Watch Out for Squirrels…a brief lesson in organizational change

 "What could a squirrel possibly have to do with organizational change?” you may be asking yourself. Consider the following:

           •   Like a squirrel, an organization is a living organism.

           •   When change occurs, organizations often need to

                employ resiliency and 'stretch their limits' to recover

                from changes whether planned or unplanned.

           •   Even after everything is settled and done

               repercussions can occur and sometimes the

               organizational pain is worse than the initial change.

These kinds of unforeseen obstacles can interfere with the organizations’ plans and lessons can be learned in unexpected ways... consider my ‘squirrel’ example. I learned this lesson about change one morning when I was taking Wolfie and Roxy, my two dogs, for their walk.

Here’s What Happened:

This beautiful summer morning everything seemed fine, except for the squirrel on the front lawn. I didn’t see the little critter, but they did and took off in pursuit. The pesky rodent escaped, however, while attempting to restrain these two ‘vicious canines,’ the leash handle caught my right ring finger, causing what I thought was a minor sprain.

Other than a couple of painful handshakes it seemed fine and I thought it would heal on its own. However, by November it was still painful and I mentioned it to my doctor who said a splint might help. It did, however, by January the pain was worse than originally and the doctor recommended a specialist.

Imagine my surprise when this doctor showed me on an x-ray where the finger was broken. I was fortunate because it healed well; I had done everything right; however, the pain was caused by the ligaments and tendons atrophying from the injury. The doctor went on to explain had I not sought treatment the finger would have become immobile over time.

The treatment was to put the finger in a brace twice a day for 30 minutes to stretch the tendons and ligaments that were atrophying.

After removing the brace the first time I was surprised by the excruciating pain I felt as I exercised the finger; more painful than the original injury! The doctor explained that it would subside over time; and would take about a year to heal completely.

Here’s where the comparison to organizational change comes in.

The organization is going along just fine; everything proceeding as planned. Suddenly, something happens – an unexpected change; market conditions, merger/acquisition, reorganization, staff cuts, etc., like the squirrel.

Organizational leaders need to take these repercussions into account and work with the teams within the organization to assist with the growing pains associated with them. Like the healing from my broken finger, the organizational healing process takes time and some of the repercussions can be more painful than the original change. However, with the right leadership, planning and organizational coaching, effective change can occur in organizations as leaders and team members learn new skills and behaviors to aid in the organization's success.

In the meantime, remember to watch out for squirrels!

What do We Mean by Power?

The early scene from the movie The Devil Wears Prada, where Miranda Priestly arrives at the office, comically addresses the issue of how the use of power can impact the entire culture of an organization. As she stepped out of the car first thing in the morning, everyone there was walking on eggshells and attempting to avoid who would be the target of her wrath. While this is a Hollywood movie, it does demonstrate how one person's use of their power can impact an entire organization.

The first thing that needs to be explored is what is meant by power and authority. There are two types of power that is exercised in society, whether in the corporate world, government, academia or the family. They are Position Power and Personal Power.

Position Power is bestowed by the institution. It is indicated by level, or title, i.e., president, vice president, director, manager, supervisor, police officer, professor, teacher, mother, coach, father, etc. These titles command certain protocols are are supported by policies, sanctions and authority within the systems of the institution − whether it's a large corporation, the military, government agency educational institution or family.

Personal Power is given by others. It comes from within the individual; in the way he or she attempts to influence or persuade others to accomplish tasks and the respect he or she conveys towards other people. It's based on an aura of charisma, their personality or the type of person they are; as well as their knowledge, experience and connections in their network. We know what this is when we experience it in our interactions with other people, i.e., that doctor has a good bedside manner or that salesperson has a bad attitude, etc.

One kind of power is no better than the other and everyone has both. The challenge is that some people are more comfortable with one type of power over the other. This has nothing to do with gender or personality but is more related to the individual's comfort zone. What happens is that the person exhibits behaviors based upon the type of power that are most comfortable with. This is fine in situations where those behaviors are appropriate. It can create problems, however when the situation calls for behaviors that are from the least-comfortable form of power; and this is where the problems can arise.

The key is balance: Balancing position and personal power. It means drawing upon the appropriate power for the situation at hand and being able to recognize or diagnose the situation and which way is best to respond. When power is used inappropriately, the danger of being stereotyped occurs.

What do We Mean by Empowerment?

Empowerment means to give power to. As a leader, authority is delegated to team members which empowers them to make the decisions needed for the success of the organization in their respective areas. However, as the head of the organization, the leader is at the place where the buck stops. In that case the leader has to employ self-empowerment, which comes from knowing the truth about one's self and not allowing the perceptions of others to hinder him or her from taking the appropriate actions needed for the success of the organization.

Workplace Bullying... The Bullies have Grown Up and the New Playground is the Workplace

Recent news events regarding college hazing got me to thinking about the similarities between these events and workplace bullying. While the topic might be more popular in school systems to protect children from suffering at the hands of schoolyard bullies, there is also a need for greater awareness of the effects of bullies when they grow up and operate in the workplace.

Even though the circumstances may differ from the school playground where bullies typically get their start, workplace bullying can be another type of hazing which can produce similar negative effects on individuals and productivity within the organization or business. Employees at all levels in an organization can experience bullying on a daily basis; from bosses to co-workers.

Accepted and Overlooked

Workplace bullying can often be accepted and overlooked as a form of poor management style. More often, however, it occurs between co-workers in subtle but malicious forms of gossiping, back-stabbing, rumor-spreading, deviousness and work sabotage. As a result, it contributes to absenteeism, high turnover, litigation and major expenses when it is unchallenged.