How to Coach Yourself and Others Influencing, Inter Personal and Leadership Skills | Page 57

4. Establish a guiding coalition.
While the vision for a change may originate with one person, the actual change process
must be accomplished through a coalition of believers who, in response to a threat or
opportunity, developed a unified response. This guiding coalition must be large enough
to have an impact on the organization, but small enough to act in a truly coordinated
fashion. Furthermore, this coalition must include major and minor players and be as
cross-functional as possible, drawing from all segments of the campus. A coalition that
includes people from Admissions, Advancement, and senior faculty will likely be more
credible than a team comprising people only from Advancement.
5. Communicate your course of action widely.
With the key elements in place, you must communicate your course of action widely and
continually. Not only must people understand in general the institutional response, but
they must understand specifically their role in the change process. What is the role that
the people in Parking or the Registrar's office have in the change process? If they don't
understand their role, they will not be wedded to the change event. Furthermore, they
might unintentionally undermine what you are trying to accomplish.
6. Generate and celebrate near-term wins.
While significant change is typically a long-term undertaking, people need to know
immediately that their efforts are having some impact. This is much like the overweight
person who decides to lose 50 pounds over the next year. After a week of struggling
with a new food plan, a dieter wants to know that she's dropped a few pounds Without
that near-term win, she'll become discouraged and drop out before the long haul. So,
celebrate your near-term wins. If you decide to open an off-campus center for adult
students, people on the main campus need to be aware that the center is successful and
that adults are enrolling. And if you are smart, you'll also tell them how the revenue
from that new center is going to help them in their day-to-day activities.
7. Anchor change in the organization.
Change begins with people, but it is institutionalized through artfully developed policies
and procedures, realistic budgets, measures of success, and ongoing training. You
simply cannot ask people to change without giving them the tools to change. This
support must be real, obvious, and given freely. At the same time, people who opt not to
change must be dealt with or their recalcitrance will spread. One of the quickest ways to
undermine change is to ignore people who will not embrace--and even sabotage--the
change initiative.
IN A NUTSHELL ...
Educator and philosopher Clarke Kerr once wrote, "The major test of a modern company
is how wisely and how quickly it is able to adjust to important new possibilities." Bottom
Line? It's all about change.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Professional Media Group LLC - COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group