Sustaining Change: Leadership That Works. Deborah Rowland and Malcolm Higgs

Transcription

1 Sustaining Change: Leadership That Works Deborah Rowland and Malcolm Higgs

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3 The authors insight into and understanding of what really makes a true leader, and the kind of leadership it takes to sustainably transform their business, makes this essential reading for anyone with aspirations to fundamentally change the way their organisation operates. Nick Frankland Chief Executive Officer of Guy Carpenter, Europe I know that leadership makes the difference. Over the past few years, I have focused on my ability to lead big change. Frankly, I don t often read management books, but I have found this to be clear and, above all, practical. If you too have a big change challenge read it it will help! Leslie Van de Walle, CEO Rexam PLC So refreshing to find an approach to change that is not change management by numbers models, templates etc but gets to the heart of influencing people. I find it intuitive, tangible and great for building team and self awareness and capability. Ruth Cairnie, VP Commercial Fuels, Royal Dutch Shell. This new book s premise is simple but far-reaching: personality cult leadership doesn t achieve sustainable change. However, how leaders actually lead does have a profound impact on the outcome. This thoughtful and thought-provoking book looks to explain why some succeed and many fail to achieve their change objectives. Blending theory, real-life case studies, and new ideas on leadership practices, it will appeal to both specialists and those who are leading large-scale change in their organizations. Lucien Alziari SVP Human Resources Avon Products, Inc. New York The world in which we now operate requires us to create organizations which have moved on from big, monolithic change to ones comfortable with flexible, responsive, and constant change. Rowland and Higgs first of all recognize that to be successful we have to create the conditions that allow change to operate at all levels in the organization, in effect for the organization to change itself. The demand on us as leaders is for more subtle, nuanced and enabling leadership and this is precisely what they offer; it works for me. Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council One of the changes that I had made a couple of years ago was in general to declare a moratorium on reading about Change for a while. So it was with great pleasure that I rejoined this debate by reading Sustaining Change. I particularly liked the thrust of durable transformation and the book s various diagnostics and helpful tips to achieve this end. The text unerringly focuses on the pivotal role of Leaders in the change process, and I found myself with a sheen of sweat on my brow as I took this opportunity to reconnect with the importance of my own role. In a world where it is often true that Those who can do; and those who can t preach (sic), this book is a refreshing rejoining of the two: serving as it does as both a very compelling call to arms, married with a powerful model and set of tools with which to join the battle Reg Bull, Senior Vice President HR, Unilever

4 To all those in the Transcend Consultancy team who have given us the space to write this book

5 Sustaining Change: Leadership That Works Deborah Rowland and Malcolm Higgs

6 Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 8SQ, England Telephone (+44) Under the Jossey-Bass imprint, Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco CA , USA (for orders and customer service enquiries): Visit our Home Page on All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP, UK, without the permission in writing of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 8SQ, England, or ed to permreq@wiley.co.uk, or faxed to (+44) Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The Publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the Publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Other Wiley Editorial Offices John Wiley & Sons Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA , USA Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH, Boschstr. 12, D Weinheim, Germany John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd, 42 McDougall Street, Milton, Queensland 4064, Australia John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd, 2 Clementi Loop #02-01, Jin Xing Distripark, Singapore John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd, 6045 Freemont Blvd, Mississauga, ONT, L5R 4J3, Canada Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rowland, Deborah. Sustaining change : leadership that works / Deborah Rowland & Malcolm Higgs. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN (cloth) 1. Organizational change. 2. Leadership. I. Higgs, Malcolm. II. Title. HD58.8.R dc British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN Typeset in 11/16 pt Trump Medieval by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall, UK

7 Contents Foreword Acknowledgments vii xi 1 Introduction 1 Part I Defining Changing Leadership 15 2 Is change changing? 17 3 Are leaders leading? 57 4 Changing leadership a framework 95 Part II Seeing Changing Leadership Attractor creating magnetic energy Edge and tension amplifies disturbance Container provides holding structure Transforming Space creates movement 241

8 vi / CONTENTS Part III Working With Changing Leadership Linking Changing Leadership Developing Changing Leadership Where next? 359 Recommended reading list 367 Index 369

9 Foreword Effective leadership is high demand. This interest has resulted in a burgeoning of academic programs in leadership studies and in leadership development activities. There are organizations which devote considerable resources to selecting, developing, testing and promoting leaders. Whilst the impact of this investment is often thought to be less than was intended, and the evaluation of these efforts is necessarily complex and multi-dimensional, nevertheless what cannot be denied is the interest in leadership on the one hand and the willingness of at least some organizations to invest in seeking to secure a stream of potential leadership candidates. This may well be a result of the widely accepted view that leaders play a vital role in energizing change, innovation and success for their organization. This book on Change Leadership is particularly timely in this context. Based on rigorous research it also reflects the

10 viii / FOREWORD concerns and experience of the authors one a successful consultant turned Business School academic, the other a successful consultant and former organizational leader. The authors have collaborated on this work over a number of years and presented it at various conferences to which they have invited consultant colleagues, practitioners and academic colleagues. What they do here is set out a well founded model of change leadership and show how they have applied it in practice. On this basis they argue for a change leadership approach based on collaboration and the building of capability. What you focus on when thinking about the present may be very different from what you think about when looking at the needs for an organization in the future, particularly in a changing world. Whilst the people working in the organization today may not welcome change, the decisions and choices leaders make will often carry fateful consequences for the health of the organization in the longer term. The outcomes of these choices may determine future success or failure. It follows that, whilst focus on the leader as an individual is important in looking at the role and influence that can be brought to bear today, a focus on decision and choice is vital to gaining an understanding of the longer term impact of any leader. Moreover, by seeking to comprehend the evidence base and assumptions on which decisions were based we deal with material open to analysis. In turn, then, this material is more readily accessible for leadership development purposes. Where social influence models are used this raises the same question about leadership. Which leaders, positioned where

11 FOREWORD / ix in the organizational system, are likely to be most influential? As soon as you accept the notion that social factors play a part, you must immediately question the idea that change is created on a straightforward top down basis. Even where the organization is a relatively simple affair where change involves embracing new technology, then we know that existing power bases become challenged. This is simply another way of accepting that in that context leadership may well come from different sources. This book presents a cogent and serious attempt to deepen the conceptual treatment of change leadership. It introduces a framework comprising four necessary practices and four distinguishing practices. The latter are associated with successful change in the research upon which the framework is based. The four distinguishing practices are listed as attractor, edge and tension, container, and transforming space. The necessary practices are insufficient of themselves. Success in change comes to those leaders who find the right balance of the four distinguishing practices. Not least of the value of the framework is that by focusing on practices it is easily translated into an action plan for change leader development. Clearly here the role, style and decisions of senior leaders are under examination. Whilst personal leadership issues are in play here it is also clear that credibility, track record and business impact are at the core of the analysis. Thus we are not simply looking at finding a hands-on leader. As this book demonstrates, one important key to success is finding the right balance of order and disturbance to generate movement and to stimulate sustained change. The change goes beyond the personal leadership dimensions into looking for a

12 x / FOREWORD senior leader who can be expected to both understand and embrace the decisions and choices which must be made. The key point here is to argue that the leadership role in change is as much as anything an enabling role. Yes, they make decisions. But to what purpose? In Sustaining Change, the power of the answer lies in the challenge to leaders which the authors offer. Embrace change to energize others in the making of change. Get the strength of the organization working with you rather than trying to work across the grain of the organization. A story of struggle it may be but it is also a serious attempt to come to terms with the challenge and complexity of the topic. Is change changing, they ask? Yes, and so must change leadership, with this book giving us clues as to how. C A Carnall, Associate Dean, Executive Programs and Professor of Strategic Management, Warwick Business School

13 Acknowledgments The writing of this book could not have been possible without the close collaboration of our colleagues, coaches and mentors: we thank Nancy Clay for her invaluable insights into the stories and concepts contained in the book, her comments on the writing, and her dedicated and gifted contribution to its underpinning research effort and consulting application over the years; Roger Bellis for the vital role he played with one of the authors in the initial creation of the Changing Leadership framework upon which this book is based, its research testing, and then its practical development and application within our consulting team and practice; Anjet van Linge, Chris Robertson, and Michael Thorley, for their depth of contribution, insight and critique to the writing of the chapters that describe the Changing Leadership practices Part II this book would not be the same without them, and also Nick Mayhew for his comments on part of the text; Dana Kaminstein for his input into the theoretical underpinnings to our Changing Leadership framework and his encouragement to go for it in

14 xii / ACKNOWLEDGMENTS our writing; Jackie Gittins for providing wise, independent, supportive and challenging insight to us on our writing style and how to engage our reader; Ron Rowland for his perspective from the field ; June Rowland for her meticulous proof reading; and the editorial team at Wiley for their sponsorship and positive encouragement throughout. In addition, the research effort and concept development upon which this book has been created has been pioneered, supported and nurtured over the years by many other colleagues and close advisors, and for this we would particularly like to thank: Ian Colville, Angus Fisher, Phil Hadridge, Bill Johnson, and Nel Viersen. The consulting team and research effort have been ably supported by our administrative staff and field researchers, in particular the ever-present, able and willing Katie Jones; and Jill Foulds, Susan Holland, Charlie Sweeney, Tim Price and Adam Miller. The entire inquiry was stimulated by our work in organisations. Our research journey, its practical application, and the rich feedback loop between the two, could not have happened without the committed support of many organisational leaders who have generously worked with us in trying to wrestle with the challenges of implementing large scale organizational change. Our partnership with them has taught us much. In particular, we would like to thank the following leaders who have closely supported the research effort and collaborated with us in our organisational consulting work, the experiences and stories from which have enabled us to richly illustrate this book: Caroline Boddington, Ruth Cairnie, Ronan Cassidy, Graham Chipchase, Louise Cowcher, Martin Davidson, James Dorrian, Lynn Elsenhans, Peter Erich, Allan Fielder,

15 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS / xiii Roger Forster, Jackie Gittens, Paul Kane, Mick Holbrook, Nick Kirkbride, Ellen Lamparter, Adrian Loader, John MacKensie, Louise Makin, Andrew Manley, Peter Molingraaf, Jeremy Newsum, Pat O Driscoll, Bishop Alastair Redfern, Leslie Van de Walle, and Pavita Walker. In addition we thank the following leaders who have not only personally participated in the research process but continue to engage with us in processing its findings: Colin Abrahams, Lucien Alziari, Sir David Henshaw, Jane Kirkwood, Dave Pace, and Josef Waltl. Finally, this book could not have been written this year without the affirming personal presence, assistance and encouragement from a close circle of family, friends, and helpers, and for this kind of support we would like to thank (in addition to some of those already mentioned): Ron, June, John and Paul Rowland, along with Wendy, Clare, Katharine, Martin and Louise, Lisa Parr, Pete Clay, Dr George New, Valerie West, and Susan Nordhaal. To all of you, your spirit, candour, love and belief meant the world.