In Part 1, we described how shifting from either-or to best-of-both thinking can be a powerful way to solve intractable dilemmas. In Part 2, we’ll explain a practical method for making the shift. Read More
About Dave Roitman
Having consulted in over 40 engagements across 14 industries, Dave Roitman brings to RWD’s Change Management practice experience and expertise that is both broad and deep. Over a career spanning more than 25 years, he has worked in every aspect of organizational change, including organizational design, process, and role design; strategic and performance management; culture change; leadership alignment, coaching, and conflict resolution; and education/training. His current focus is helping IT organizations achieve business value.
Dilemma: Situation with unsatisfactory choices. Usually worded as “You can have either this or that.”
Many leadership challenges are perceived as dilemmas. In one client organization – let’s call it Acme Corporation – we heard the following when interviewing managers in the midst of a major strategic alignment: Read More
Two recent Fortune 50 clients launched initiatives to increase efficiencies across business units. In both cases, we were brought in because the initiatives were challenged to achieve traction. These situations had striking similarities. In both cases, a major part of the story was a gap between senior leaders and their direct reports on one critical element: cross-boundary collaboration. Leaders assumed their deputies would collaborate across processes and business units; but in both cases this collaboration was missing in action. Read More
Fixing Negative Organizational Politics
When you hear “organizational politics,” do you think of “taking no prisoners” or being “thrown under the bus”? For many people, the phrase “organizational politics” strikes a negative chord, for two reasons: Read More
In a previous article, we described how organizational culture influences behavior, performance, and results. In every organization, people have beliefs and values that define their reality. These beliefs and values shape attitudes, which in turn drive behaviors we actually observe. In that article, we gave examples of ways culture can sabotage achieving the goals of important initiatives. We also gave examples of common cultural patterns – Career Builders (“I’d better do it or someone else will ;”) Turf Protectors (“whatever it is if it touches my turf it can’t be good ;”) Vince Lombardis (“win at all costs ;”) and NIH Experts (“if we didn’t Invent It Here, it can’t be any good.”) Finally, we described three steps to shift culture from negative to positive: increasing awareness, creating alternatives, and making & keeping promises.
Your reaction to these three steps might be “easy to say, but how do you actually go about doing this?” This article describes a workshop model we have used to cultivate culture change. Culture does not change quickly. However, sometimes a critical mass is frustrated with current culture and knows it has to change for the organization to survive or grow. In these cases, the Culture Pyramid Workshop can help foster the necessary changes.
