No Longer Practitioners Anonymous

January 30, 2012 - Luc Galoppin

I had no clue what would happen when I sent out the invitation for the first Organizational Change Practitioners meeting. Glad I did it!

This is a short review of the first meeting of the Organizational Change Practitioners Group of LinkedIn. Over the past years this group has been growing to more than 22.000 members, so it was time for us to meet up. The theme of this meeting was ‘Change Management best practices in projects’.

Earlier I announced that we would be starting in 2012 with local informal meetings where we share experiences and lessons learned with short presentations – NOT commercial pitches. So this was it. In the below video you can see how it all went.

What I learned from this session is that Organizational Change Practitioners is a community worth meeting. We all value conversation and we all value each other’s opinion. I will be using this blogpost to share any materials, links and learnings that sprung up from this meeting. So if you would have any additions to make, do not hesitate to send them to me or to directly share them in the comments.

1. Mega conversations: Opening Spaces that give power to the people (Jeffer London)

In this session, Jeffer made us experience the most valuable tool of a change manager: words and conversations. In a few minutes the group could have a taste of the facilitation he brings about for very large groups. Did you make any pictures that are worth including here? I’d be happy to post them here.

2. The age of multi: Change Management has left traditional company borders (Bert Van Bergen)

Bert was kind enough to share his presentation on Slideshare. Let’s hope his luggage will finally make it back home from Peru!

Co-Production of services: Change Management has left traditional company borders

3. Making Change Work – What Managers, Executives and Staff Tell us that Really Matters (Joanne Celens)

In her presentation Joanne shared the findings of a recent Synthetron survey. At first sight the findings are not so shocking for Organizational Change Practitioners. It gets interesting when we look at the weight that is given to certain findings and the phases of a project when they are important.

The research paper can be downloaded on Synthetron’s website.

4. 101 Ideas (Katia Van Belle)

Without making any arrangements upfront, Katia did a similar live survey in the room we were in. Based on the question ‘what is the one idea you came across that really sticks?’ we got to vote and prioritize the most popular lessons we have learned from this evening. The lessons are categorized on a scale from 0 to 21 points and the idea was to share them with all other Organizational Change Practitioners who could not be there. Here they are:

  • 21 pt – people are change subjects (creating change), not change objects (undergoing change)
  • 18 pt – all change initiatives should start with an authentic story that gives future concrete vision
    18 pt – finally the end of the war language of change. Scientific proof has been presented: people can’t be called “targets” anymore. Halleluia!
    18 pt – conversation = fuel
  • 15 pt – change is a combination of hearts, heads and hands
    15 pt – head hart hand. We need to influence the three H’s in balance and monitor them.
    15 pt – change needs to take into account heart, head and hands
  • 13 pt – hierarchy of communication: AHA  why > how > what
    13 pt – who is afraid of the big bad change?
  • 12 pt – people are subjects of change. They make the change possible, not objects of change
    12 pt – don’t break down change in 1000 mini-projects: it’s too much hand and not enough hearts and heads!
  • 11 pt – people are not change objects but they are change subjects
    11 pt – don’t try to change the people. People are the change…
  • 10 pt – creating shared vision to deliver authenticity and encourage involvement
  • 9 pt – experience is not enough – it must be examined and evaluated
    9 pt – motivate people to WANT to change. LET them change. MAKE them change.
  • 8 pt – change is not a gun to the head! It’s not about convincing, it’s about showing added value
    7 pt – key for change: give us tools, give us budget
    7 pt – collaborative strategizing! successfully implementing a strategy requires substantial input from those expected to implement the change
  • 6 pt – the evolution of technology may have brought change in transformation and marketing consulting, but bottom-line remains: set them to do what you want or change what you want.
  • 5 pt – real life change success starts with a dialogue to get things right and clear
    5 pt – ensuring anonymous conversations to create new peer groups to discuss change
  • 4 pt – people are not resistant to change, only to bad change
    4 pt – treat employees with the respect you want them to show your company
    4 pt – change management is a verb
  • 3 pt – ask for forgiveness after, rather than permission before -> speed in the mission
    3 pt – change is evolution, it’s not a barrier.
  • 2 pt – what is the function of a change manager? I feel that it’s more a market research

Does this list spark any new idea you would like to add? Please let us know in the comments.

Now What?

Like me, you may be wondering what the next step will be. We have made no arrangements for a next meeting, but the feeling was so positive that I will be organizing another one in the coming months. My silent hope is that in the mean time, somewhere else in the world an Organizational Change Practitioner will have done the same.

  • Richard Platt

    Great that you were able to do this Luc.  As you know I have been quite disappointed by the quality of change agents, or at least those posing as change agents with their new fangled certifications. Sorry to have to actually say this since it will perhaps upset the more insecure of them, but their opinions DO NOT have the same weight.  Experience is the knife edge of what works effectively and what doesn’t.  I certainly can appreciate the desire to actually meet w/ others who actually know what they are doing and I do hope there were some there.  

    I would say though that there is a need for constructive criticism though, otherwise it’s just a sharing of opinions and everyone sitting around singing kumbiya, and not really debating the merits of what works and what doesn’t.  If it was that kind of meeting then I would just as soon as skip it.  

    To wit I would also say that just because it was decided by committee that the “war” language was no longer relevant, does NOT make it any less of a battle.  While I definitely appreciate the desire for people to move away from the use of those terms, to do so perhaps lacks an appropriate understanding of what actually motivates people, let alone the competing of agendas that are found inside of companies today that obstruct the actual change process.  

    Why you might ask? well from these internal “defenders” viewpoint’s, the change and or the change process is viewed as a threat to them, their job and their fiefdoms they have built.  I do not think it does anyone any good to say that this type of language cannot be used, or that it isn’t relevant. even if the language is changed to make it more palatable to those who overly sensitive to the use of “war” language when describing the change process.  

  • Raju

    Viewed the video, must have been a great session.  OCP must have many more in the near future.   Similar HR sessions are organized in Malaysia, outcome has always been fantastic, network building and best knows practices are established.

    Hopefully am able to join in the near future. 

    Congrats on a successful event!!!!!

    Selvaraju Pillai  

  • Denise Caruzzi

    CONGRATULATIONS!!  to all who attended.  What a fabulously HUMAN outcome for “social” media. it sounds as if the dialogue was lively, informative, and inspiring. 

    It will be interesting to see what the group would retain…or do differently…in potential future meetings?

    Richard–while i can see your comments stem from passion regarding our field, it feels as if there is some background i am missing.  Did you attend the session and were you disappointed by it?

  • Ceciliah Adhola

    Very interesting and insightful thank you all for sharing

  • David

    Luc
    Well done – change starts with ourselves. Creating the environment where we can meet can only help with the journey.

  • Cesar Sankarsingh

    Well done Luc. Great for teaching and fostering change. And as David says changes starts with ourselves and by creating an environment that foster positive changes.

  • Dave

    Anyone want to do it in the US?

  • Glen Fahs

    The top point scorers communicate to me that if we want a spirit of “We’re all in this together” we must respect all the stakeholders and treat them as equals, not underlings.

  • Peter Lawton

    Thank you Luc. This is very rich material. I need to absorb it. Congratulations

  • Jeannette Schlegel

    Ablsolutely Glen!  Stakeholders will not feel they have ‘skin in the game’ (ownership) if we do not value them and their input, as well as be able to explain respectfully why sometimes their wishes just cannot be met.

  • Bernadette

    Looks great, so wish I could have been there, thanks for making this happening and for the abundance in sharing it! Bernadette

  • Anonymous

    I didn’t say the ‘next generation’ of change agents shouldn’t attend, especially when they have a learner’s mindset.

    You do need to realize that there are far too many who claim to be ‘change agents’ who with their -ahem- certifications and then presume to make comments and offer them up as some kind of knowledge when they haven’t even achieved anything significant. They speak from their crib notes and think that is knowledge. So their opinion does not carry the same weight as a professional who has done the actual work.