about leadership, and leadership your title, it's what you do. If you live your values, take care of your organization and its people, and step up to the plate with responsibility, you'll be a leader in the true sense of the word. Your title won't matter. Your influence, the respect you garner, and the success you bring will be the true proof of your leadership." (2005)

Motivation during the implementation of a project is no different than the motivational behaviors that a leader will need to bring to the workplace every single day.

Organizational Culture and Successful Implementation

An organization's culture directly influences how that organization will implement and operate under a change project. Binkington Industries operates under the Kaizen method of organization culture. This method consists of five specific elements that will greatly influence successful project implementation. Including:

1. Teamwork
2. Personal Discipline
3. Improved Morale
4. Quality Circles
5. Suggestions for Improvement.

(Kaizen Philosophy and Kaizen Method, 2006)

These elements are supported by several principles that can only positively influence a project's implementation. The principles behind KAIZEN are:

1. Discard conventional fixed ideas.
2. Think of how to do it, not why it cannot be done.
3. Do not make excuses. Start by questioning current practices.
4. Do not seek perfection. Do it right away even if it will only achieve 50% of target.
5. If you make a mistake, correct it right away.
6. Throw wisdom at a problem, not money.
7. Ask 'WHY?" five times and seek root causes.
8. Seek the wisdom of ten people rather than the knowledge of one.
9. Don't ask workers to leave their brains at the factory gate.

Kaizen is thus a (relatively) low cost, simple, team-based approach. Teams are trained in the techniques and tools of Kaizen. They then brainstorm improvement ideas and vote on them for priority action. They then create an action/implementation plan which is submitted to management for approval. Assuming it is approved, the team then sets about implementation (with professional help if appropriate). The team then meets weekly to review progress, identify/overcome barriers, celebrate successes, and document the resulting changed processes. (Kaizen, 2000)

Each of these elements will contribute to successful project implementation and build momentum for future projects. The importance of teamwork cannot be understated. As a small, start-up company, Binkington Industries will benefit from being a close knit team focused on successfully implementing the business project and developing a long-term process.

Personal discipline creates a sense of pride and willingness to put in the work that is necessary for success. Discipline also comes through being accountable for your actions. The Binkington culture will emphasize accountability as desirable and will focus on employees who have the discipline to be successful and push a project through the end.

Improved morale is generated through proven success and building motivation. The importance of morale will overshadow each element and impact how the team operates, and how the idea of using quality circles to evaluate the organization's projects and procedures. Improving morale is the most significant factor of a Kaizen culture, as it will positively impact the whole organization and all its processes.

Strategies for Success

Regardless of the strength of an organization's culture, strategies must be set in place to effectively respond to culture issues and keep the project on a successful path. Facing major competition, the Arthur Anderson organization deteriorated after years of being the leader in ethics and integrity in the accounting industry.

A case study states, "Andersen was once known as one of the 'Big Five' accounting and consulting firms in the US that had prospered for nearly a century. Considering the fact that the firm had itself set the standards for honest and law-abiding accounting ever since its inception, its shameful descent into becoming one of the 'Big Corporate Frauds' was even more painful and humiliating. According to industry observers, Andersen's fall can be seen as a perfect example of how even great institutions founded on integrity, value, stewardship and personal growth, could collapse in the absence of internal controls, a good work culture and sound values." (The Fall of Arthur Anderson, 2002)

The Arthur Anderson story is an outstanding example of how far a company can fall, and it also demonstrates how important it is for an organization to deal with their culture issues. Strategies need to be put in place as preventative measures before issues can arise. Leaders and experts on business continually go back to communication, and for good reason. Effective communication flows will lead to stronger relationships between employees and with customers, as well as creating a forum where issues can be spoken to and resolved.

The most obvious issue that would face Binkington Industries during the implementation of the project plan would be employee resistance. The Tool pack Consulting firm explains, "The best ways to avoid resistance to change are, oddly enough, also the best ways to assure that people are motivated to support the change effort. Involving people from the beginning, clearly explaining the reasons for the change, having a clear strategy, direction, and vision, and respecting the viewpoints of other people are all parts of the process. Using strategic measurement can also be a way of building support. Starting out with a problem, and working with other people to come up with a solution, can be far more effective than proposing a specific solution and trying to rationalize it. The quality movement has refined many problem-solving techniques which can be used. Often, cross-functional and multi-level teams (to cross both functional and level-of-management boundaries) are used to both solve problems and implement solutions, with minimal involvement by top management. This brings more involvement and dramatically cuts resistance to change, while magically giving top managers more free time." (Organizational Change Management, 2005)

The strategies Binkington will employ to combat culture issues will be built in to the Kaizen method that the company is establishing as its culture in the first place. Teamwork and communication will help in resolving issues before they can become a cancer in the organization.

Post-Implementation Practices

Implementing a project can be an exciting process. Once the project has changed into normal business practice, the project team must now focus on the continued success and post-implementation management practices.

An important factor in continued success is to build momentum in the project. When the project is moving forward smoothly, it is a great feeling. However, building momentum under a project also includes effectively being able to deal with bumps in the road and future issues that rise well after the implementation process is complete.

Momentum is built through successes steps in the project. When employees feel that the project is moving along successfully, there is a greater deal of project buy-in, and a stronger willingness to see it through to the end.
However, management should now be concerned with areas of quality management and the continued support of the project team. Quality management is an ongoing process that begins at the inception of the project plan. Now that the project has been implemented the continued measurement of quality will be a driving success factor in the future of the product. Processes for evaluating quality and the overall health of the project will include evaluations by the project team, as well as evaluations by employees not specifically part of the project team, but affected by the project anyway.

As Binkington Industries begins a project under the Kaizen method, they will also see a project through with the Kaizen method, the focus being on the elements of:

1. Teamwork
2. Personal Discipline
3. Improved Morale
4. Quality Circles
5. Suggestions for Improvement.

(Kaizen Philosophy and Kaizen Method, 2006)

Quality circles and suggestions for improvement will drive the post-implementation management process and lead the company through to any new and potential changes.