Culture is the sixth supporting pattern according to Conner. He says that culture is the shared beliefs, assumptions, and behaviors that are acquired over time by those within an organization. He says that winners recognize that culture is an essential element to running a business and that changes can be assimilated into the culture.

So how does culture affect daily business operations? According to Conner they can affect culture overtly through goals, organizational structure, physical facilities, formal policies and procedures or covertly through informal ground rules, unofficial guidelines, or "the way things are around here."  These ways of operating can help to define how people behave in organizations as well as can restrict new ways of doing things.

In order to truly align your culture with your decision to change Conner says that you need to develop behaviors, beliefs, and assumptions which are consistent with the new change. Resilient organizations deliberately create a culture that best serves their needs. Also a key way to enhancing resilience in an organization is to actively manage the organizational culture and that requires resolve from top management and a long term view of things.

In order for change to be implemented the organization's cultural traits must be congruent with the new decisions driving the change otherwise the culture will win over the change. In order for the change to be accepted the cultural behaviors, beliefs, and assumptions must evolve to take into account the needs of the change.

Is the change you are introducing completely different than the current culture you have in your organization? If not how can you make mior t

In Chapter 9 Conner continues by talking about the fifth support pattern of Commitment to Change. Successful change is rooted in commitment and winners recognize the level of commitment needed for a change to be implemented well. They devote time, money, endurance, persistence, loyalty and the creativity needed to make sure it is successful. Conner says there is three stages to commitment: preparation, acceptance, and commitment:

• Preparation - has two stages of contact (how you get introduced to the change) and awareness (where know that a change is coming, but don't know how it will impact you)
• Acceptance - understanding is the first part of acceptance or where people comprehend the change and are now able to judge it. If there is a negative perception to the change it can lead to resistance and decreased support. If people judge it to be positive it leads to the second part of acceptance or positive perception. This is will lead to a decision to support the change and commit the time, energy, and resources to get it done.
• Commitment - this stage is broken into four phases. The first one is installation or where the first opportunity for true, committed action arises (e.g. - a pilot). The next phase is adoption or looking at the extended implications of the change or a longer term testing period. Institutionalization or the third phase is when employees no longer view the change as tentative, but it is now a norm or habit. It is not, however, fully in the employees hearts. The last phase, therefore, is Internalization where the hearts and minds of the employees are both won over and they own the change.
  
  Lack of commitment is one of the primary reasons that winners are so rare as it is not easy. Conner says that resilient organizations don't take commitment for granted, but focus on the following six guidelines to building commitment:
  
  
  • People respond to change at different intellectual and emotional rates - often our intellect accepts the change at a quicker rate than the emotional one so have to deal with the difference in how you implement the change.
  • Commitment is expensive so don't order if you can't pay for it -it takes a lot of time, energy, and money to commit to a change.
  • Don't assume commitment will be generated without a plan of action - sponsors, advocates, and targets all need plans of action for ensuring that commitment to the change is actually implemented.
  • Keep in mind that building commitment is a developmental process - it takes time and must come after the stages of awareness, understanding, etc.
  • Either build commitment or prepare for the consequences - the greater the significance and disruption the change is going to create, the greater the need for commitment.
  • Slow down to increase speed - this allows for open communication, involving employees, fostering empowerment, and developing synergistic work relationships thereby generating genuine commitment.
    
    
  Are you committed to the change that you are sponsoring, advocating, and a part of? If so what stage are you in and how can you continue to stay committed to the ultimate outcome of internalization?
  

In Chapter 8 Conner covers the next support pattern called Resistance to Change. He says people usually resist when they believe the challenges in front of them significantly differ from the capabilities that they have. This can result with a positive or a negative change.

Conner says that people can only change when they have the ability and willingness to change. To address the lack of ability one can provide training; while lack of willingness can be addressed through a combination of reward and punishment. Resistance is inevitable during change and can be expressed overtly (which is more constructive as it can be addressed) and covertly (which is often the result of low trust and inadequate participation). Resistance is best minimized by encouraging open expression of the resistance for resilient people and organizations learn and grow through the resistance.

Conner, leveraging the research of Dr. Kubler-Ross, says that there are 8 stages of resistance that people go through as they manage through a change:

• Stability - the status quo
• Immobilization - the initial shock to the change
• Denial - when the change is unable to be assimilated it is rejected or ignored
• Anger - this is frustration and hurt often manifested through lashing out at the change
  
• Bargaining - here people begin to negotiate to avoid the negative impact of change
• Depression - this is often seen as lack of emotional or physical energy or resignation to failure of the change
  
• Testing - regaining a sense of control people free themselves from victimization and depression by exploring new ways to redefine goals
• Acceptance - here people respond to change realistically and begin to accept its reality
  

Conner continues that even positive change has certain elements of resistance (e.g. - a marriage):

• Uninformed optimism - naive enthusiasm based upon insufficient data
  
• Informed pessimism - a doubting of the change decision
  
• Hopeful realism - here you begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel
  
• Informed optimism - this is where confidence returns as a result of trial by fire (e.g. - working through the pessimism)
  
• Completion - acceptance of the change

Both models show that we seek control and that we fear and avoid the ambiguity of disruption and that there is a normal path to resistance. He says that if you can show people early the price of change (e.g. - both positive or negative) then you can see whether they will be able to handle the change and/or build the resolve necessary to get through the inevitable pessimism. Also once you are in the change you can help them to manage through by understanding this process.

Are you or your organization resisting change? If so what stage are you in? How can you build the resilience or resolve to work through the stages of resistance?

In chapter 7 Conner begins to describe the next support pattern called the Roles of Change. He says that there are four main roles in a change and that resilient people understand these roles and adapt to varying configurations of them. The four key roles are:

• Sponsors - individual or group who can sanction the change, consider possible threats and opportunities, and create the environment for the change to happen on time and within budget.
• Agents - these are people who actually make the change happen or who develop the plan, mitigate risks and execute the change.
• Targets - those who are impacted by the change and need to be educated about it as well as involved in the implementation process.
• Advocates - those who want to achieve a change, but lack the power to sanction it.

All of these roles are important, but Connors says that those in leadership positions are the most important as change will not occur unless the right sponsors show the necessary commitment for the effort. Advocates can help support the change, but without the necessary sponsor endorsements cannot truly enforce the change or make it happen.

The sponsors role is critical to ensure that the change occurs. The good sponsor will have the following key traits: power, a vision, resources, a long view, a public role, monitoring plans (a way to keep track of progress of the change), and persistence. Being a sponsor takes time and effort and therefore a successful sponsor only sponsors a few major change projects at a time. He also says that sponsors need to continue to follow through on the change effort even when the going gets tough.

It is also important for there to be a level of consistency between what a sponsor says and the actions/day-to-day realities of its people (e.g. - if not it is what Connor calls a black hole) otherwise change will fail. He says the remedy for the black hole is to have cascading sponsorship or having the initiating sponsor enlisting the support of other key managers below him/her to support the change. All levels of sponsorship must demonstrate a strong level of commitment to the change in order for it to be successful.

What role are you playing in your change effort? Do you have the necessary sponsorship for the change to be successful? Are you enlisting all levels of sponsorship to truly make sure the change will occur?

In Chapter 6 Conner continues by talking about the next support pattern, the Process of Change, or the mechanisms of human transition. He says that people who adapt more slowly than others have a low tolerance for ambiguity and see life in black and white or yes and no terms. Resilient people, however, realize that change is fluid and that much of their time will be spent in transitions.

Conner outlines a three phase transition state first outlined by Kurt Lewin in 1958 which says that there are three states: the present state, the transition state, and the desired state. The present state is the status quo. The transition state is that state of uncertainty where we develop new attitudes and behaviors. This can be a scary time and people often revert back to the old state due to the sense of ambiguity. The desired state is new state.

To get through the phases Conner refers back to Charles Darwins theory of survival of the fittest. He says more organizations initiate change than actually successfully sustain it. He says winners are those resilient individuals or organizations who manage change at a speed that allows them effectively implement transition on time and on budget. He says one of the biggest differences of winners compared to losers is tenacity. He says that a burning platform is often a reason that organizations have that tenacity as it is the resolve, or usually a business imperative, that requires them to make a change.

A burning platform situation often occurs as a result of already being in pain or due to anticipated pain. If a change is introduced due to anticipated pain then the organization often has more time to make strategic moves. Commitment comes with the resolve. Conner continues by saying that any change not only needs pain, but also a remedy to solve the problem. In order to sell the change it is often necessary to orchestrate pain messages (or messages that generate enough incentive to want to create commitment to the change) as well as approach the change from the hopes, fears, and perceptions of multiple different frames of reference within the organization (e.g. - honor their perceptions of reality).

Are you in enough pain to change? Are you approaching the change from the frame of reference of many different people within your organization in order to "sell" it appropriately?