REVELN Tools

Tools speed the ability to grasp complex or sometime vague sensibilities and can bring clarity. Theories and good models help.

“There’s nothing so practical as a good theory.”
~ Kurt Lewin, founder of social psychology

Here are several change leadership tools to get things started as this page is updated.

Living in a VUCA world, post-pandemic

As the world copes with and adapts to the COVID19 pandemic’s impact, VUCA applies now, more than ever. VUCA stands for a situation that is Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous.

Find out more in this presentation, 5 Strategies to Lead Change.

The Speed of Change and Transition

People enter the middle space between old and new at different times, speeds and in different ways.

Change and adaptation is a natural process, but not necessarily an easy one. It can be mysterious, vague, fear-producing and challenging. It can also be exhilarating and joyful. The late William Bridges helped define methods of leading through change by defining the differences between change and transition described here in one of my articles. In organizations, people also progress through the three phases of transition at different speeds. One tool to help manage those transitions is this checklist for the middle process, “The Neutral Zone.”

Change Checklist for the Neutral Zone

Overcoming Apathy and Resistance to Change

Groups and teams are the lifeblood of change, because they create the energy and dynamism needed for breaking through the strong forces of inertia that tend to doom most change efforts. The literature suggests that over 70% of change projects fail. What can make the difference is understanding:

the motivating force of dissatisfaction,
what motivates people, and
how leadership happens in groups and teams.

This tool can help:

The DVF model for overcoming Resistance to Change, Apathy, Inertia

I’ve reactivated the ScoopIt newsletter at Change Management Resources. There is a goldmine of tools, references and research there. Here’s a preview of a recent “ScoopIt” below and the link to all the tools and articles.

Strategies to Lead Change

Five key concepts and supporting research and tools will help you lead through adaptive change in a VUCA world, one that is Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous as presented in Mexico City for CPA firm leaders at the Russell Bedford International conference, yet applicable for any leader.

The four leadership behaviors that explain the difference between strong and weak organizations

Researchers showed that out of 20 distinct leadership traits identified in organizations whose leadership performance was strong, high quality leadership teams typically displayed 4 of the 20 possible types of behavior; these 4 behaviors explained 89 percent of the variance between strong and weak organizations in terms of leadership effectiveness.

Solving problems effectively.
Operating with a strong results orientation.
Seeking different perspectives.
Supporting others.

This is from the McKinsey Quarterly, first published in 1964, which now offers the perspective today that “much of the management intuition that has served us in the past will become irrelevant,” (Dobbs, 2014.) McKinsey forecasted a crash of:

1) technological disruption,

2) rapid emerging-markets growth, and

3) widespread aging as “long-held assumptions [give] way, and seemingly powerful business models [become] upended.”

Sound familiar? Are you ready?

From Change Management Resources on ScoopIt.

Groups and Teams

The MCG group development model is covered in three classic blog posts concluding with a post about goal setting. It is easily understandable, yet powerful. Any real productivity in groups and teams doesn’t really start until the “G” stage of MCG. Here is the model itself.