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Lessons From Long Distance Running: Energy

Agility, Leadership, Organizational Change, Sustaining ChangeComments Off

This is part of the series “Lessons from Change Management Strategies and Long Distance Running.”

Around mile 10 my legs felt numb. The urge to stop was extreme, the mental challenge almost unbearable (one of the reasons focus is very important). To add to that, I felt extremely tired and if I hadn’t been sipping gatorade, I probably would have dehydrated myself to the point of exhaustion. So, how does one keep going? The key is energy, simply defined as the capacity to do work (Oxford Dictionaries).

Lessons from Long Distance Running: Milestones

Agility, Change StrategiesComments Off

This is part of the series “Lessons from Change Management Strategies and Long Distance Running.”

Any journey begins with one step!

As the saying goes, you eat an elephant one bite at a time. The same is true of a long distance race. At least for me! Sixteen miles to run can be an overwhelming thought, discouraging, even depressing to some! The night before the race I drove through the course to familiarize myself with the course, the turns, the hills, some key landmarks. Mentally I broke down the course into manageable pieces or segments.

Lessons from Long Distance Running: Flexibility

Agility, Change Strategies, Employee Development, Employee Engagement, Organizational ChangeComments Off

This is part of the series “Lessons from Change Management Strategies and Long Distance Running.”

Flex·i·bil·i·ty (noun  /ˌfleksəˈbilətē/)
1. The quality of bending easily without breaking
– athletes gained improved flexibility in their ankles
2. The ability to be easily modified
– I enjoyed the flexibility of the new system
3. Willingness to change or compromise
– the organization has shown flexibility in applying the new process

Soon after I started my training, pain developed and I learned that I needed to develop a lot more flexibility, that I was stretching too little, AND that I was doing it the wrong way. Without new ways to gain needed flexibility, the pain would continue and I could get hurt for good!

Change Management Strategies: Lessons From Long Distance Running

Agility, Change StrategiesComments Off
With two good friends after the race

I recently completed my first 25K race (15.8 mi), which was quite the experience! Though I’m glad I did it, the race was long and difficult. Of the thousands who started, many runners did not finish. Some got injured; others simply gave up. I even saw an ambulance…not an encouraging sight!

So, what does this have to do with Change Management strategies?

As I trained for several months, I thought of some similarities or lessons about long distance running and embarking in a large organizational change initiative, particularly those aimed at culture change. I’ll explore these lessons in separate posts over the next several weeks.

Dealing with unwelcome change: Illinois town takes care of itself

Acceptance, Agility, Mindsets & BehaviorComments Off

Here is an interesting article in the USA Today about an IL town that dealt with unwelcome change in what appears to be an effective way.
 http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2010-09-21-1Aherrin21_CV_N.htm

While many of the comments in response to the article focus on the practice of outsourcing, the main point of the article (and maybe I’m filtering through my own lenses too much) is how the town coped with the transition. It’s a good story, even inspiring. It does not have a happy ending for all but overall, I think it’s a good example of managing through a very difficult transition. I encourage you to read the article but here is what I gleaned as far as effective change/transition management practices:

The Effects of Organizational Change on Psychological Stress and Job Performance

Agility, Culture Change, Employee Engagement, Organizational Change, Resistance15 Comments

Last year (March 2008) the Journal of International Business & Economicspublished a study by Phapruke Ussahawanitchakit and Chaiyot Sumritsakun on the effect of Organizational Change (OC) on employees’ stress and performance. Among other findings, they reported:

  1. OC results in higher psychological stress (employees feeling psychologically and emotionally drained due to pressure during the organizational change).
  2. OC leads to lower job performance due to stress.
  3. Moreover, neither “organizational communication and support moderate the relationships” between organizational change, psychological stress, and job performance.
The implications are significant for a number of reasons.

The end of business as usual

Agility, Culture ChangeComments Off

The Washington Post’s article on the need for autoworkers to be adaptable (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/06/07/ST2009060702616.html?sid=ST2009060702616) sheds some very interesting light on what I believe has plagued many of American corporations.

In the article, the Post interviews a current GM employee, Tom Goddard, who sees a critical need for all in his situation to change their mindset, turn the page, and say goodbye to the time when being a union covered employee meant high wages, unparalleled benefits, and job security and be more adaptable to their new reality. I say, welcome to the real world!
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