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Recommended Resource – The Pivot Point

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The Pivot Point: Success in Organizational Change

by Victoria M. Grady
and James D. Grady

About the Book

The Pivot Point by Drs. Victoria and James Grady is a business novel presenting a unique perspective on effectively implementing organizational change based on group and individual psychodynamics. Within their book, Victoria and James examine decades of research into the ways individuals cope with loss and then relate these principles to the business environment. They conclude by providing methods for identifying and dealing with group and individual loss factors and reactions such that the desired organizational change can be implemented with a minimal loss of organizational effectiveness and productivity.

Benefits of Using This Book

StrategyDriven Contributors like The Pivot Point for its unique perspective on the group and individual psychology associated with organizational change. Victoria and James’s point of view is deeply rooted in decades of sound academic research and refined by real world experiences. Not only did we find their assertions compelling, they matched our decades of group and individual observations and experiences.

The Pivot Point also provides methods for better dealing with these psychological challenges of change. The book prescribes implementable methods to address both the group and individual resistance factor in a constructive manner that is respectful of organizational personnel while at the same time progressive of the needed change. In some instances, however, change tools such as change readiness surveys appeared to lack the detail necessary to be immediately implementable and instead would require the services of Drs. Grady’s organization to complete. We would have preferred to have had the book be more complete in these areas.

The Pivot Point provides a refreshingly new perspective on making effective organizational change that is well aligned with the philosophies espoused by StrategyDriven. For this reason, The Pivot Point is a StrategyDriven recommended read.

StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 63 – An Interview with Victoria Grady, author of The Pivot Point

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StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles on the StrategyDriven website.

Special Edition 63 – An Interview with Victoria Grady, author of The Pivot Point explores the psychology behind employees resistance to change and the actions leaders can take to more effectively move their organization to a state of high, post-change productivity. During our discussion, Victoria Grady, author of The Pivot Point: Success in Organizational Change, shares with us her insights and experiences regarding:

  • the underlying psychology driving employees resistance to change
  • observable differences in employee behaviors as driven by changing circumstances and the resulting organizational impacts
  • quantitative measurement of employees response to change and how this information can inform management’s change management efforts
  • actions leaders should take to better prepare their organization to overcome the resistance to change

Additional Information

In addition to the outstanding insights Victoria shares in The Pivot Point and this special edition podcast are the resources accessible from her website, www.PivotPnt.com. Victoria’s book, The Pivot Point, can be purchased by clicking here.

Victoria was recently featured by We Mean Business in an interviewed entitled Understanding Resistance. Click here to access this video.

Final Request…

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Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!

About the Author

Victoria Grady, author of The Pivot Point, is an Assistant Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Organizational Science within the Columbian School of Arts and Sciences at The George Washington University. Her consulting practice includes federal government institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private sector companies. To read Victoria’s complete biography, click here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:00 — 42.6MB)

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The good times. The bad times. The changin’ times.

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It’s no surprise the late Steve Jobs’ favorite music was written and performed by Bob Dylan and The Beatles. I just finished his biography and it was as compelling a book as Atlas Shrugged.

Anyway, about three months ago I started a column about the 1964 Bob Dylan song, “The times they are a-changin.’” An anthem for those, times and these times. Bob Dylan can write his soul – and touch yours. The times are changing. But for one reason or another I set the column aside.

As I was reading the Walter Isaacson Steve Jobs biography (a book I could NOT put down), I got goosebumps when Jobs got fired from Apple after a decade of it being his creation and child. Devastated, he went home and played the second verse of “The times they are a-changin’” over and over:

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’tcome again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’.

I just sat there stunned. The song, one of Jobs’favorites, actually predicted his return, and arguably one of the greatest business comebacks of all time. And the timing of my column. Further proof (as if you needed it) there are no coincidences.

The most chilling of these non-coincidences is that my set aside writing already contained Apple examples of how the world is changed.

So – here are my original thoughts and the added thoughts since I read the Jobs book:

When Dylan wrote about changing times in 1964, it was about societal change. The politics, civil rights, rebellion of kids, music, and a new generation of thought and expression.

The same holds true today, almost fifty years later. It’s brings to mind the French novelist Alphonse Karr’s quote, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.”

EXAMPLE: The t-shirt has been the same since the ’50s. What keeps it popular is the design printed on the front and back. Millions of shirts are sold each year because someone wants the design printed on it.

The picture I want to present to you is the BIG PICTURE of change. Not yoursales plan, or your quota, or your boss, or your comp plan – what I’m offering are life changes that go way beyond sales and race for dollars.

It’s about how technology and your ability to see what is now will affect what is next. Jobs was able to see it and do it because it was his life’s work. But you must intensify your focus (the same way I’m intensifying mine) to see what is next for your industry, your market, and your customers – so there will be a positive impact for your company, your family, and yourself.

The Internet, the smart phone, the tablet, and soon internet TV will become a vital part of our society and world commerce. AKA: sales. Advances over the next decade will dwarf what is available now, and will change markets forever.

The same way trading of shares of stock and insurance policies were turned upside down with the Internet, the same way the iPod changed the way music is played, distributed, and sold, the same way Amazon and eBay became the world’s department store – so will your market evolve. And it will go to the most prepared to understand, create, capitalize, and master the evolution and the quality of products.

A FEW EXAMPLES OF WHAT WAS AND WHAT’S NEXT:

  • The schoolbook is being replaced by the iPad. (Microsoft Word still tells me that iPad is misspelled.)
  • The hardbound book is being taken over by an e-book.
  • The smartphone is smarter than you are – and Siri talks to you. Blackberry owned the market, and sat on it – and lost it. Apple has 500,000 apps. Blackberry has about 10% of that number. Angry Birds is finally among them.
  • The television is flat and cheap. It will soon become your home Internet connection. Someone will own that market. I’m betting Apple. You?
  • Got fax machine? Make me laugh! Or should I say, “LOL” or should I say, “PDF.”
  • Use the Yellow Pages or Google? Bing helps you decide – I decided to use Google.
  • Will cars run on gasoline in ten years?

And with all of that, technology lifecycles are shorter. How have you taken advantage ofthis? And for those of you saying, “I know that.” Ask yourself, “How good am I at that?” and “What am I doing to master that?”

FACT: THE times are changing.
UNKNOWN FACT: How are YOUR times changing?

Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.

About the Author

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].

Corporate Cultures – Leader Initiated, Rules and Standards Controlled Environment

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The Leader Initiated, Rules and Standards Controlled Environment represents a moderate leader led work environment that gives lower level mangers and supervisors somewhat more autonomy to direct day-to-day activities without relinquishing centralized control. This culture set realizes the benefits of centalized direction setting and improved, if not rigid, consistency. The reliance on rules and standards provides some degree of local flexibility that heightens situational responsiveness but diminishes consistency in actions and results between workgroups and locations.

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Buy-In – The Imperative Strategy

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In providing research and developing training programs for various large corporations about managing change, we find that the biggest stumbling block for employees from top-down is lack of buy-in. Top executives have the vision, but often fail to get buy-in from managers who have to carry out the change initiative. This lack of buy-in trickles down and pretty soon everyone is at odds with the change because not having been in the initial ideation sessions, they don’t see any value. Great change initiatives have died on the vine because ‘THEY are just giving us more needless things to do.’

This idea is supported by Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter, authority on leadership and change, who finds that in order to succeed, 75% of the company’s management, needs to ‘buy into’ the change.

Busy managers, who are already overwhelmed with previous change initiatives, tend to panic and jump in too fast with new systems; they act without proper preparation and neglect to get input from their team which leads to a very bumpy ride. Systems fail to reach their full potential and people become frustrated, which results in pushback, absenteeism, and low productivity. In his book entitled Influence by Robert Cialdini he explains that one of the most influential words in the English language is ‘because’. Studies have proven that no word has more power to motivate people to take action than ‘because’. Simply adding this word to a request, to a statement, to a call to action, the numbers of people who respond go up exponentially. In other words, people need a reason to give their buy-in otherwise they won’t do it, drag their heels or do it very badly.

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About the Authors

Sarah Gee is co-author of Business Improv, and as senior faculty member for The Second City Business Communications has informed, challenged, inspired and entertained audiences for Fortune 1000 companies across the globe. As facilitator, consultant, and coach she shapes and builds corporate competencies for major corporations such as General Motors, MB Financial, and United Airlines. Sarah also helps develop future leaders with Business Management training programs for executive MBA students at the University of California, Anderson School of Management, Duke University Fuqua School of Business and Columbia College. Contact Sarah: [email protected].

Val Gee is author of several books published by McGraw-Hill including: Business Improv, The Winner’s Attitude and Super Service. Since arriving in America from England in 1983, Val has designed, developed and delivered training solutions for business professionals worldwide including: Motorola, Hyatt Hotels, Siemens, DeVry University, GE Healthcare and HSBC. Bringing the power of her capability to focus on thought leadership, change management, and generating creativity, Val is currently facilitating several workshops around the U.S., for employees of a large government agency. Contact Val: [email protected], www.mjlearning.com.