Mutual trust is essential for successful organisational
Transcription
Mutual trust is essential for successful organisational
The Ashridge Journal Autumn 2012 MAIN FEATURE: Mutual trust is essential for successful organisational change ALSO IN THIS VOLUME: • • • • • • Do Something Different to create a more sustainable culture at work Women in business: Blueprint for individuals and organisations A leadership experiment in the UAE Can you afford not to take employee wellbeing seriously? A relational approach to organisation development Developing a digital learning strategy Contents 4 My angle Toby Roe, Communications Director, introduces this issue, outlining some innovative change initiatives that both individuals and organisations have undertaken, and the new challenges for business in employee wellbeing and digital learning. 6 Research overview Emma Bradbury presents an overview of the latest Ashridge research. 13 Mutual trust is essential for successful change In any major organisational change situation, trust is an essential ingredient for a successful outcome. Andrew Day and Guy Lubitsh explore this theme in the context of the complex reforms of the NHS. 22 Do Something Different to create a more sustainable culture at work Nadine Page shows that people pay less attention to sustainability issues in the workplace than at home, and gives some pointers into how organisations and individuals can address this. 30 Women in business: Blueprint for individuals and organisations Fiona Dent and Viki Holton undertake an inquiry into the landscape for women in business in the 21st century. 38 A leadership experiment in the UAE Vicki Culpin and Judith Scott discuss a leadership experiment in which a manager in the Middle East takes an unconventional approach to delegation. 44 Can you afford not to take employee wellbeing seriously? Responsible organisations are increasingly engaging with the wellbeing of their employees. Judith Parsons and Marcus Powell explore recent developments, and Vicki Culpin reports on the latest Ashridge research in this area. 52 A relational approach to organisation development In stressful business situations, managers tend to revert to the ‘command and control’ concept of leadership. Dr. Kathleen King interviews a leader who, instead, took a relational approach to successfully effect a culture change in her organisation. 58 Developing a digital learning strategy In the digital learning workplace that now blends a bewildering range of different technologies and working practices, Tony Sheehan introduces a framework for aligning organisational needs with digital learning strategy. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal My angle Autumn 2012 My angle The nature and pace of change that organisations are having to deal with is faster and more furious than ever before. New technologies, emerging social trends and a volatile economic environment are constantly presenting both new opportunities and difficult challenges. Managers are bombarded on an almost daily basis with advice about how better to predict, manage and implement change. The truth, however, is that there is no one model, strategy or magic bullet that will result in perfect, pain-free change. Organisations must find the approach that fits best with their culture and is congruent with the nature of their challenges. In this issue of 360° we showcase some innovative change initiatives, look at areas where a change in approach is overdue, and highlight people who have stepped out of their comfort zone to find new ways to improve engagement and drive performance. Our lead article examines the tense relationship between trust and change. Andrew Day and Guy Lubitsh share the research and work they have done over the past two years with NHS leaders who are leading complex change projects. They look at the central role that trust plays in breaking down professional and political barriers, and give advice on what managers need to do to build mutual trust with both employees and stakeholders. Few would argue that radical changes are needed if we are to increase the representation of women at board level. Fiona Dent and Viki Holton look at what women need to do personally to seize the opportunities open to them and accelerate their careers. They also examine the positive actions that organisations must take if they are to move beyond lip service and ensure that women are truly equal in business life. Mohammed Gheyath is one leader who has been courageous enough to challenge the status quo and ‘do something different’ in his organisation. Following participation in the Ashridge Executive Leaders Programme in the UAE he decided to develop a leadership experiment in his workplace. His approach to shifting the organisation away from a traditional hierarchical model and encourage individuals to take more responsibility makes fascinating reading. Key trends emerging in relation to employer practice around wellbeing at work is the subject of an article by Judith Parsons, Vicki Culpin and Marcus Powell. They share the results of a recent research project which look at the organisational benefits of investing in employee wellbeing, and highlight how employer practice is changing in response to economic and demographic trends. A framework is provided to help employers develop workplace wellbeing strategies which are both effective and financially viable. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal My angle Autumn 2012 Ashridge is passionate about action research and its ability to bridge the gap between thinking and doing and to connect the world of ‘messy ideas’ with everyday action on the ground. One of the key roles of its Centre for Action Research is to support people acting as change agents who want to take a reflective and enquiring approach to their work in organisations. In an illuminating article, the Centre’s Kathleen King plots the learning history of one HR leader who adopted an unorthodox and counter-cultural approach to bring about culture change. She describes how her client managed to break down departmental silos and secure ‘buy in’ from colleagues by starting with small experiments, working with what was going well and supporting people in making change one step at a time. Technology has been the driving force behind many of the most significant changes in the workplace in recent years. Today’s organisations increasingly think, communicate and work digitally – and learning has had to evolve to keep pace. Tony Sheehan explores nine challenges in the digital environment, discusses the issues posed by the ever-increasing range of digital channels and devices and looks at how organisations can better align their learning strategies with their business strategies. He provides a framework to help organisations craft the right approach to digital learning and ensure they get an effective return on their investment. Recent discussions at the Rio+20 summit suggest that commitments to sustainability are strong and organisations are exploring new approaches to tackling the problem. Individuals, organisations and executive education providers all have an active role to play in designing a more sustainable future. They need to challenge the ‘norm’ and disrupt the status quo of past practices. Nadine Page has conducted research into the drivers and barriers of pro-environmental action in the workplace and, based on her findings, she outlines a new framework that has the potential to supportive effective change for the individual and organisation in the transition to a more sustainable future. There is little doubt that organisations will have to operate in an environment of uncertainty for the foreseeable future. We hope the insights and leading edge thinking in this edition of 360° will help you improve your ability to adapt and respond flexibly to the challenges ahead. Toby Roe, Communications Director. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Research overview Autumn 2012 New and ongoing research United Nations Global Compact LEAD project Matthew Gitsham and Nadine Page Compiled by Emma Bradbury, Research Manager Ashridge, in partnership with The Academy of Business in Society (EABIS), has been invited by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) to conduct an assessment of a new multi-stakeholder platform for corporate sustainability leadership, entitled Global Compact LEAD (GC LEAD). The research project is investigating the impact and progress to date of the GC LEAD initiative during its initial two-year pilot phase to offer recommendations for potential future pathways. In particular, the evaluation will assess whether the GC LEAD initiative has lived up to the expectations of the 56 participating companies both as a framework for collective action and as a platform for advancing sustainability goals. Surveys and interviews will be conducted with GC LEAD member companies later this year. Ashridge is working in partnership with a consortium of EABIS and PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education) member business schools internationally to ensure that both measures adequately address the priority questions about the GC LEAD initiative from both a regional and global perspective. The outputs from this study will include a comprehensive report outlining the key findings from the evaluation. This will identify the expectations and actions of the GC LEAD initiative for participating companies, and will provide evidence-based suggestions for the development of GC LEAD in future years. This will provide a useful resource for helping to shape systemic change for corporate sustainability leadership in the future. For more information, please contact Matthew Gitsham or Nadine Page: [email protected] [email protected] Matthew Gitsham Nadine Page Meditation research Vicki Culpin and Helen Lockett To consider the benefits of meditation, this project compared a group who practised meditation once a day for 30 minutes with a group who practised relaxing activities instead, and a control group who did not change their routine. At the end of the 45 day study, the meditation group had significantly lowered psychological distress, increased mindfulness and decreased sleepiness at 8 a.m. Participants reported feeling calmer and more able to deal with stressful situations, including at work, and improved sleep quality, during and after the meditation study. The results will be published early in 2013. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 For more information, please contact Vicki Culpin or Helen Lockett: [email protected] [email protected] Vicki Culpin Helen Lockett The Ashridge Journal Research overview Autumn 2012 Clinical commissioning in the NHS: Learning from stories of significant change Lee Waller, Danny Chesterman and Wendy Briner A central tenet of the Government’s health reforms is to place responsibility for commissioning with clinicians. To be authorised as legal entities with statutory powers and obligations, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are required to demonstrate competence in a variety of domains. Ashridge have been supporting some of the London CCGs in this process, and we have been conducting interviews with clinicians, consultants, GPs and community staff in Brent, City & Hackney, and Newham CCGs to explore stories of successful significant change. We have uncovered some inspiring stories around improvements in service provision, patient care, and cost effectiveness, and discovered some enlightening themes in terms of what has helped to progress change. Clipper research Vicki Culpin and Trudi West Lee Waller Ashridge has been given a unique opportunity to carry out research among the skippers and crew of the ten boats in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race that concluded in July. The professionally skippered yachts together with their amateur crew members lived and worked together in some of the most extreme environments. As the race developed, our research explored the key leadership and team challenges and how they influenced their performance over time. In our analysis, we will also be considering parallels in the corporate environment. The findings will be available in 2013. Danny Chesterman For more information, please contact Trudi West or Vicki Culpin: [email protected] [email protected] For more information about this project, due for completion at the end of 2012, please contact Lee Waller: [email protected] Wendy Briner Trudi West Vicki Culpin www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Research overview Autumn 2012 New and ongoing research The effectiveness of blended learning on Ashridge Open programmes: face-to-face, digital content and psychometrics Ayiesha Russell and Alex Davda The blending of digital learning solutions with face-to-face elements to enhance learning is common practice. However, there is little research on the effectiveness of using this approach within executive education. As part of our research on the effectiveness of blended learning on Ashridge Open programmes, we are seeking answers to the following questions: 1. Does tailoring the Virtual Ashridge provision improve the virtual learning experience for participants? 3. Does the increased integration of Virtual Ashridge with Open programmes increase Virtual Ashridge use? To do this, we have increased the integration between Virtual Ashridge, psychometrics and the face-to-face part of the Ashridge Performance through People programme. We are collecting data on the learning experience before and after the adaptations have been made, to allow us to ascertain whether adapting our approach to digital content within residential programmes increases perceived programme effectiveness. For more information on this project, due for completion in March 2013, please contact Ayiesha Russell: [email protected] Alex Davda 2. Does increasing the connection between psychometric feedback and Virtual Ashridge benefit participants? Exploring the virtual learning experience on the Ashridge Executive Masters in Management programme 2. How students apply their learning within their work environment Sona Sherratt and Ayiesha Russell 4. What personal and organisational circumstances are conducive to learning online. This research project aims to increase our understanding of the virtual learning experience on the Ashridge Executive Masters in Management programme as perceived by participants, and explore how they have applied their learning in their workplace. In particular, this project aims to identify the following: 1. What students perceive to be the benefits and challenging aspects of conducting an online qualifications programme www.ashridge.org.uk/360 Ayiesha Russell 3. The factors that contribute to, and inhibit the application of, their learning We have gathered quantitative research data from both current participants and graduates of the programme, and are currently gathering in-depth qualitative data on their experiences. For more information on this project, due for completion in January 2013, please contact Ayiesha Russell: [email protected] Sona Sherratt The Ashridge Journal Research overview Autumn 2012 The Ashridge Management Index: A survey of management opinion Viki Holton, Fiona Dent, Jan Rabbetts and Dr, Carine Paine Schofield • Personal and organisational challenges Every year Ashridge has conducted a Management Index — a survey which invites managers to tell us about their current challenges, what’s happening in their organisation and more generally about the highs and lows of management life today. The topics in this year’s survey include: • Motivation • Leadership • Change • Trust • Learning and development. Over 1,100 managers have responded to the survey: we will publish the findings early in 2013. We are also conducting some company interviews on some key topics such as change, motivation and trust. If you would be interested to take part in these interviews please contact Viki Holton: [email protected] New Open programmes Business Model Innovation Group Dynamics Leaning into the Future This new programme from Ashridge Strategic Management Centre provides tools, case studies and action learning sessions to enable you to design new businesses and improve existing business models. The programme is ideal for corporate development specialists and managers with a strategic responsibility for developing their businesses. This programme combines psychological and organisation perspectives to enable participants to discover the underlying dynamics that have a profound impact on the functioning of groups and teams. You will develop the knowledge, confidence and skills to intervene creatively as facilitators, leaders and team participants. Developed in conjunction with Local Authority leaders, this programme provides a space for you to make sense of your challenges as a locality leader, to align your passion with your purpose, and influence the context within which Local Authorities interact. The programme runs September 2013. Fee: £2,950 + VAT. in For full details see: www.ashridge.org.uk/bmi April and The programme — three 3-day workshops — runs in January, April and July 2013. Fee: £7,200 + VAT. For full details see: www.ashridge.org.uk/dynamics Launch date is 3–4 December 2012 Fee: £5,900 + VAT. Reduced fee for public sector: £3,900 + VAT. For full details see: www.ashridge.org.uk/leaning www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Research overview Autumn 2012 Published research Leadership in a rapidly changing world Matthew Gitsham and Mark Pegg In the past few years, more and more business leaders have begun speaking a new language – talking about, taking action on and defining their success in terms of things that used to be the preserve of political leaders and NGO activists – the contribution their core business makes towards addressing today’s most pressing societal challenges. This shift in rhetoric is being matched by a shift in action, with many organisations engaging in innovative partnerships prioritising activities that create stakeholder value as well as shareholder value. This is all the more surprising coming at a time, in the wake of the financial crisis, when negative stereotypes of business leaders are flourishing in public debate. What does this shift mean for how we think about business leadership? Is there an emerging group of business leaders that are leading in a different way to the generation that went before them? If so, what does that mean for everyone else? These are some of the questions that Ashridge and the www.ashridge.org.uk/360 International Business Leaders’ Forum have been exploring in this landmark study. The report finds that a growing number of business leaders are adopting a different perspective on their role and purpose, and reframing what counts as success. As a result, they are not only finding they need to lead complex cultural change within their organisations, but redefine the scope of their role and think of themselves as leaders in wider society, playing an active role contributing to public debate and leading systemic change in society in partnership with others. Matthew Gitsham The study was conducted on behalf of the United Nations Global Compact Principles for Responsible Management Education to inform debate and action at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development which took place in June. Mark Pegg The full report, Leadership in a rapidly changing world, is available at: www.ashridge.org.uk/acbas The Ashridge Journal Research overview Autumn 2012 The Missing Middle Amy Armstrong and Ayiesha Russell In April Ashridge launched a research report The Missing Middle: Exploring Learning Experiences of Middle Managers in the UK, focusing on how companies can best invest in their middle managers and what types of learning middle managers find most effective. Middle managers are critical to organisational success — they are a crucial filter between day-to-day operational demands and organisational strategy. The learning and development of middle managers has sometimes been neglected, as organisations have felt that any development they need can be provided on the job. To improve our understanding of how middle managers learn, understand their current development needs and capture barriers to middle managers’ learning, we conducted a survey of nearly 600 middle managers across six industry sectors — in-depth interviews were carried out to create seven case studies describing their most impactful learning experiences. The research showed that threequarters of middle managers work in organisations which support their learning and development, yet only half are given sufficient time for their own learning, and a quarter say professional development is seen as a luxury in their organisation. Middle managers placed a high value on learning experiences which increased their self-awareness. In particular, stretch assignments, the process of giving and receiving feedback, and leading and managing people were perceived as important selfdevelopment experiences. Amy Armstrong The implications for executive education include the need for professional development to continue to bridge the gap between the classroom and the work environment. The report is available at: www.ashridge.org.uk/middle New book Virtual Leadership — Learning to lead differently Ghislaine Caulat This book summarises what it takes to lead effectively in the virtual space, and explains how learning to become an effective virtual leader requires a deeper level of reflection. It requires people to question key aspects such as their own sense of identity as leaders, relationships, trust and power. Based on her international consultancy work with leaders, Ghislaine explains that organisations with virtual leadership capabilities gain a competitive advantage by faster implementation of strategy and change. Ghislaine Caulat Virtual Leadership is priced at £19.95 Libri Publishing www.ashridge.org.uk/360 www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Mutual trust is essential for successful change Autumn 2012 Andrew Day is a director at Ashridge Consulting. He is Guy Lubitsh is a consultant at Ashridge Consulting and an organisational development consultant who works with the Head of the Ashridge NHS Practice. Guy is a Chartered individuals, groups and organisations to help them to change and Organisational Psychologist, leadership developer, facilitator, develop. He seeks to introduce participative and collaborative and executive coach. He has over 15 years’ experience as an change processes that build trust and engagement. organisation consultant working in a range of sectors including A Chartered Occupational Psychologist, Andrew has over 15 healthcare, energy, media, and telecommunications. His years’ experience of working with large organisations in the interests include talent management, the turn-around of under- healthcare, telecomms and charitable sectors. performing organisations, and conflict resolution. Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Mutual trust is essential for successful change: lessons from implementing NHS reforms It is often said that trust enables change — but the opposite isn’t true. In fact, the very essence of change — that uncomfortable move from the known to the unknown — often creates fears that actively erode trust. It is this tense relationship between trust and change that Andrew Day and Guy Lubitsh, of Ashridge Consulting, explore within the complex reforms proposed for the UK’s National Health Service. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Mutual trust is essential for successful change Autumn 2012 Introduction The NHS is experiencing the most dramatic transformation in its history. We believe that the scale, depth and pervasiveness of the changes facing the NHS offer significant learning to managers in all sectors as to how to support organisational change. This article summarises our research and work over the past two years with NHS leaders who are leading complex organisational change and development projects. Over this period, we have been interested in how senior managers and change agents in the NHS can effectively introduce organisational changes. Our central finding is the pivotal role that mutual trust plays in forming the conditions that encourage people to collaborate across organisational, professional and political boundaries to change structures and improve services. The political and economic context The Coalition Government in July 2010, soon after coming to power, launched its White Paper, Liberating the NHS, which set out an ambitious programme of reform for the NHS. These reforms are intended to bring about a radical change in how public healthcare is delivered in England. In January 2011 the Health and Social Care Bill was published. This proposes a number of key changes to the NHS in England, including: • Providing greater choice to patients • Abolishing Primary Care Trusts and giving groups of GP practices and other professionals — clinical commissioning groups — responsibility and budgets to buy care on behalf of their local communities • Increasing competition between providers by inviting the private sector and third sector to offer services to NHS patients www.ashridge.org.uk/360 • Moving responsibilities located in the Department of Health to a politically independent NHS Commissioning Board • The creation of a health specific economic regulator with a mandate to guard against ‘anti–competitive’ practices • Moving all NHS trusts to foundation trust status. The Government has argued that the reforms are necessary to enable the NHS to find £20 billion in productivity improvements and to effectively meet the health needs of society. They represent “the biggest shakeup of the NHS since its inception and will be implemented against the backdrop of the biggest financial challenge in its history”1. Comprehensive and complex organisational changes on this scale can be considered to be ‘frame breaking’ or discontinuous change involving sharp and simultaneous shifts in strategy, power relations, structures and control mechanisms2. They are pervasive, affecting the whole system; deep, requiring a paradigm shift; and large scale, covering the entire country and the entire workforce of the NHS and its partner organisations3. The reform of the NHS is therefore an enormous change project and challenge, particularly given that, historically, administrative reforms in the UK public sector have frequently failed to meet publicly-declared objectives4. Overview of our research From October 2010 to October 2011 we studied how senior managers in the NHS have been leading the transformation of services in their organisations. We explored two questions: • How are senior managers responding to and dealing with the changes to the NHS that they are experiencing in their roles? • How are they engaging different stakeholders to facilitate the process of change in their institutions? Our research involved: 1. In-depth in interviews with 18 senior managers in a variety of health settings including: Acute, Primary Care, Strategic Health Authorities and Mental Health. These interviews explored how individuals are leading the transformation of services in the NHS. 2. Observations from our consulting work with ten senior managers in the NHS over a period of eight months to support them in leading change in their organisations 3. Our observations from two NHS Trusts with whom we consulted over the period of the study to help them to transform their structures and services. The Ashridge Journal Mutual trust is essential for successful change Autumn 2012 What do the reforms require leaders to do? Translating policy into local practice Senior managers and clinicians are grappling with translating the macro policy guidelines set by central Government into workable and viable local practices. This involves changing and re–configuring services to identify cost savings and making efficiency improvements. It requires action to turn the abstract principles into tangible changes which account for the realities of service provision and the local pressures and tensions confronting their institution. It also requires negotiation with external bodies and stakeholders to ensure multiple interests and agendas are represented. To achieve this task, managers have to exercise judgement and considerable creativity. Many of the decisions that need to be made are emotionally demanding — for instance making staff redundant, transferring services to other organisations or scaling back or closing down services. This has particularly been the experience of managers in Primary Care Trusts whose experience over the past two years has involved preparing for the closure of their organisations and the transfer of services to other parts of the NHS. Vertical and horizontal integration of services NHS managers and clinicians are trying to protect and improve the quality of services by finding synergies and efficiency savings through the integration services across geographical and institutional boundaries. In effect this is a strategy of vertical and horizon integration. It involves merging organisations and departments, forming alliances across different service providers, setting up GP Consortia, creating integrated care pathways and forming partnerships across Providers. Creating new organisations Many managers and Heads of Clinical Services reported that they are involved in creating new forms of organisations. Metaphorically, some managers are building new organisations, others are knocking them down and others are renovating them. This requires them to make decisions around what form of organisation is required to deliver the required level of service; how to re–design services and processes and how to develop business cases to inform re-structuring of organisations. Many, particularly those from a clinical background, felt under-skilled for this work, having limited knowledge and expertise in designing organisation structures and forms. Maintaining morale During the process of change, managers are working hard to maintain morale and to help employees’ understanding and accept the changes that were happening in their part of the system. For many senior managers this task is being made extremely difficult, either because they personally do not agree with their perception of the ideology behind the NHS reform or because they are themselves adversely impacted by the reforms. A senior manager in a PCT observed she fundamentally disagreed with the principles behind the reforms and the political process by which the Health and Social Care Bill was introduced, and she was aware she was very likely to lose her job. She felt it was very difficult for her to respond constructively to staff who were angry about the changes or were anxious about their future because of her own anger and anxiety about the changes. In her organisation, she was aware that her colleagues held similar views — however their Executive had made it clear that they did not want people to express their resistance and opposition to the reforms. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Mutual trust is essential for successful change Autumn 2012 What can be learnt about organisation change from the NHS reforms? On the basis of our research, we have outlined below a number of observations about how leaders are establishing the conditions that support complex organisation change. them. In many cases, the decision that is in the interests of the reforms is experienced to contradict with those of their institutions, their professional body or their personal interests. These contradictions give rise to dilemmas, tensions, anxieties and doubts, including: • How to transform services whilst simultaneously meeting operational and quality targets? • How to motivate people when you are shutting down services and feel insecure about your own future? • How to balance patient care and quality with financial constraints? • How to protect one’s own interests when they conflict with what one is being asked to do? • How to ensure people support critical decisions whilst making them within limited time constraints? • How to communicate the rationale for a decision when it is based on sensitive and confidential information? The need to make decisions that have consequences In implementing the reforms, senior managers and clinicians have had to make complex decisions which have consequences for many stakeholders and are not easily reversible. For these decisions to realise a meaningful impact they require the support of multiple stakeholders. The process of decision making therefore is critical to whether local changes are supported or not. Decisions around how the reforms are implemented are also setting the tone and climate of the relationships between staff and the NHS for years to come. Complex and demanding decisions have personal consequences for those making In parts of the system, psychological insecurity is evoking survival anxieties and defensive behaviour Professional risks • Fears about damage to patient care • Management has become the scapegoat Professional threats • Loss of jobs and traditional career paths • Will I be blamed if the system breaks down • Public shame (‘The Daily Mail’ test) • Core values Powerless, loss of control and helplessness Survival behaviour In such a context, the leadership task of engaging people in change and encouraging collaboration on the task of change becomes extremely challenging Figure 1. The role of mutual trust as a core condition for organisational change www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Mutual trust is essential for successful change Autumn 2012 The pace and magnitude of the changes, the number of decisions and the level of anxiety within some organisations make it very challenging for managers to take the time to think through and reflect on decisions and their associated dilemmas. At a more fundamental level, they have to grapple with a clash of values between clinical quality and the growing commercial and financial pressures on the NHS. Survival anxiety works against change The speed, size, uncertainty and ambiguity of the changes have left many staff feeling powerless, out of control and helpless. Clinicians and managers are worried that transforming services, whilst simultaneously cutting back on expenditure, could lead to mistakes, falls in the quality of services and potentially harm to patients. This is provoking considerable anxiety and strong emotions, such as anger, guilt and fear. We observed in some NHS institutions what we have termed ‘survival’ behaviour (see Figure 1). This is characterised by individuals trying to protect themselves by looking after their own interests, avoiding or denying threats or difficult issues, or attacking others who may be perceived as a threat. These behaviours can be understood as a fight/flight response5 as individuals attempt to manage their anxiety in the face of perceived threats and risks. Real or imagined threats include professional risks, such as putting patients at increased risk or being blamed for mistakes in practice; personal losses such as losing one’s job or hard won career prospects; the anger and hostility of employees’ reactions and anger about the changes; and feeling threatened and overwhelmed by the magnitude and scale of the transformation agenda. Managers’ accounts indicated that when survival behaviour was present it is very hard to engage staff constructively in the process of change. In these contexts, staff viewed service reforms to be a threat that was outside of their control. It represented a disruption to their working environment which they wanted to prevent or deny, rather than engage with and enable. In our consulting work, we have discovered the importance of providing space for individuals and groups to meet and make sense together of their experience of change, reflect on their role and their emotional reactions. These social spaces need to be experienced as psychologically safe, in as much as individuals can express themselves without feeling judged or evaluated. When we compared the accounts of senior managers who were able to effectively change services and practices, we identified that whether they perceived mutual trust to be present or not in the organisation system was critical. Trust shaped how the managers’ behaviour and decisions were interpreted by different stakeholders and, likewise, shaped how managers interpreted the behaviour and motives of staff and other stakeholders. Mutual trust can be considered to represent the quality of relationships between stakeholders in a social system. It involves “a psychological state comprising the intention to accept vulnerability based upon positive expectations of the intentions or behaviour of another”6. Trust relations are reciprocal in nature and therefore co–created by all parties. The dynamics of trust revolve around the willingness to be vulnerable with others based on an interpretation of their behaviour and intentions7. In analysing the accounts of managers, we identified that the levels of trust in a given social system vary, depending on the history of relationships and events in the past; the extent to which the different parties understood the motives and interests of others; the extent to which individuals or groups were perceived to act consistently and possess credibility; and the level of www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Mutual trust is essential for successful change Autumn 2012 risk and uncertainty that was present (see Figure 2). Low trust environments were characterised by historical mistrust between organisations and professional groups, the experience of hierarchical pressure to conform to policy changes, opposition to the ideology behind the reforms, and ‘unspoken’ emotions of fear and anger. In contexts of low trust, anxiety and fear associated with organisation change was amplified. Different stakeholders perceived other actors in the system as possible threats whose motives may lead them to act in a manner that is in opposition to their interests. These conditions are likely to lead to survival behaviour which, as we have argued above, acts against constructive change. In low trust environments, managers reported the presence of the following range of responses by staff: • Criticism and suspicion of other organisations and professional groups. For instance, senior clinicians would continuously question and challenge managers’ intentions behind decisions and oppose their proposals for change. • Opposing changes based on a cynical interpretation of the motives of those proposing them or because they perceived the changes to be imposed upon them. For instance, one clinician stated: “We must accept it even though we do not believe in it.” • Passive opposition to changes, such as failing to complete tasks on time, not responding to requests for information or general apathy and low commitment to changes. Trust therefore appears to be a necessary condition for change where there is uncertainty and a level of risk. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 A senior manager in a PCT told us how she is trying to lead the transition of services from her PCT to newly established GP Consortia, whilst her organisation is in the process of being dissolved. She commented that: “At times it feels like it is payback time for the GPs”. She found that despite her best intentions the GPs did not trust her advice or dismissed her suggestions. At the same time, she was suppressing her feelings and emotions around the closure of her organisation as she felt she was “expected to toe the party line”. A Medical Director in an acute hospital described how she felt trapped between the board of her institution and the clinical consultants who distrusted ‘management’. She was trying to work with other hospitals in the region to share specialist staff between them and make significant financial savings. She was experiencing much opposition despite the strong financial case to work together, because it would mean clinical staff being dependent on colleagues in other hospitals whom they did not trust. A case of how participation and involvement develops mutual trust In one Mental Health NHS Trust where we worked for nearly 12 months, the Executive Board has established a group of 50 internal change agents who are working across the Trust to engage staff in the process of change. They are taking a highly participative approach in which employees are encouraged to gather stories of effective performance that represent the Trust at its best. Employees are being encouraged to identify small actions and interventions that will amplify the behaviours and values they perceive to represent effective practice. This process is enabling individuals to express themselves and it implicitly communicates to staff that the senior management trusts them to act in the interests of the Trust. We have observed that as trust develops through this process, managers and staff are more willing to work together on a shared agenda of service improvement and to take risk in their relationships. Understanding of others’ motives History MUTUAL TRUST Quality of the relationship Credibility and consistency Degree of risk and uncertainty Figure 2. What influences trust in these contexts The Ashridge Journal Mutual trust is essential for successful change Autumn 2012 Political dynamics are amplified in contexts of mistrust Heightened anxiety and distrust also amplify covert political dynamics as individuals seek to protect their interests by forming coalitions and hiding feelings or opinions that are not considered to be expressible in public. We interpreted political behaviour to both support change and learning, and operate to block or act against change. Individuals view the comprehensive organisational changes through the filter of their own emotional and political concerns8. Political acts included: presenting a public view which contradicted one’s own views on the changes — forming coalitions to protect one’s position, spreading gossip and misinformation to undermine the agendas of others, making deals behind the scenes with other stakeholders and manipulating statistics to present information in a favourable manner. Much of this behaviour can be understood as a response to real or imagined fears about how individuals in positions of authority or other groups will judge them. For instance, in one NHS Trust, senior managers expressed concerns about a programme of service transformation that was being demanded by the Board of the Trust. Most of the management team felt it was unsafe to express their views in public, because when they had in the past they were attacked or criticised by members of the Board. This led them to express their resistance through a lack of commitment to specific changes or to express their complaints and concerns about the changes to colleagues with whom they felt safe. How leaders are developing mutual trust To establish trust is paradoxical. To develop trust requires both parties to be willing to make themselves vulnerable to others, which individuals tend to be reluctant to do when they mistrust the other. Trust develops slowly and requires both parties to progressively take greater risks with each other in order to demonstrate that they trust the other party. When trust is low, leaders need to take the risk to explore the quality of the relationship and the underlying dynamics of mistrust if there is going to be an opportunity for trust to develop. This is best done by each party taking small risks with each other rather than taking giant leaps of faith. The paradoxical dynamic of trust building, based on the work of Vangen & Huxham9, is illustrated in Figure 3 below. The trust building loop Gain understanding for more ambitious collaboration Reinforcing trusting attitudes Aim for realistic (initially modest) but successful outcomes From expectations about the future, based on reputation, past behaviour, contracts or agreements Have enough trust to be willing to be vulnerable and to take a risk to initiate collaboration Source: Vangen and Huxham (2003) Figure 3. The trust building loop www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Mutual trust Autumn 2012 Our research indicated that managers facilitate the development of mutual trust by: • Helping staff to make sense of what is changing in their part of the organisation and why • By openly and transparently sharing information with staff and other stakeholders, even when the information is unlikely to be received favourably. This requires managers to be explicit about what they know and what they do not know: for instance, some timescales will be known and others will remain undecided or open to negotiation. • Listening to employees’ concerns and opinions. Research revealed that being listened to and treated with dignity and respect increases employees’ trust10. • Reframing changes to help staff understand how they can take control and influence the changes in their part of the system. For instance, one leader had engaged her staff by saying to them: “We have a choice of how it is done rather than letting it be done to us”. This intervention gave staff permission to take control and responsibility for transforming their services. • Working politically across organisation boundaries to build connections, dispel rumours, develop shared agendas and looking for opportunities for integrating services. • Supporting stakeholders to make sense of what is changing and how. This includes helping staff to understand how and why they are experiencing specific reactions to changes in their organisations and helping them to prioritise activities. The interaction between line managers and those they manage is important in relation to the generation of perceptions of fairness www.ashridge.org.uk/360 about organisation change. In our work with managers we observed how much of this work goes on behind the scenes and is not visible or cannot be measured. Managers experienced it as difficult and emotionally demanding. It requires a strong sense of personal conviction that people can be trusted. Fundamentally, it requires leaders to exercise compassion for others and demonstrate empathy for the pressures and anxieties they experience in their work. We can only empathise with others if we take responsibility for our own feelings and emotions and we have the emotional reserves to meet others in their distress or anxiety. We believe therefore that it is important that leaders have sufficient support from others to be able to help their teams work through the process of change. Conclusion Our research indicates that mutual trust is a core condition for supporting effective decision making and enabling organisation and behaviour change. If leaders are to successfully introduce complex change then they need to pay attention to the quality of relationships and particularly to the levels of mutual trust that are present in the organisation system. This requires an active focus on developing the quality of relationships across groups and with individuals. The Ashridge Journal Mutual trust is essential for successful change Autumn 2012 How Ashridge is supporting change in the NHS NHS London teamed up with the King’s Fund and Ashridge on Action Learning for Senior Leaders, a highly successful development process which enables both Non–Executive Directors (NEDs) and Executives to work in a more effective manner. Over the course of a year, small diverse groups tackled important organisational issues, with members of the group taking turns to share in confidence with the rest of the group. The owner of the issue explored options, identified ways forward and was challenged, encouraged and supported to take effective action. With the help of a facilitator, all members reflected and learned from each other. Members of these Action Learning sets also built a network with other senior leaders that they have been able to continue to utilise. The process worked towards good listening and skilful questioning, in particular how to question, as well as soft skills of when to show empathy and when to be sharp and assertive. It provided a safe environment for Executives to ask questions, to check their assumptions and to take action to introduce changes in their organisations. “I always used to jump in with both feet, now I think ‘what do you want to get out of this and who am I seeking to influence’, before I act.” – Non-Executive “…not just that you start to question more, but that you develop a methodology of HOW to question and challenge and have a safe space in which to trial those skills.” – Non-Executive Ashridge and the NHS Ashridge Consulting has been working in the NHS for many years with clients such as the National Institute of Health Research, the Health Foundation, the NHS Leadership Academy, NHS London, NHS Midlands and a number of NHS Trusts. References 1. The King’s Fund (2011) www.kingsfund.org.uk 2. Tushman, M., Newman W., and Romanelli, E (1986) Convergence and upheaval: Managing the unsteady pace of organizational evolution, California Management Review, 29, no. 1 (Fall 1986): 29-44. 3. Mohrman, A. et al (1989) Large scale organizational change, Jossey Bass, London. 4. Metcalfe, L. and Richards, S. (1993) Evolving public sector management cultures. In: K.A. Eliassen and J. Kooiman (Eds), Managing public organisations, Sage, London. 5. Bion, W. R. (1961) Experiences in groups, Tavistock. 6. Rousseau, D.M., Sitkin, S.B., Burt, R.S. and Camerer, C. (1998) Not so different after all: A cross-discipline view of trust, Academy of Management Review, 23: 393-404. 7. Kramer, R. M. and Tyler, T.R (1996) Trust in organisations: Frontiers of theory and research, Sage. 8. Neumann (2008) 9. Vangen, S, and Huxham, C (2003) Nurturing collaborative relations: building trust in interorganizational collaboration, Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 39, no. 1, 5-31. 10. Saunders, M. N. K. and Thornhill, A. (2003) Organisational justice, trust and the management of change: An exploration, Personnel Review, 32 No. 3, 360-375. Further reading Luhmann, N. (1979) Trust and power, Wiley, Chichester. The end result has been a series of positive responses from both NEDs and Executives. Mayer, R.C., Davis, J.H. and Schoorman, F.D. (1995) An integrative model of organization trust, Academy of Management Review, 23, 438-458. “Provided an opportunity to have support. I certainly personally don’t have access to anything like this!” – Executive Mishra, A. (1996) Organizational responses to crisis: the centrality of trust, in Kramer, R.M. and Tyler, T.R. (Eds) Trust in organizations: Frontiers of theory and research, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. “I have been able to prioritise issues and understand the value of my contribution, which has increased my confidence. This is particularly important if your background is nonNHS.” – Non-Executive Morgan, D. E and Zeffane, E. (2003) Employee inyolvement, organizational change and trust in management. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14:1 February, 55-75. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 Do Something Different to create a more sustainable culture at work There is no doubt that sustainability is on the business agenda and it is here to stay. The challenge is getting individuals and organisations to take heed and respond to the challenge, and do so effectively. Nadine Page gives some insights from her PhD research about how individuals and organisations can be better prepared for future challenges, and proposes a new framework for helping to support both to be more flexible and adaptive to change. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Do Something Different to create a more sustainable culture at work Autumn 2012 Nadine Page joined Ashridge in 2012 as a Research Assistant in Ashridge’s Centre for Business and Sustainability (ACBAS). Her interests are in the areas of psychology (social, occupational and environmental), sustainability and change. Nadine has an honours degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Research Methods in Psychology. She is also in the latter stages of her PhD, which is exploring the spillover of sustainable actions from home to the workplace. Email: [email protected] Introduction How much of yourself do you take to work with you each day, or to put it another way, how much of ‘you’ do you leave at home, either intentionally or unintentionally? As a first response I’m sure that most of us would say that the way we behave at home is the same way we behave at work. People like to think that they are consistent in the way they are in order to lessen their experience of dissonance; a feeling of discomfort felt by an individual when they hold two or more conflicting ideas, beliefs or values. However, in reality people are not consistent, despite striving to be so. This is because many of our daily cognitions, beliefs and behaviours are patterns of action that are performed sequentially. Through repetition, they become habitual acts1 that are performed in a relatively automatic way and are triggered by external cues in the context2. The consequence of this is the possibility that we are somewhat unaware of who we are and the way we behave. Consequently, we can be one person at home and someone very different at work. And it is likely that this transition happens unintentionally with a very low level of conscious awareness and simply because of a change in setting. Different selves Of course, the differences in expectations, environmental design and social characteristics between the home and the workplace do bring out different sides or ‘selves’ of the individual. This is not such a bad thing so long as one’s actions are appropriate for each context. However, this ‘split’ in personality can be detrimental to the performance of those daily behaviours that need to be performed consistently across different situations. Actions that need to be embedded into the routine of daily living – sustainable behaviours, for example. Sustainable behaviours This article considers to what extent context differences between the home and workplace impact on the way we behave, with a particular focus on the performance of sustainable behaviours — behaviours that we routinely perform everyday without realising3 4 5. It also considers the barriers and drivers of personal pro-environmental action in each context with a particular focus on the workplace, and the role and responsibility of executive education in reducing this gap. The article will also explain how organisations can provide a supportive framework to nurture the carbon capability of their employees to develop an organisational culture that is overall more sustainable and prepared for the “future we want”6. There is an urgent need to better understand the sustainability or lack thereof of individual perspectives and lifestyles. This includes individual worldviews towards sustainability, and pro-environmental actions that are performed both in the workplace and at home. The reason is because individual lifestyles and current organisational www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Do Something Different to create a more sustainable culture at work Autumn 2012 practices are environmentally, economically and socially unsustainable. For example, across Europe we currently consume 30% more natural resources than the Earth can replenish7. At their core, both environmental problems and environmental solutions are rooted within individuals and cultures. Human behaviour at home and in the workplace is directly environmentally destructive through technological and economic activity. It is also indirectly destructive by individual beliefs and cultural norms guiding the development of that activity8. Indeed, we need to do something to alter the way we live and ‘do business’. This action needs to come from transitions in the way people think and act because people are the connecting factor at the heart of sustainability issues at home and at work. Frameworks There have been several frameworks proposed that categorise individuals according to their outlook and activity around sustainability. For example, DEFRA’s Centre of Expertise on Influencing Behaviours outlines the Framework for Sustainable Lifestyles to categorise individuals based on their willingness to act sustainably and their unfulfilled potential to do more. There are seven behavioural segments that reflect different positions on the sustainability continuum, from those individuals who are ‘honestly disengaged’ to those who are ‘positive greens’. I’m sure each of us has an opinion about where we fall. As an alternative, others9 have proposed eight ecological selves in the organisation, which include the Eco–Guardian, the Eco–Warrior and the Eco–Manager. This framework considers how sustainable behaviours are guided by personal identities and values. In essence, both frameworks provide a structure for understanding individual engagement with sustainability. However, what is really needed and is missing from such frameworks is a practical model of change that supports individuals, and organisations alike, to modify their unsustainable practices. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 Individuals’ lifestyles Individuals are the constant factor in the sustainability dilemma and thus there is a need to better understand how they think and behave. One way of doing so is to investigate the sustainability of individuals’ lifestyles holistically, by measuring the commitment and demonstration of proenvironmental action across lifestyle practices at home and in the workplace, rather than in one isolated context. Doing so will give greater insights into individuals’ positioning on sustainability as a whole. Previous research investigating sustainability issues in the organisation has remained separate from the literature focused outside of work. As such, the ‘spillover’ of sustainability from one context to another has been assumed, and policy makers expect individuals to act consistently across3 different locational settings, both at home and at work. However, the research reported here shows this is not the case — indeed, there is little fluidity between home and work contexts and individuals transform from Dr Jekyll at home to Mr Hyde at work. In order to investigate the sustainability of individuals in two locational settings — at home and in the workplace — participants reported on their behaviours in each context. The behaviours were everyday acts that had an equal level of implementation and personal control in both contexts. Participants also identified the enablers and barriers of acting sustainably in each context. The data were collected from individuals employed in different workplace settings with variations in organisational characteristics. Home to work comparison The home to work comparison showed that individuals are more engaged with sustainability at home than at work – a result that concurs with previous findings10 11 12 13. Indeed, 86% of the behaviours performed at home were either not transferred into the workplace or were performed significantly less frequently. In other words, individuals have one set of behaviours at home and another at work. These results suggest that individuals are focused and actively engaged with sustainability at home but this ‘sustainable self’ is not transferred in the same capacity into the workplace. It seems that organisations can block the transference of sustainability from home to work and ‘lock’ individuals into behavioural routines that are environmentally unsound14. Individuals change substantially from one context to the next. Finding out why individuals become ‘split’ between home and work was investigated further by identifying the barriers and enablers of action in each context. To investigate the unsustainable side of individuals in the workplace, participants were asked to order a range of factors that had the potential to influence their sustainable activities both at home and at work. They considered how much influence each factor exerted on their behaviour separately for each context. The potential enablers and barriers included those factors that were both intrinsic and extrinsic to the individual. For example, intrinsic items included, amongst others, factors relating to personal values and beliefs, e.g., ‘my sense of social responsibility’; and ‘belief in the reality of climate change’. Some examples of extrinsic drivers included: ‘the attitudes and behaviours of people around me’; and ‘others leading by example’. Of particular interest was participants’ ordering of these enablers and barriers from the strongest through to the weakest for home and work contexts, and the differences in rankings between contexts. Behaviours at home and at work When at home, sustainable behaviours were largely driven by factors intrinsic to the individual such as a strong sense of personal responsibility and personal beliefs. The attitudes and behaviours of significant others, e.g., friends and family, were also largely The Ashridge Journal Do Something Different to create a more sustainable culture at work Autumn 2012 influential. In contrast, those factors that were less influential in this context included: good role models and leadership from relevant others (see Figure 1). When considering sustainability in the workplace, participants also reported intrinsic beliefs, personal responsibility, and the attitudes and behaviours of significant others, e.g., colleagues, as important factors. Additionally, they also flagged the importance of good role models and leadership — a factor that was not important in a home context. In contrast, those factors reported as the least influential in the workplace included: penalties/disciplinary action; training and information; and rewards — non-social factors extrinsic to the individual. behaviours are shown to be social acts that are embedded within the social context of the locational setting and are largely driven by social processes15 such as the social norms and culture of that setting. It is apparent that at work, behaviours displayed by colleagues and managers are perceived as normal and acceptable and are used as a frame of reference for guiding one’s own behaviour16. These can either reinforce or block an individual’s potential to transfer sustainable actions from home. They also show that when it comes to sustainability, employees are not only influenced by their personal values and beliefs but also by their expectations and observations that others are behaving in a similar fashion17. These rankings suggest that one of the strongest drivers of sustainability both at home and in the workplace was the personal beliefs and values of the individual. These appear to provide the foundations for action in both locational settings and show a degree of individual consistency across contexts. Another enabler that was as important in both contexts was the attitudes and behaviours of other people. Pro-environmental behaviours, like many other everyday acts, are socially construed and performed in accordance with social norms. When acting sustainably, individuals want to fit in with the norm of the setting and will adjust personal behaviours accordingly in order to do so. Another particularly important finding for the workplace was the exemplification of sustainability by leaders and significant others. This, again, asserts to the social nature of sustainability for individuals and organisations as a whole and the importance of sustainable leadership more generally. Indeed, what we see here is that people are not consistent in their performance of sustainable acts across home and work contexts and one of the reasons for this is the supportive and constraining factors in each setting. In both contexts, sustainable Figure 1. The ranking of a range of factors that influence sustainable activities www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Do Something Different to create a more sustainable culture at work Autumn 2012 Fixed patterns of behaviour It seems that individuals are not reaching their full potential to act sustainably at work, and one of the reasons for this is because of the cultural norms and leadership within the organisation — individuals are being constrained into fixed patterns of behaviour that are far less sustainable to those employed at home. One solution to this problem is to change the perspective and behavioural profile of the leaders in the organisation so that sustainability is exemplified from the top–down. Providers of executive education have a role to play here by embedding sustainability into their programmes. This will help to ensure that the leaders of today, and tomorrow, are knowledgeable and skilled in this domain and are able to lead their organisation to a more sustainable future. Indeed, this is something that Ashridge has been working hard to achieve over the past few years, with a steady increase in the inclusion of sustainability into our management development programmes. Address behavioural patterns An alternative perspective, which complements the preceding and has the potential to cascade faster and to a larger extent throughout the organisation, is to address the cognitive and behavioural patterns of the organisation — those that are implicitly present in the norms and culture at work. It seems that individuals perform environmentally ‘good’ habits at home but in organisations they are not yet the norm. For this reason, any organisational change programme needs to seriously consider the constraints the workplace puts on human action and the possibilities of change. Getting individuals to see the differences in themselves between contexts is the first step. Remember that the majority of our daily behaviours are habitual acts performed routinely with a low level of consciousness — people will be unaware of how they behave most of the time or how the organisation ‘changes’ www.ashridge.org.uk/360 them. Thus, individuals need to develop awareness of themselves in order to bring behaviours under conscious control and implement change. The technique of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) offers some insight and guidance about how this could be done. This approach focuses on changing thoughts to lever changes in behaviour. While it is not possible or appropriate to give a detailed account in this article, some key points about CBT that are indicative for developing sustainability in organisations are discussed in order to set the scene for a second approach — Do Something Different (DSD) — that targets change at the behavioural level in order to shift thinking. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy CBT is the name given to a class of talking therapies at the frontline of choices for clinical and subclinical disorders. Its fundamental principle is that it is not events in the world that cause emotional reactions and disturbance in people, but rather it is the thoughts/beliefs that an individual has about those events that mediates the event–to–impact relationship. In other words, the way we interpret the world determines how we feel, think and behave. CBT characterises thoughts and beliefs as negative, automatic and nonadaptive. These ways of thinking often come to mind rapidly, particularly when individuals are in the busyness of everyday life. They stir underlying core beliefs and instincts, and cause individuals to think in an irrational and exaggerated way. This way of thinking has an impact on how we behave. In response, individuals limit their behavioural experiences in order to avoid exposure to situations that are perceived as potentially ‘threatening’ – situations that individuals believe will have a negative impact on them as a person. Remember, these beliefs are based on personal perceptions that do not truly reflect the reality of the situation. The consequence of these perceptions is that people limit their engagement with different The Ashridge Journal Do Something Different to create a more sustainable culture at work Autumn 2012 opportunities in order to stay ‘safe’, and this often reflects past ways of being. They stay within their ‘comfort zone’ of experience and their consideration of new or different behavioural opportunities becomes very narrow and highly constrained. People live their life in an inflexible space and depend largely on habits for routine and predictability. They do not try new things or even see opportunities and potential for change. The status quo remains and business continues as usual. How CBT works CBT works by breaking the cyclical relationship between thinking, beliefs, and behaviours. It supports individuals to change their thoughts and beliefs as a lever for changing behaviour – in this case, changing individuals’ beliefs Pole 1 Pole 2 Assertive V Unassertive Conventional V Unconventional Cautious V Trusting Predictable V Unpredictable Energetic/Driven V Calm/Relaxed Reactive V Proactive Group orientated V Individually orientated Risk taker V Cautious Behave as I wish V Behave as others expect Systematic V Spontaneous Open-minded V Single-minded Extroverted V Introverted Definite V Flexible Lively V Not lively Gentle V Firm Figure 2. Behavioural dimensions measured by the FIT Profiler about sustainability at work. Perceptions might suggest that sustainability is not commonplace in this context, so individuals who act sustainably might be perceived and identified as ‘misfitting’. This could initiate a negative cycle of thinking and then act as a barrier for the transference of sustainable actions from home. It offers an explanation about why individuals’ ‘sustainable comfort zones’ are significantly narrower at work. Challenging these misperceptions is one way of addressing sustainability issues in the workplace. However, in order to fully impact a shift in culture at work, behaviour change at the individual level also needs to take place. Employees’ ‘bad’ behavioural habits need to be addressed directly. The behavioural component of CBT supports individuals to plan and trial a series of small-scale behavioural experiments, with each one taking the individual further out of their ‘comfort zone’. The results of these experiments are fed back to clients to challenge negative patterns of behaviour and thought. The Do Something Different approach An alternative but similar framework that tackles behaviour directly is the Do Something Different (DSD) approach of the Framework for Internal Transformation18 (FIT). This approach is more scalable to address culture change in the organisation. FIT comprises a psychometrically validated tool – the FIT Profiler — and a variety of behavioural interventions all targeted at identifying and moderating an individual’s degree of behavioural flexibility. At its foundation, FIT emphasises the need for flexibility in thinking and behaviour, rather than dependency on past ways. The FIT Profiler measures individuals’ cognitive strengths or ‘Inner Constancies’ (Awareness, Balance, Conscience, Fearlessness and Self–Responsibility) that form the foundations for guiding www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Do Something Different to create a more sustainable culture at work Autumn 2012 decision–making and behaviour. It also measures preference and flexibility across 15 behaviour dimensions (e.g., Introversion-Extraversion; see Figure 2). Unlike other personality measures, the FIT Profiler emphasises that for maximum effectiveness, one would not want to be located at a single point along a behavioural dimension — instead, one should be suitably equipped with behavioural capacities spanning both ends. This enables the individual to have a repertoire of behaviours that enables them to respond appropriately in different situations and circumstance, e.g., sometimes introverted and sometimes extraverted. The FIT/DSD approach supports individuals to develop their behavioural repertoire and become more flexible. This is an approach that could help to overcome barriers, and change unsustainable habits at work, to improve cultural sustainability overall. The FIT/DSD offers the potential to transform individuals, teams, and organisations.It offers individuals and teams the opportunity to develop personally, to create more sustainable lifestyles for themselves, with benefits for the organisation’s culture too. Individuals and organisation alike need to be open to change and expand their comfort zone of behaviours and organisational practices. FIT/DSD gives them a licence to experiment in a safe and constructive way. Key pointers for getting started are: 1. Be aware of your own and your organisation’s patterns of behaviour. Think about why you do what you do and whether you enjoy acting this way. Also think about whether this is the most effective way for you to behave. 2. Develop your awareness of the behavioural patterns of others around you. How do these impact on your thoughts and behaviour? 3. Consider the size of your ‘comfort zone’ and the untapped potential of you, and the people around you. How flexible are you, your team, or your organisation? Are you using a good range of your behaviours or a very limited set? Are you adapting and developing new ways of behaving in response to new challenges or are you doing what you’ve always done? 4. Think about the alternative ways you could behave and have a go! Commit to do things differently. Focus on a single behaviour and try changing it, even if it’s just slightly to start with. For example, you could go to the coffee machine at a different time of day. You are likely to see different people and engage in a different conversation Try new behaviours Trials of the DSD approach have been in the domain of weight loss19 20 21. This is the first considered application of DSD to sustainability. The DSD programme invites individuals to try out new behavioural experiments and engage in doing different things or doing the same things differently for a prolonged period of time (one month). Individuals are instructed to focus on trying new behaviours and trying new ways of interacting with people. For example, it could be trying a different approach with a colleague at work, travelling a different route to work, or spending your lunch hour outside instead of indoors. The DSD tasks are not focused on the target outcome, e.g., sustainability, because the driving credo is that behaviours are not independent from one another, but exist in a mutually supporting network: a behavioural web22. By breaking the connection there is greater possibility of changing the target behaviour itself because the support network has been weakened. People become ‘freer’ in their web of habits. The DSD programme www.ashridge.org.uk/360 as a result, and this could be beneficial for developing networks across the organisation. Alternatively, you could schedule a meeting at a different time of day to usual. Would this enable a different group of people to attend? Would it change the energy levels in the room? Such small shifts in behaviour can have all sorts of positive impacts. targets change in this way, at a generic level, in order to transform individuals to a more flexible place where they can change anything about themselves as well as specifically targeting particular behaviours. 5. Finally, if you want to get something different, you have to be open to try different things and do things differently. You have to challenge yourself and your organisation to explore new ways of being. Conclusion To conclude, sustainability is now on the agenda for a growing number of organisations, but for some, ‘old habits die hard’. The recent discussions at the Rio+20 summit suggest that commitments to sustainability are strong, and organisations are exploring new approaches to tackling the problem. There is, of course, a need to look at the world anew. Organisations need to be open to the possibilities of doing things differently, to expand the ‘comfort zone’ of employees and organisations, and the planet too. Sustainability is about “taking control of the ‘now’ and designing the future, instead of allowing the future simply to be the past continued”18. Individuals, organisations and executive education providers all have an active role to play in designing a more sustainable future. They need to challenge the ‘norm’ and disrupt the status quo of past practices. The FIT DSD approach offers a new framework that has the potential to support effective change for the individual and organisation in the transition to a more sustainable future. We do not know what the future will bring but there is no doubt that it will present new challenges for individuals and organisation alike. Being able to adapt and respond flexibly to these challenges is mandatory, not optional. The Ashridge Journal Do Something Different to create a more sustainable culture at work Autumn 2012 The Ashridge Centre for Business and Sustainability is Ashridge’s in-house think tank on sustainable development and the implications for leadership, strategy and change in organisations. Established in 1996, the Centre leads influential research and thought leadership in collaboration with external partners, and works collaboratively across Ashridge to support its education and consulting work around leadership and change for sustainability. www.ashridge.org.uk/acbas References 1. Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How habits are formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40, 998-1009. 2. Wood, W., & Neal, D.T. (2007). A new look at habits and the habit-goal interface. Psychological Review, 114, 843-863. 3. Thogersen, J. (1999). Spillover processes in the development of a sustainable consumption pattern. Journal of Economic Psychology, 20(10), 53-81. 4. Thogersen, J., & Olander, F. (2003). To what degree are environmentally beneficial choices reflective of a general conservation stance? Environment and Behavior, 38(4), 550-569. 5. Barr, S., & Gilg, A. W. (2006). Sustainable lifestyles: framing environmental action in and around the home. Geoforum, 37(6), 906-920. 6. http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/ 7. http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/economy/ products-consumers/influencing behaviour/ 8. Hoffman, A. J. (2011). Climate change as a cultural and behavioural issue: Addressing barriers and implementing solutions. Organizational Dynamics, 39, 295-305. 15. Shove, E. (2003). Converging conventions of comfort, cleanliness and convenience. Journal of Consumer Policy, 26, 395-418. 16. Clapp, J. D., & McDonnell, A. L. (2000). The relationship of perceptions of alcohol promotion and peer drinking norms to alcohol problems reported by college students. Journal of College Student Development, 41(1), 20-26. 17. Georg, S. (1999). The social shaping of household consumption. Ecological Economics, 28, 455-466. 18. Fletcher, B.(C). & Stead, B. (2000) (Inner) FITness and The FIT Corporation. London: International Thomson Press. 19. Fletcher, B.(C)., Hanson, J., Pine, K. J. & Page, N. (2011). FIT – Do something different: A new psychological intervention tool for facilitating weight loss. Swiss Journal of Psychology. 20. Page, N. & Fletcher, B.(C). (2008). FIT Science for weight loss: A controlled study of the benefits of enhancing behavioural flexibility. European Journal of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, 19(5), 8–10. 21. Fletcher, B.(C)., Page, N. & Pine, K. J. (2007). A new behavioural intervention for tackling obesity: Do something different. European Journal of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, 18(5), 8–10. 9. Rogers, A. (2012). Exploring our ecological selves within learning organisations. The Learning Organization, 19(1), 28-37. 10. Dolnicar, S., & Grün B. (2009). Environmentally friendly behaviour: Can heterogeneity among individuals and contexts/environments be harvested for improved sustainable management? Environment and Behavior, 41(5), 693-714. 11. Barr, S., Shaw, G., Coles, T. E., & Prillwitz, J. (2010). A holiday is a holiday: practising sustainability home and away. Journal of Transport Geography, 18, 474-481. 12. McDonald, S. Green behaviour: Differences in recycling behaviour between the home and the workplace. In D Bartlett (Ed.), Going Green: The psychology of sustainability in the workplace. Leicester: The British Psychological Society. 13. Tudor, T., Barr, S., & Gilg, A. (2007). A tale of two locational settings: Is there a link between proenvironmental behaviour at work and at home? Local Environment, 12(4), 409-421. 14. Benton, T., & Redclift, M. (1994). Introduction. In M. Redclift & T. Benton (Eds.), Social theory and global environment. 1-28, Routledge, London. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Leadership Summer 2010 Women in business: Blueprint for individuals and organisations The role of women in business has generated much media interest over the past few years. The publication of the Davies Report in 2011 highlighted the role of and representation of women on boards. These findings, with feedback from women who attend Ashridge’s development programmes, led Fiona Dent and Viki Holton to undertake an inquiry into the landscape for women in business in the 21st century. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Women in business: Blueprint for individuals and organisations Autumn 2012 Fiona Dent is a Director of Executive Education at Ashridge. As a member of the Ashridge Management Committee she is responsible for one of the two education faculty groups which manage programmes, client relationships and deliver management development solutions across Ashridge. Fiona is also involved in setting the strategic direction of the organisation with a particular focus on human resources. Viki Holton is a Research Fellow at Ashridge. Her Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] interests include surveying current trends in management and management development, best practice in career development, HR, equal opportunities and the development of women managers.. Introduction Our aim was to explore the current situation for women in the workplace, focusing on their day-to-day experience of business life. We developed this into a “women only” survey, which involved both a questionnaire and interviews. We explored a range of areas: • People who had helped in their career • Career promoters and hindrances • Leadership issues including style • Work/life balance • What they wish they had known earlier in their career • Advice for both individuals and for organisations. A full report of our findings can be found in our book Women in Business: Navigating career success which was published in April 2012 by Palgrave. In this article we discuss ten pieces of advice that have been distilled from the findings – see model at left. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Women in business: Blueprint for individuals and organisations Autumn 2012 Advice for individuals • Develop self-awareness Self-belief and self-confidence are two of the most important promoters of career success and yet also seem to be two of the most common hindrances that women experience – that is lack of both self-belief and self-confidence. A good level of self-awareness is a key contributor to career success and women need to have a well-honed awareness of their own strengths, weaknesses, values, beliefs and needs. It’s all about knowing “what you want, what you are good at and how you can get even better.” Getting feedback from others is a great way of developing self-awareness. Feedback can come from many kinds of people: • The boss • Colleagues • Direct reports • Customers and suppliers • A coach or mentor • Family and friends. The important thing with feedback is to frame it so that you get worthwhile comments that you can act upon. So, rather than asking someone to give you feedback generally, it might be more valuable if you ask a trusted colleague to observe your listening and questioning skills and give you feedback about your performance in these areas. Being more specific means the feedback will be more valuable. Other ways of raising self-awareness involve taking part in training events which enable you to get feedback from fellow participants in a controlled environment – or possibly to be able to self-analyse by way of video playback in a group meeting or other work-based situation. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 Self-awareness, however is only the starting point – but it does help with selfconfidence and self-belief, those two vital attitudes to help drive success. • Have a career plan Identifying career goals, aspirations and ambitions – in other words having a career plan – is key. Plans can be changed, adapted and developed; the important thing is to have one. “Have a career plan from early on and take ownership for your own career development. Many women that I talk to, particularly the under 25s, I say to them OK, when you’re 30 what do you want to have achieved, inside work and outside work? Do you want to be married, do you want to have children, do you want to be a job grade one, do you want to be a job grade three? Most of them can’t answer the question, they just don’t know. They’re focused on trying to do the best job that they can and so can’t say after two years: ‘Hey, I’ve been on the graduate programme for two years and I haven’t had my promotion – I need a promotion, what am I missing? What am I doing wrong?’ If they’re not pushing their career, nobody’s going to drag them along.” Survey quote. Typically men are far more strategic about their career than many women and will happily put themselves forward for promotion even if they don’t have the ideal qualifications and experience. Women have a greater tendency to worry about having the relevant experience and/or qualifications and in some cases waiting to be asked! The reality is that in many situations when senior appointments are made, it’s more about the relationship and overall fit than about having the exact qualifications and experience. The Ashridge Journal The advice to women is to know where you want to go and what you want to achieve, and have the courage, selfconfidence and belief to go for it. As one woman in our survey said: “Anything is possible if you believe in yourself.” • Understand the role of others Most of the success stories we heard about involved support from others. In terms of support the most frequently Women in business: Blueprint for individuals and organisations • Network Many women mentioned how important networks and networking are as part of the career development process. With the increasing use of online networking sites like Facebook, Linkedin, Friends Reunited and Plaxo, we find ourselves drawn into being ‘networked’ with many people. It would be very easy just to think about networking as an invogue, contemporary idea that connects you with lots of people. However, we see it differently – successful networking is like so much else in life – you have to be strategic about it. mentioned people were: • Bosses • Colleagues • Family • Friends. Most of the women we talked to and many of those who responded to our survey mentioned a boss as key to their success. Bosses were often mentioned as the person who challenged them and pushed them to try something they wouldn’t normally have attempted. One quote from our survey that illustrates this: “When we were looking at going into a new area my manager pushed me to lead the project which I would not have done otherwise.” Many women also mentioned colleagues, family and friends as important. Working within a supportive team and having colleagues in the organisation who can act as a sounding board or informal coach can prove to be highly beneficial. Family and friends are undoubtedly of huge support to any woman who is forging a career in business. It is their support, advice and encouragement that many women rely on to juggle their lives. In particular partners and husbands were mentioned, especially those who shared the family responsibilities. Dame Sally Davies – Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health and National Health Service, one of our interviewees and an Ashridge Governor – offered us her perspective on networking when she suggested that she does network but prefers to “build friendships and alliances”. She believes that having a strategy for networking where she builds relationships with people whom she respects and has shared values and interests with is a good way of ensuring she can make a network work in a positive way. It is becoming clear that promotion and career development are not always about hard work or having the right skills – rather they are often the result of organisational reputation, chance meetings, personal recommendations and being in the right place at the right time. Planning to network and actively setting out to develop relationships with those people is a strategic approach to networking that may prove, in the long run, to be beneficial to your career and development. Autumn 2012 Having a career strategy and knowing what you want to achieve will help you to move in the right direction and take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you. The strategy should be something like a route map where deviations are possible along the way, to do things of interest, to take unexpected opportunities, to develop new skills – all of which will help you reach your destination. When we embarked on this research we thought we’d hear stories that were different to those we experienced earlier in our careers. Now 25 years later we expected that things would have moved on significantly. It was disappointing to find that while organisations have put policies and procedures in place, our research found that women today experience many of the same challenges and issues as those in the past. While there is still a way to go, many are progressing in the right direction, and organisations and individuals alike must continue to keep their foot on the accelerator. “I can’t help thinking that if I’d been a bit more strategic and thoughtful about my career, I may have taken a less tortuous route to my goal. My advice to younger women would be to know what you want to achieve, develop a plan and go for it.” Survey quote. “I have worked for at least three very supportive bosses, usually at CEO level, who have given me opportunities to develop.” Survey quote. • Take and create opportunities One of the overriding messages we gained from our research was that successful career-women have charted their own path and built their own career. Making and taking opportunities has been part of their success. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Career promoters Career hindrances www.ashridge.org.uk/360 Women in business: Blueprint for individuals and organisations Autumn 2012 The Ashridge Journal Women in business: Blueprint for individuals and organisations Advice for organisations • CEO and senior management commitment In order for women to become truly equal in business life, the role of the CEO and the top team in supporting and modelling the way ahead is vital. In our research we heard many stories where lip service was paid to the importance of women in an organisation. A fairly typical story that illustrates this point is: “At a European meeting I recently attended, the leadership team for the project put up a slide to illustrate details about themselves – this showed only one woman on the team of 15 and unsurprisingly she earned far less than any of the other members.” Stories of this nature were not unusual, especially in relation to women’s presence at senior levels. Many women in our research talked about the excellent HR policies that their organisation had in place, yet still there are barriers. As one interviewee noted: “If the top team is male dominated and they continue to replicate themselves on executive floors in a closed system way, nothing will change. It needs a shift in mindset and culture, sponsored and committed to by the top in order for change to happen”. Good HR policies and processes are all very well, but the real change happens when behaviour changes and is modelled from the top. The active involvement of all C suite members modelling an attitude of equality – where people are promoted on merit and women and men are both equally encouraged in career development and growth – would go a long way to levelling the playing field. • Organisational culture and attitude Once the top team is on board and modelling change, then the whole organisation will begin a process of Autumn 2012 movement towards an equal working environment. For instance, having diversity champions in each part of the business to actively promote the role of women and to accommodate difference – of course diversity is not only about gender so these champions are also alert to other diversity issues. Some of the examples we heard about included: • Making sure women were offered the same stretch assignments as men • Organising an annual conference for women managers and staff • Encouraging women to take advantage of mentoring and coaching schemes early on in their career • Looking at innovative and flexible working practices, for example: working longer hours each day to enable a four-day week; a husband and wife team operated a job share with each doing one month on and one month off; and others talked about enabling home working with flexible hours to suit personal situations • Introducing opportunities for job shadowing, where a younger manager shadows a more senior manager for a period of time, can be beneficial on many levels. It helps to change attitudes and provides a development opportunity at the same time • One organisation we talked to operates a “reverse mentoring” process. This involves a younger manager mentoring a more senior manager to help them to understand the challenges facing the younger generation. This same process could be applied to younger women mentoring senior men and women to help understand changing attitudes. • Organisational gender mix Some organisations realise that it’s not just about the number of women employed – www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Women in business: Blueprint for individuals and organisations rather it’s about the opportunities afforded to them. So for instance the more enlightened organisations are beginning to understand more about the inequality issues by analysing gender mixes: • At different organisation levels • On training programmes and development • Applicants for managerial leadership positions and • People taking on new opportunities and stretch assignments And of course • The Board. Much of the gender issue is about fairness of opportunity as well as attitude, and we heard many stories of women being bypassed and assumptions being made. For instance: “Organisations should not assume that just because I am a working mother I will not be interested in an overseas assignment.” • Development, mentoring and coaching While many of the women in our survey talked about the importance of taking advantage of any developmental opportunities offered as a key promoter of their career, an equal number complained that these experiences were not offered to them. It is also clear from our research that women can be reticent in asking for developmental opportunities. Enlightened organisations are becoming more aware of the need to actively encourage women to put themselves forward for development opportunities. Bosses also play a role here and the better ones are supportive of the women who work in their area. Our research highlighted the importance of the role of the boss as being paramount in terms of either promoting or hindering women’s career success. At Ashridge we notice that on many of our development programmes – most of www.ashridge.org.uk/360 Autumn 2012 which are targeted at middle and senior managers – women are underrepresented, usually being less than a third of the group. In fact in 2011 the percentage of women attending all our programmes was 30%. As far as mentoring and coaching is concerned, one of the challenges is access to female mentors and role models, and the lack of senior women in organisations made this difficult. The challenge for many of the women in our survey was identifying whom they should approach to mentor or coach them. Publicising this information so that people are aware of those in the organisation who are trained and willing to act as mentors and coaches may be helpful. • Talent management Organisations who fail to recognise that women play an important role in contemporary business life will undoubtedly be losing some of the most talented people they have. There is much talked about quotas in the boardroom, but in our view there is a far more challenging issue – the female talent pipeline. Women are outperforming men in education – equal numbers of women and men join organisations at entry levels. But by the time they reach middle management, women exit in large numbers – this typically happens between the ages of 30 and 40. You don’t need to be an Einstein to determine why this might be. This creates subsequent problems for the female talent pipeline – it is logical that if there are fewer women in middle management then there are fewer to select from for senior and board appointments. As we have seen earlier, organisations have creditable HR processes in place. The key challenge is to ensure that the attitude of the people applying these processes is positive and that innovative approaches to working practices are encouraged and promoted. For instance: • Encouraging mixed gender work and project teams • Using technology to the full – video and conference calling are particularly beneficial • Recognising that presenteeism is not the only way of getting a good job done. Adopting a process of goal and target setting will encourage more engagement overall and affords women (and men) the opportunity to organise their working day to accommodate their family commitments. Talent management is not just about getting women to the top and on to boards – it’s about creating an environment where all employees can blossom and grow to reach their full potential. The Ashridge Journal Women in business: Blueprint for individuals and organisations Background to the research References The research involved a self-completion survey which was completed by over 1400 women – 39% of whom were senior managers and a further 30% were either directors or chief executives. These women worked in the public, private and voluntary sectors, both nationally and internationally, and covered an age range from under 30 to over 60, with 45% of respondents who were between 41 to 50. In addition to the survey we also undertook 20 in-depth interviews with senior women leaders, some of whom are entrepreneurs who have built their own successful businesses, as well as a range of senior women in the public and private sectors. Autumn 2012 Understanding Women’s Careers 1. Lord Davies (Feb 2011), Women on Boards Dept of Business, Innovation and Skills 2. Fiona Dent, Viki Holton, Jan Rabbetts, (Dec 2011), Understanding Women’s Careers, Ashridge 3. Ambition and Gender at Work (Feb 2010) Institute of Leadership and Management By Fiona Dent, Viki Holton and Jan Rabbetts December 2011 Final note We would like to acknowledge the help and support of all the women who contributed to the survey and interviews. Their thoughts, ideas and stories were inspirational and invaluable in contributing to our book. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 A leadership experiment in the UAE This article describes a case study: the desire of one manager, based in the UAE, to make sustainable changes to (a) his own leadership style, (b) the organisational culture around followership without autonomy, and (c) the decision–making skills of his direct reports. Vicki Culpin and Judith Scott discuss the ‘leadership experiment’ that the manager undertook and outline the perceived shift in behaviours and culture that were gained as a result of this unique intervention. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal A leadership experiment in the UAE Autumn 2012 Vicki Culpin is the Ashridge Research Director. She specialises Judith Scott is an Ashridge Associate and works as an Mohammed Gheyath is the Executive Director of the in memory, sleep, and research methodology and statistics. executive coach and facilitator, focusing on individual, team Department of Technology Development Affairs (TDA), UAE She has spent over 15 years researching memory, the impact and organisational performance. Her interests include personal Federal Government. TDA undertakes various technical tasks, of poor memory, and how to improve memory. More recent leadership development and executive coaching, creativity, projects and initiatives related to the telecommunications research and teaching interests include the relationship between action inquiry and learning, and collaborative forms of teamwork section in the UAE. sleep, well-being and resilience in management populations. with multi disciplinary and cross-functional teams . Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Leadership and followership must be noted that firstly, the majority of the work examining leadership characteristics in the Middle East fails to include either Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and secondly, given the large number of non-Emiratis within the region, there may be ‘Western’ leadership behaviours that have been adopted, such as collaborative leadership5. Context The Middle East (the geographical area from Egypt to the Arab Peninsula), the Arab Nations (22 in total), the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) and the Muslim world: these are all terms used to describe a cultural, economic, political and religious mosaic, and while there are two common denominators – language (Arabic) and religion (Islam) – they are not uniformly present across the region. For example, of particular relevance to this article, foreign languages such as English or French are often used to complement Arabic in both the education and public sectors, and whilst Islam is the official religion, there is a significant cultural diversity, with both minority religions and differing interpretations within Islam1. In relation to leadership and followership in Islamic communities, Ali2 notes that Islam is a practical ideology that focuses on equality and hard work and emphasises qualities such as honesty, integrity and loyalty. The work of Robertson, Al-Khatib and Al-Habib3 found high power distance, high uncertainty avoidance, low individualism and high masculinity. The GLOBE study by Kabasakal and Bodur4 found the Arabic cluster (Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Kuwait and Qatar) also to be characterised by masculinity, along with an in-group orientation, tolerance of ambiguity, stronger rule orientation, hierarchy of relationships, institutional collectivism and low value on assertiveness. However, in the context of this article, it Ashridge programmes in the UAE Ashridge ran a series of successful leadership and mentoring programmes for the UAE Federal Government between 2008 and 2011 for Future Leaders, Executive Leaders, Director Generals and Ministers. Ashridge’s distinctive participative www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal A leadership experiment in the UAE Autumn 2012 style (which is an excellent match to the preferred learning style of individuals within this region), with an emphasis on learning through experience, meant it was well placed to work with both emerging and established talent in the UAE Government. The Executive Leaders Programme was launched in 2009 with a change management and change leadership workshop in Abu Dhabi. The purpose of the programme was to develop knowledge and skills for leading others in times of change, and by the end of the programme participants were expected to: a. b. c. Diagnose a change situation at work and develop a change strategy and a series of change interventions Understand and deploy a range of relevant tools, techniques and skills for leading change Understand how and be able to lead others through this change. One of the central tenets of the programme was mentoring and coaching, with face-toface and telephone sessions conducted with each participant. Expectations were agreed early on in the process and the mentors were encouraged to use transformational coaching techniques which focuses on choices through intentional declarations and committed action6, as well as to offer advice, inform and challenge participants’ thinking. The challenge The mentoring and coaching relationship was a successful and valued element of the programme, and supported one individual, Mohammed Gheyath, in further developing a ‘leadership experiment’ within his workplace. The aim was to gain greater understanding both of himself and his immediate team whilst also ‘developing leadership in others’7. During this ‘experiment’, Mohammed www.ashridge.org.uk/360 received on-going coaching/mentoring from his Ashridge coach who helped support and challenge him during the process. Based in Dubai, Mohammed Gheyath is the Executive Director of the Department of Technology Development Affairs (TDA), UAE Federal Government. TDA undertakes various technical tasks, projects and initiatives related to the telecommunications section in the UAE. Mohammed is responsible for developing the overall technology advancement strategy for the country, developing policies and regulatory frameworks related to information security and network security, and building and developing national capabilities within the information elecommunications sector. Mohammed was inspired to influence the culture of his organisation. He wanted to see it become more confident and creative, more flexible and open to change. He wished to create more decision makers, move away from a traditionally strong hierarchical model and empower a second level leadership team to take over whenever needs arose. Mohammed was aware of the theory taught in leadership and management courses but he wanted to create something more practical and thus, hopefully, more sustainable for his department and the whole organisation. Mohammed had four key objectives for his team. These were to: • Experience what it is like to be in a leadership position • Encourage individuals to make decisions and take more responsibility • Discover and unlock individual potential • Appreciate their colleagues’ work and recognise their achievements. The process First iteration Initially, Mohammed chose six individuals from his team and each was given the opportunity to ‘be Mohammed’, to ‘experience the new role’ and to be the ‘boss’ for a two week period – each individual was given the opportunity to ‘step up’. Individuals were encouraged to find out information about the sections, functions and staff specific roles through a variety of methods such as: • Discussions with Mohammed • Meeting with the Section Heads • Talking to individuals who handle a specific task • Being creative and finding new ways to obtain information. During the process, Mohammed made it clear that he was there to assist and support if needed, but suggested that the key principle in order to bear the benefits of the experience was that the individuals must lead, manage the team and get the job done using their own leadership style8. In this first iteration of the ‘experiment’, there were a number of key elements: • Mohammed had assured his staff that he was still ultimately responsible and would put his name and signature to the work • The individuals responsible would be credited for the success and good decisions • Mohammed himself would bear the consequence of mistakes and wrong decisions. Second iteration After reflection on completion of the first iteration, Mohammed felt that this approach didn’t fully allow a ‘stepping up’ and was ‘too safe’9 , and so in a second iteration (which lasted a month rather than two weeks), The Ashridge Journal A leadership experiment in the UAE Autumn 2012 the selected members were increased to ten, and each of these members was expected to sign all documents for internal dissemination. Mohammed ‘blindly’ signed documents only for external dissemination and neither internal or external documents received any comment or input from Mohammed. During the second iteration these individuals were responsible for all decisions, all documentation, and all policies and procedures during their month at the helm. This removed the sense of comfort and after this experiment documents started to flow almost ‘mistake-free’. Following each experience, Mohammed reviewed the individuals’ work and then discussed with the ‘future leaders’, using an appreciative inquiry model, the positive and development points and where they could have done things differently in order to add more value. He maintained an evaluation sheet for each individual focusing on the following: • Leadership skills, namely decision making, coaching and delegation • Management skills, namely planning, attention to details and follow-ups • Meeting management skills, namely steering the meetings, conclusions, negotiation skills and building arguments. Iteration 1 Iteration 2 Additionally, Mohammed asked for feedback from each individual about the overall process, what went well, what could have been done better and whether they received the appropriate level of support. He was also interested in what he, himself, could learn as a leader from the way each individual had led and handled different challenges. Six direct reports ‘stepped up’ Ten direct reports ‘stepped up’ Emotionally intelligent leadership Three days’ notice between being given the role and first day Planned timetable before start of iteration Two weeks of role plus one week handing over Four weeks of role plus one week handing over All documentation checked by individual but final check and signature by Mohammed All documentation checked and sent by individual without ANY input from Mohammed Figure 1. Details of the two iterations Whilst the practice of offering ‘your role and position’ is certainly not common within Western leadership (and not something that Ashridge had explicitly helped support in this format), it could be argued that this may be something Western leaders could perhaps aspire to. It is indicative of an emotionally intelligent form of leadership which is becoming more established in the West. Western leadership models often encompass the collaborative and collective approach, whilst a more traditional Islamic model of leadership is inherently hierarchical in nature. With this in mind, the ‘experiment’ that Mohammed undertook is particularly ‘unorthodox, but it is a tool to develop people’10. It should also be noted that perhaps the influence of the large number of non–Emiratis within this specific region of the Middle East supported what may otherwise (or in other regions of the Middle East) be seen as too radical a shift. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal A leadership experiment in the UAE Autumn 2012 Benefits Changes are sustainable The learning from this experimental process has benefited the individual ‘stepping up’, Mohammed, the team, and the organisation as a whole. The practical, ‘lived’ experiential nature of the intervention for the individuals involved, and the support from Mohammed as the leader, are also positive indicators of a sustainable change. Mohammed was very aware at the beginning of this intervention that it is common practice within Islamic cultures for direct reports to follow, without question, leadership decisions as long as (a) the intent is correct, and (b) the required actions are in line with Islamic principles. Whilst there was no doubt that both (a) and (b) were adhered to, Mohammed was also very keen to ensure that the individuals who took part did so voluntarily, and that the benefits gained were sustainable. The intervention was such a success after the first iteration (with the benefits tangible at many levels of the organisation) that he was inundated with volunteers for the second phase. Positive changes in attitude In the words of Mohammed: ‘Success was measured by the change in attitude of the staff involved and the level of revision needed from my side on their work after they completed the programme. The level of my intervention to their work was minimised and all participants were able to make better judgments on matters and subject, For the individual ‘stepping up’ Figure 2 outlines the benefits noted by both Mohammed and his direct reports who took part in this experiment. For those organisations considering adopting this process, whether in Europe, the UAE, China, India or beyond, this list demonstrates the wide-ranging and farreaching positive effects at an individual, team and organisational level. For the organisation as a whole For Mohammed For the wider team • Opportunity to learn • Developing his own leadership style • Building a confident organisation • Building trust and respect • Being creative • Building insight and awareness into others and their role • Enhanced decision making • Leading by example • Assuming more responsibility • Coaching and mentoring • Creating a more open culture • Challenging the status quo • Encouraging people to give and receive feedback • Encouraging a more creative organisation • Encouraging individual responsibility • Increased self-awareness • Giving and receiving feedback • Better understanding of individual and team strengths • Opportunity to observe and learn from different leadership styles • Opportunity to pass on learning • Greater understanding of Mohammed’s role • Talent management • Increased awareness of others • Valuing everyone’s contribution • Better working relationships • Understanding how to help and support each other • Building confidence • Learning to work out of silos • Learning to manage upwards and below • Building new relationships; • Managing difficult situations • Be spontaneous, flexible and responsible • Experience of dealing with different ‘leaders’. Figure 2. The benefits gained from the experiment therefore my corrections and comments were minimised on their day-to-day work. Additionally, the overall understanding of the department’s scope as well as specific section’s work was more familiar to all the participants. This added levels of confidence, trust and appreciation between the staff in addition to adding smoothness to the flow of work between them’11. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 • Long term planning. • Understanding the impact each leadership style has on the team • Developing relationships • Encouraging a common purpose • More openness to ideas and change. • Influencing the culture • Supporting a learning organisation. The Ashridge Journal A leadership experiment in the UAE Autumn 2012 Going forward Given the research to date on leadership characteristics and organisational culture in the Middle East (albeit with the caveat that little has focused on the UAE in particular) it is not surprising that this ‘leadership experiment’ was counter-cultural and initially met with some resistance within the organisation. It was a brave and creative step for Mohammed to take. It is also tempting to explain these barriers (initial lack of support from line managers, peers and the wider organisation) through a purely Middle Eastern cultural or religious lens. However, as noted above, it may be argued that this leadership experiment is countercultural in the majority of organisations across the world and that barriers would exist wherever this experiment took place, regardless of reported levels of hierarchy, assertiveness and collectivism. For those who wish to undertake this experiment in ‘stepping up’, there are a number of ‘lessons learnt’ from Mohammed which include: • Have self-belief • Involve your peer group in the experiment • Continue to seek feedback from all • Continue to raise awareness of the process across the organisation • Document your process and its benefits • Capture what you are doing • ‘Sell’ your ideas internally • Be true to own leadership style • Be true to your beliefs and values • Develop a framework for own goals and aspirations • Be patient. Conclusion Through coaching, mentoring, reflection and appreciation, Mohammed has created a community of practice where each member of the team has had the opportunity to lead and take the ultimate responsibility. Mohammed has challenged beliefs and current working practices to build a team of leaders that thrive and add real value within the organisation. In the words of Mohammed: ‘My role is to build the leaders’12 – and the Ashridge experience culminated in an original and dynamic piece of work to support this aspiration for Mohammed, his team and his organisation. References 1. Marmenout, K. (2009) Women-focused leadership development in the Middle East: Generating local knowledge, Insead Faculty and Research Working Paper. 2. Ali, A. (1995) Cultural discontinuity and Arab management thought, International Studies of Management and Organisation, 25, 7. 3. Robertson, C., Al-Khatib, J. and Al-Habib, M. (2002) The relationship between Arab values and work beliefs: An exploratory examination, Thunderbird International Business Review, 44, 583-601. 4. Kabasakal, H. and Bodur, M. (2002) Arabic cluster: A bridge between East and West, Journal of World Business, 37, 40-54. 5. Ali, A. (1989) Decision style and work satisfaction of Arab Gulf executives: A cross-national study, International Studies of Management and Organisations, 19, 22-37. 6. Hawkins, P. and Smith, N. (2006) Coaching, Mentoring and Organisational Consultancy: Supervision and Development, Open University Press, Berkshire, UK. 7-12. Gheyath, M. (2011/12) Personal communications. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 Can you afford not to take employee wellbeing seriously? In 2011, Ashridge and Nuffield Health began a major research programme to understand the emerging imperative for employer investment in employee wellbeing, and how corporates are engaging with this increasingly important aspect of organisational life. In the first section of this article Judith Parsons, Ashridge, and Marcus Powell, Nuffield Health, share headlines from research to date. In part two, Vicki Culpin, Ashridge, talks about some of the latest research developments at Ashridge. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Can you afford not to take employee wellbeing seriously? Autumn 2012 Judith Parsons iis a Business Director and organisation Marcus Powell joined Nuffield Health in 2008 as Group Vicki Culpin is the Ashridge Research Director. She specialises development consultant with Ashridge. Her interests are in Organisation Development and HR Director, and in 2009 in memory, sleep, and research methodology and statistics. Her helping individuals and organisations to work with complex assumed responsibility for Nuffield’s Corporate Wellbeing recent research and teaching interests include the relationship personal and organisational change. Division. Marcus has published several articles in the field of between sleep, well-being and resilience in management strategic talent management. populations. Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] What is behind the emerging imperative for employers to invest in employee wellbeing? Currently, it is difficult to open a newspaper or watch the TV news without seeing some reference to employee wellbeing, whether it is the effects of stress on employees, inactivity in the workplace or the growing problems with obesity among key workers such as the police force. Undoubtedly, the tough economic times we are living in are pushing our wellbeing as employees to the forefront, but the rising interest in the subject is due to many other factors. In a joint research programme between Ashridge and Nuffield Health we found a number of developments and trends that are creating the imperative for employers to take employee wellbeing seriously and that are also influencing the type of provision that employers are making. Those factors include: • An upward trend in litigation by employees for work-related stress, highlighted by some prominent cases where employees have successfully made major claims for stress-related illness and inadequate health and safety provision. • Demographic change and its impact on workforce viability; the most obvious example being the higher representation of older workers who bring huge value to the workforce, want to exercise their right to work into later years but are more likely to suffer acute or chronic illness and, therefore need to safeguard their health to remain economically active. • Changing employee expectations and growing assumptions that good employers will provide wellbeing programmes as a feature of reward and benefits packages. Until recently, employers were fighting a war for talent and needed to offer comprehensive benefits packages to be able to recruit. This has changed as the economic situation has become tougher and employers have downsized. However, we found that employers are continuing to invest in wellbeing even though the economic imperative may have diminished and are doing so out of a sense of responsibility to do ‘right’ www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Can you afford not to take employee wellbeing seriously? Autumn 2012 • • • by employees during tough and uncertain times. context and culture, and these dimensions might include: Increasing attention from the UK Government to the wellbeing agenda (witness the creation of the Health, Work and Wellbeing Executive). Among the detailed case studies Ashridge and Nuffield Health conducted, we noticed a growing trend for government encouraging employers to become partners in tackling the national obesity crisis. Employers are in daily contact with much of the adult population and are better placed to help people tackle the problems of ‘smokadiabesity’ than conventional healthcare providers such as GPs. • Physical wellbeing in the form of positive bodily health • Social wellbeing and a recognition of the value of connection with others and good relationships at work • Financial wellbeing from having enough monetary reward and security • A sense of alignment and connection with the purpose and values of the organisation • Spiritual wellbeing, which might be derived from people being able to achieve their highest potential or doing work which has deep meaning and purpose. Increasing international attention from organisations such as the EU and the World Health Organisation as the evidence base grows of the connection at country level between poor levels of employee health and wellbeing and lower levels of productivity and prosperity; a trend which used to be confined to the developing world but is spreading to the developed world as levels of chronic ill–health associated with smoking, obesity and poor fitness increase. Corporate and academic leadership Both business leaders and the academic community are becoming stronger advocates for investment in employee wellbeing and the proven benefits in terms of productivity and engagement. What do we mean by employee wellbeing? Whilst employee wellbeing is very much in the headlines on a day-to-day basis, there is no single or shared definition of what wellbeing means. We found that employers are interested in many different dimensions of wellbeing depending on their sector, www.ashridge.org.uk/360 What are employers actually doing? As part of the research programme we were keen to examine how employers viewed the wellbeing imperative and what they were doing to develop their own response. We looked at both the current research literature on employer wellbeing investment and carried out a number of indepth case studies with major corporates. Inevitably, we found significant diversity among employers in terms of how they see the wellbeing challenge and the policies and provision they are putting in place. Recent research carried out by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development estimated that only one third of employers in the UK have an employee wellbeing strategy in place, and the Black Report revealed that only 40% of employers currently have a policy to manage sickness. This is a real cause for concern given the relationship between un-managed illness and the impact on productivity and bottom line performance (see Figure 1). About Nuffield Health Nuffield Health is the UK’s largest healthcare charity, established for over 50 years, which operates a range of health and wellbeing facilities including 31 hospitals, 65 fitness and wellbeing centres, 200 corporate facilities and 20 medical clinics. Independent of the NHS, it employs around 15,000 health experts. It is an award-winning not– for–profit, having won Health Investor Social Enterprise of the Year in 2010 and Private Hospital Group of the Year in 2011. Nuffield Health, one of the leading providers and thought leaders in employee wellbeing, chose to work with Ashridge for their research experience in this field and their extensive experience of working with organisational and personal change. The Ashridge Journal Can you afford not to take employee wellbeing seriously? Autumn 2012 Two different approaches taken by employers who took part in our research Bank X This global bank, operating in the intensely competitive world of investment and retail banking, employs 10,000 staff in its European centre, many of whom work in the UK. The bank has a long track record of promoting employee wellbeing in the workplace and has traditionally offered wellbeing benefits in order to attract and retain employees who have high value in the employment market. Following the global financial crisis and widespread redundancies in financial services, the emphasis for this bank has shifted towards retention of existing employees, and thus proactively promoting their health and resilience policies during on-going turbulent times. • • • and smoking cessation counselling, and encouraging health behaviours such as walking and running, volunteering in work time, and supportive employment policies such as parental leave and sabbaticals The bank has recently re-developed its wellbeing strategy, which is now based upon partnership with its employees. The bank promotes employee responsibility for their own health and wellbeing, while raising awareness of wellbeing issues and providing support facilities ○ Support services such as emergency childcare and homecare, and childcare vouchers The entire wellbeing programme is ‘branded’ to help get the message across and is set up online so that employees can gain easy access to services and to manage their personal wellbeing account ○ Reactive services such as occupational health services, GP/nursing, group income assurance, private medical care, critical illness and accident cover and an employee assistance programme Benefits of the wellbeing strategy for employees include: ○ Proactive benefits such as health screening, dental and eye care, subsidised gym, fitness and relaxation classes, bicycle scheme, nutrition advice, stress management • The bank also reports on wellbeing at Board level within a balanced scorecard on business performance. • Wellbeing experiences such as shiatsu or head massage, provided free of charge or at a discount • The Council also proactively manages illness and offers stress counselling and occupational health services. Local government North Tyneside is a large local authority serving an area in the North East employing 10,000 people. The Council is managing a cuts programme equivalent to 30% of its budget by 2014 and is undertaking a radical programme to reduce or reconfigure its services. The Council sees the critical importance of maintaining staff engagement and resilience during the change but has to manage severe financial constraint. It has done this by finding creative opportunities to embed wellbeing throughout its employment policies and practices rather than providing additional services that would increase expenditure. Specific benefits open to staff include: • • Extensive flexible working options to allow staff to choose a pattern of working hours that best suits their lifestyle and responsibilities, including home working Salary sacrifice schemes to fund additional benefits such as childcare, bicycle scheme and car leasing • Healthy eating programmes aimed at both employees and the wider community • Physical health and fitness services. All staff and families can use any Council leisure and fitness facility at a discount, and can have free eye tests and discounted spectacles The distinctive features of the Council’s approach are that its wellbeing strategy is targeted at employees, family and the wider community as part of its responsibility to promote public health. In a time of severe financial constraint every penny counts, and the Council is constantly looking for ways to get maximum impact from its investment in wellbeing. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Can you afford not to take employee wellbeing seriously? Autumn 2012 The case for investing in wellbeing A survey conducted by the World Economic Forum and Right Management1 found that when health and wellbeing are actively promoted: 1 • The organisation is seen as 2.5 times more likely to be a best performer • Employees are 8 times more likely to be engaged • The organisation is seen as 3.5 times more likely to be creative and innovative • The organisation is seen as 4 times less likely to lose talent in the next year Rapid changes in employer practice Our research shows that employer practice is changing rapidly, especially among those who are leading the field. Significant trends that are emerging are: • A shift away from employers playing a paternalistic role in favour of a partnership approach in which employees are encouraged to take up responsibility for their own health and wellbeing, with the employer playing an enabling role. Typical of this trend is the growing number of employers who allow people time during working hours to go to the gym. • A change in the types of services being provided, with a move away from simply responding to illness in favour of services which promote health. • Increasing personalisation of services, rather than a blanket provision, that allows individuals to create their own wellbeing portfolio. Younger employees may favour additional holidays or childcare than some of the more conventional benefits such as life assurance. • A significant number of employers are focusing more broadly on promoting family wellbeing and not just that of the employee. ……………………………………… Sickness costs an average of £600 per employee per year2 2 ……………………………………… The Black Report3 reviewing 55 wellness programmes, found reduction of sickness in 45 (82%) plus reduced staff turnover in 18 (33%) 3 Figure 1. The case for investing in wellbeing • www.ashridge.org.uk/360 More employers are taking a more holistic view of wellbeing and are trying to develop an organisational culture which is conducive to employee health and wellbeing in the broadest sense. Organisations which are moving in this direction pay attention to the entire work context and its impact on wellbeing, including the style and behaviours of leaders, developing the skills of managers to promote wellbeing and to be able to handle employee illness sensitively. What are the benefits for employers? Many employers continue to regard investment in employee wellbeing programmes as a cost they can ill-afford, particularly in tough economic times, or are sceptical about whether these programmes can deliver real bottom line impact rather than just a ‘feel good’ factor. However in our research, we found a substantial and growing body of evidence indicating that employers who do invest in employee wellbeing experience substantial benefits such as improved health behaviours and outcomes, decreased accidents and absence, cost savings from reduced absenteeism, increase in employee contribution and productivity, increase in employee engagement and satisfaction, reduced staff turnover and a reduction in the negative effects of presenteeism. As Marcus Powell of Nuffield Health points out: “Employers are still not recognising that sick leave and ‘presenteeism’ (where employees come to work when they are ill) are costing them huge sums on an annual basis and that with even limited investment in wellbeing programmes they could achieve significant reductions in those costs and the benefits of a more engaged and productive workforce. It simply doesn’t make business sense not to be taking wellbeing seriously.” Getting started As we described above, the majority of employers have yet to develop a formal strategy for wellbeing. Many are unsure where to begin and where to get guidance. Ashridge and Nuffield Health have developed a guiding framework (see Figure 2) for planning and action which is designed to help employers to work through the most important considerations for developing an effective and financially feasible wellbeing strategy. It is especially useful for people such as HR and Rewards and Benefits practitioners who need to be able to make a strong case for investment. The Ashridge Journal Can you afford not to take employee wellbeing seriously? Autumn 2012 Step 1 Strategic imperative Determine the strategic imperative for investment in employee wellbeing for your business Step 2 Strategic assessment Assess the current state of employee wellbeing, both inside and outside your business Step 3 Strategic leadership Identify and build strategic leadership support for the strategy Step 4 Strategic priorities Establish the priorities and develop the overall wellbeing strategy Step 5 Strategic design Design the optimal wellbeing programme and interventions, given the resources available Step 6 Strategic management Communicate and manage the suite of offerings Step 7 Strategic monitoring and evaluation Monitor the results and learn what works best for your organisation. Figure 2. A strategic framework for employee wellbeing Psychological and physiological resilience Compassion at work Wellbeing at work Sleep Willpower and Ego Depletion Ongoing research at Ashridge Given the startling facts around the impact of poor physiological and psychological wellbeing on individuals and businesses as a whole outlined above by the Nuffield and Ashridge research, and the potential personal and business benefits of a pro-active approach to wellbeing within organisations, the topic of wellbeing at work is seen as a fundamentally important area for research and teaching at Ashridge. We have taken a multi–strand approach to wellbeing at work, and have a number of research communities examining both the psychology and physiology of wellbeing from an individual, team or organisational perspective. (See Figure 3). Sleep Seventeen hours of sustained wakefulness (for example a long day at work) has been shown to result in changes in behaviour equivalent to drinking two glasses of wine — and if wakefulness becomes 24 hours (for example a long flight) then the individual is performing with the equivalent of having drunk four glasses of wine4. In addition, leadership skills and competencies, known as ‘executive functions’ are highly susceptible to even relatively minor sleep loss5. They include: • Comprehending and coping with a rapidly changing environment • Multi-tasking • Producing innovative solutions to problems • Assessing risk and anticipating the range of consequences of an action • Controlling uninhibited behaviour • Communication skills • Updating the big picture • Decision–making involving complex and creative ideas. Figure 3. Current Ashridge research topics on wellbeing at work www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Can you afford not to take employee wellbeing seriously? Autumn 2012 Our research has focused on the impact of poor sleep hygiene (both quality and quantity of sleep) and jet lag on the social, emotional, cognitive and physical health and wellbeing of senior managers and leaders. For example, a recent study found that in a sample of 350 managers, they spend, on average, fewer than seven hours asleep at night (less than the UK and international average) and this amount decreases as job seniority increases. The self-reported effects of poor sleep included headaches and migraines, poor emotional control (quicker to anger and become tearful), lack of empathy, poor quality decision-making, lack of concentration and reduced attention span. Psychological and physiological resilience Resilience has been defined in a variety of ways across a number of settings, including the ability to bounce back or recover from stress, to adapt to stressful circumstances, to not become ill despite significant adversity and to function above the norm in spite of stress or adversity6,7. For Ashridge, resilience is defined as the capacity for an individual “to thrive or to just keep going in the face of pressure, influenced by attitudinal, experiential and physiological differences”8. We currently work with a number of clients on the topic of resilience from an individual, team and/or organisational perspective. Recent research initiatives include the Clipper project, where we are seeking to understand the role of psychological resilience (along with EQ, personality and sleep hygiene) in dealing with significant physiological and psychological challenges during a yearlong round-the-world yacht race. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Resilience Questionnaire The desire to help individuals’ better understand the personal side of resilience and to introduce them to a range of coping skills led us to develop the Ashridge Resilience Questionnaire (ARQ). The ARQ is a measure of resilience based on six resilient attitudes: 1. Emotional control: Controlling emotions and taking personal responsibility for thoughts, feelings and behaviours when responding to stress and pressure 2. Self-belief: Belief and confidence in the self and personal capabilities 3. Purpose: Setting and organising goals and identifying a broader meaning from these 4. Adapting to change: Adapting readily to change and responding to uncertainty in a positive and developmental manner 5. Awareness of others: Demonstrating self-awareness and an understanding of other people’s situations and perspectives 6. Balancing alternatives: Generating and managing alternative options, opinions and choices. The questionnaire assesses individual’s resilience within each of these attitudinal areas and the feedback is then used to raise awareness of strengths and development areas, so that individuals can develop effective personal coping strategies. Research projects at Ashridge that have used this questionnaire include a study examining the relationship between quality and quantity of sleep, personality and psychological resilience, and a study exploring the resilience of employees in a large UK charity. Compassion at work There are many sources of individual pain in organisations, such as bereavement, critical illness, family-breakdown, dealing with hostile co-workers, abusive bosses, demanding clients, or redundancy. By acknowledging that the ‘whole’ person goes to work, any suffering inevitably spills over into work life and may have knock-on effects in terms of an individual’s emotions and behaviours and subsequently their commitment and performance at work. However, there is a striking lack of knowledge in organisations about how to address individual suffering at work. This research strand aims to understand how the development of compassion (i.e. connecting and caring for others) within the workplace can improve the psychological well-being of individuals within the organisation. Compassion is a critical yet under-developed topic in organisations, since those people who practise compassion at work foster higher levels of well-being, commitment and connectedness. (See Rynes et al: 2012)9. Willpower and Ego Depletion Being skilled at managing oneself effectively, behaving appropriately, making good decisions and working well with others — particularly when under the pressure of difficult, stressful or ambiguous environments — is extremely important at every level within an organisation, and thought by many to be an essential leadership competence. Indeed some research goes as far as to suggest that mismanagement of emotions, self-perception, self-presentation and interpersonal relationships can act as potential ‘derailers’ of otherwise successful executives10,11. Thankfully, human beings have the capacity to override our automatic responses affording us the capacity to choose the way we respond in any given situation by using our willpower to think, do or say something different from our internal The Ashridge Journal Can you afford not to take employee wellbeing seriously? Autumn 2012 response (think resisting the desire to say what you really think to a senior stakeholder, or going to the gym even though you can’t really be bothered!). Indeed successful use of willpower (or self-regulation) has been shown to contribute to success in life and the workplace by way of superior wellbeing (including reduced susceptibility to drugs and alcohol, or overeating in response to stressful situations), more creative problemsolving, more effective coping strategies and increased motivation, productivity and bottom-line performance 12,13. However, there is a down-side to using our willpower. A growing body of research has established that an individual’s capacity for willpower is limited and that failure to manage ourselves effectively or resist temptation stems from the fact that all these volitional processes draw on a single limited resource of self-regulatory energy in the brain. The result is rather like power steadily draining from a battery over the course of a day and, when depleted, has serious implications for an individual’s success, not just in subsequent acts of willpower but on performance generally – a state referred to as Ego Depletion14,15. The good news is that it is possible to attenuate the negative effects of Ego Depletion and furthermore to increase willpower via a number of routes. Ashridge is undertaking research examining the implications of Ego Depletion and helping to develop strategies to further understand and maximise individual and organisational performance. Further information The full Ashridge and Nuffield Health research project is available in two reports which can be accessed on the Ashridge and Nuffield Health websites: Corporate Investment in Employee Wellbeing: The emerging strategic imperative Developing a Strategy for Employee Wellbeing: A framework for planning and action. www.ashridge.co.uk/wellbeing www.nuffieldhealth.com For further information about the Employee Wellbeing research project, contact: [email protected] For further information about Corporate Wellbeing services contact [email protected] Research contacts For further information about Ashridge research and teaching on: Sleep: contact Vicki Culpin ([email protected]) Resilience: contact Alex Davda ([email protected]) Compassion at work: contact Amy Armstrong ([email protected]) Ego Depletion: contact Angela Whelan ([email protected]) References 1. The Wellness Imperative: Creating More Effective Organisations. The World Economic Forum in partnership with Right Management, 2010. 2. CIPD: Absence Management Survey 2010. 3. Working for a Healthier Tomorrow: Dame Carol Black’s review of the health of Britain’s working age population, March 2008. 4. Maruff, P., Falleti, M., Collie, A., Darby, D. and McStephen, M. (2005) Fatigue-related impairment in the speed, accuracy and variability of psychomotor performance: Comparison with blood alcohol levels, Journal of Sleep Research, 14, 21-27. 5. Harrison, Y. and Horne, J. (2000) The impact of sleep loss on decision making – a review. Journal of Experimental Psychology – Applied, 6, 236-249 6. Carver, C.S. (1998). Resilience and thriving: Issues, models and linkages. Journal of Social Issues, 54(2), 245-266 7. Tusaie, K., & Dyer, J., (2004). Resilience: A historical review of the construct, Holistic Nursing Practice, 18(1), 3-8 8. Davda, A. (2011) Measuring resilience: A pilot study, Assessment and Development Matters, Autumn, 11-14 9. Rynes, S.L., Bartunek, J.M., Dutton, J.E., Margolis, J.D., (2012) Care and Compassion Through an Organizational Lens: Opening Up New Possibilities, Academy of Management Review, 37(4), 503-523.. 10. Lombardo, M.M., & McCauley, C.D. (1988). The Dynamics of Management Derailment, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC, Technical Report No.34. 11. Muraven, M, Tice, D.M. & Baumeister, R.F. (1998) Self-control as limited resource: Regulatory depletion patterns. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(3), 774-789. 12. Gailliot, M.T. & Baumeister, R.F. (2007). The physiology of willpower: Linking blood glucose to self-control. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 11, 303-327. 13. Tangney, J.P., Baumeister R.F. & Boone, A.L. (2004). High self-control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. Journal of Personality, 72, 271-324. 14. Muraven et al. Op. cit. 15. Baumeister, R. F. (2002). Ego Depletion and Self-Control Failure: An Energy Model of the Self’s Executive Function. Self & Identity, 1:129-136, Psychology Press. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 A relational approach to organisation development In a stressful business environment, with downward pressure on costs and staffing levels, and increased expectations of crossdepartmental, cross-functional collaboration, leaders and managers are prone to revert to ‘command and control’ approaches to managing difficult transitions, despite the fact that they seldom work. Dr. Kathleen King speaks to a leader who chose to take a relational way, grounded in a complexity-informed perspective of organisations as social processes. The Ashridge Journal A relational approach to organisation development Autumn 2012 Kathleen King is Director of the Ashridge Masters and Doctorate in Organisational Change. She is interested in enabling deep individual and organisational learning in the service of change and innovation. Kathleen has worked with organisations across markets and cultures, in the private, public and not–for–profit sectors. Email: [email protected] Introduction What is Action Research? The context is a large, hierarchical and traditional organisation in the service industry. This article explores the unorthodox and somewhat countercultural approach that Salena Pearl, the Head of HR of one of the divisions, took to organisational development in order to achieve the desperately needed, but elusive, culture change in response to dramatic reductions in staffing levels and the pressure to overcome the functional silos in the company. This article is the result of a Learning History-based research with Salena. The Learning History is part of an ongoing wider Action Research project in the organisation. Note: the details of the organisation and individuals have been changed to preserve the anonymity of the organisation. Action Research is more than a methodology. It is an orientation toward research and practice in which engagement, curiosity and questioning are brought to bear on significant issues in the service of a making a positive difference in organisations. It strives to create a close link between knowledge and practice and offers ways for people in organisations to inquire into their own practice, learn from experience and make sense of their actions. Learning History A Learning History has been described as a ‘jointly told tale’1 between outsider researchers and insider protagonists. It starts with a tangible happening or outcome. It is a process that seeks to bring together analysis and story in a way that has value for those involved in the work, as well as those seeking to learn from it. A Learning History is gathered through in-depth conversations, with the objective to get into the individual human story of what happened, to get into the ‘thinking, experimentation and arguments of those who have encountered the situation’2. The author engaged in such a reflective conversation with Salena, as the work in her organisation was in progress, in order to develop a better understanding of how she managed to achieve significant changes through an approach that would, by most of her colleagues, have been described as counter-cultural. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal A relational approach to organisation development Autumn 2012 Context When Ashridge was engaged by Salena to support her change effort and to develop the capability of change agents in the organisation, it was agreed that the project would be grounded in Action Research. Whilst the project was already characterised by cycles of action, reflection and experimenting, we agreed that the change team would also need to pay attention to what they were learning, what meaning they were making of their individual and collective experience, and to find ways to capture that learning and share it with a wider audience. In the early stages of the work I was specifically interested in finding out more about how Salena had managed to secure buy-in from her colleagues for a novel approach to culture change. In my experience, both as a consultant and as a leader, high levels of stress and anxiety tend to lead to ‘trying harder’3, attempting tried and tested solutions, even if those approaches have proven less than successful in the past. This trying harder tends to take the shape of a centralised, top-down approach, often supported by reputable consulting firms. A vision for the future is articulated by senior management, change plans are drawn up, outlining values and the related behaviours expected from all involved. Problems are identified, solutions are specified, expected progress is mapped on Gantt charts, and progress reviews are instigated — resistance to change is expected and ‘to be dealt with’. Salena, a highly experienced HR practitioner, had seen organisational change run into the ground all too often and was determined not to let it happen to this organisation she had recently joined and was passionately committed to. What follows are edited extracts of our learning history conversation, in which I sought to explore with Salena how she had managed to get buy-in for her radically different approach. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 Change, but not as we know it KK: Salena, could you give me some background information about your organisation, and about this change endeavour that you have been engaged in? SP: When I was hired in my current role, about two years ago, it was made clear to me that the organisation was facing turbulent times. A staff reduction of 15% across all divisions was to be implemented within a year, with the obvious purpose of cutting costs drastically, and with the ultimate aim to force the various divisions to collaborate more closely and get out of a deeply ingrained silo mentality. As the HR business partner of one of the twenty divisions, I was expected to implement the staff reduction within my division and to support the organisation-wide change effort. So I was aware that there was going to be a large Organisational Development (OD) remit to my role. Upon joining, I was invited to an OD group, composed of HR folk from across the divisions, chaired by a divisional head. The group met every few months, with the sole purpose of sharing information. This was not a mutual support group. I sensed that the Chair of the group would have liked to see more active collaboration, but people were quite settled in their routine and it wasn’t until about half of the members left for various reasons, that a space was created for a different way of working, and that a number of us started to meet in an Action Learning set, where we were able to share our experiences in an authentic way and begin to support one another more effectively. It is only now that I realise that the changing composition of that group was possibly one of the contributing factors to making change possible. At the time I just had a sense of stuckness. KK: I recognise the pattern. I have learned from experience how hard it can be to initiate change in a group that has The Ashridge Journal A relational approach to organisation development Autumn 2012 settled in a particular pattern. People seem to become attached to their role and the function of the group as they have constructed it for themselves. The ‘unfreeze, move, refreeze’ notion — a common but unjustly oversimplified model ascribed to Kurt Lewin — does not do justice to the myriad of subtle shifts that comprise change in social systems. SP: In any case, in those early days, the group didn’t feel like ‘my space’. The ritualised, slide pack approach, is not the kind of environment in which I function well. It seems to encourage ‘good weather reports’, even if, underneath it all, we all know that the floods are coming down all around us. We seemed to be moving towards a centralised, top-down, rather mechanistic attempt at changing the culture, potentially involving significant engagement of external experts, which concerned me. The protagonist of this approach, I’ll call him Jack, had more power in this group, because his boss was more senior than mine. So, although I was invited by virtue of my formal role, this was clearly not my show. KK: So it was not your space, and yet, you hung in there, despite the ‘slide pack’ approach? SP: I was keenly aware of the potential of this group, but I am also cautious and overly deferential. On the two occasions that I took an initiative — contacting Divisional Heads directly, with a very low key update of where we were headed, and initiating a separate meeting — I experienced a rather harsh push back. I felt put in my place and it made me even more tentative. KK: I would like to explore that ‘overly deferential’ statement. Might another way of putting that be that you are wise to organisational politics and power play? Stacey4 emphasises the importance of working in both the formal and informal system. Working in the formal system requires caution, if you don’t want to be spat out. But working in the informal system requires much patience and the willingness to take very small steps, and often doesn’t get recognised as ‘real work’. SP: One of the people working for me at the time was beside himself with frustration at my approach, which he considered lacking in leadership. He would have liked me to grasp the nettle and tackle things head on. I wasn’t prepared to do that, it would have ostracised me, and it was emotionally draining. But I did hang in there, slide pack and all. KK: I get the impression that you are a ‘tempered radical’ in your organisation. Mayerson & Scully5 coined that term for individuals who are deeply committed to their organisation, whilst at the same time at odds with its dominant culture in some way. Their radicalism stimulates them to challenge the status quo, but their temperedness reflects the way they have been toughened by challenges and inclined to be moderate in their interactions with colleagues who are closer to the mainstream culture. Could you say more about how specifically you managed to change the approach to OD in your organisation? SP: Well, Jack had both the informal and the formal power in the OD group, by virtue of whom he was reporting to. I sensed that he was seeking to make his mark with an organisation–wide design for an OD intervention. We clearly had incompatible views of how we would achieve the desired change, and having that discussion out in the open, in that meeting, wasn’t going to work. So I set about engaging him in conversations over endless cups of coffee in the local café. Nothing spectacular. KK: I notice that you play down the significance of that ‘sharing coffee’ gesture. I assume you weren’t just passing the time. What were you seeking to achieve? SP: I wanted to understand his thinking, and I wanted to create an opportunity to share my thoughts in a neutral environment, and in a non–threatening way. He was a consummate professional, and I appreciated that, even if we had almost diametrically opposed views about how change comes about in organisations. KK: in my experience, working in the formal system tends to focus on building relationships with like-minded people, with the implicit or explicit intention to build a coalition that’s strong enough to win the anticipated battle with the opposition. What you are describing seems to me to be the essence of a relational approach6. Not withdrawing, but not taking people on, instead exploring any possible common ground you may have, building a strong enough relationship from which differences can be worked with. It can be a thankless task! SP: Indeed. It is work below the radar, it doesn’t show up on my performance review, and it doesn’t seem to pay off for the longest of times. It doesn’t count as real work. But it needed doing, because we were hurtling headlong into oblivion, as far as I could see. And in the end it paid off, and Jack desisted. Eventually he moved on to another role. KK: Joyce Fletcher7 argues that this relational work in the informal space tends to get disappeared in organisations. It gets discounted as lacking assertiveness and authority. It isn’t considered strategic work. The strategy of building relationships over coffee...? She asserts that there is a gendered nature in this division of labour and that it is mainly women who take on the relational work, whilst men tend to feel more at home in the performative aspect of the formal space. Jack’s desire to make his mark by drawing up an OD master plan seems to be congruent with this distinction. Fletcher encourages us to assert the significance of that relational www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal A relational approach to organisation development Autumn 2012 work and the contribution it makes to the organisational task. SP: I am aware that the way this story is unfolding seems to suggest that ‘we put the Big OD Intervention proponents in their place’, but in reality it wasn’t like that. They were there, the whole time. Throughout that period I felt undermined and inadequate, in this environment of live volcanoes. I tried to work in service of our clients and more than any other work I do, working with that ‘ego’ issue is something that I have to pay attention to because it is the one thing that can derail what I am trying to create. It is different from working in the day-to-day formal hierarchy where big egos come with the territory. KK: I think there is a risk that we collude with the organisational discourse of what counts as real work. You use the word ‘inadequate’ and yet, in your subtle way you achieved an amazing result. What else did it take to achieve that? SP: I had started a wide range of conversations with peers, or their direct reports, from other divisions, just informally — more coffee — about their situation, their concerns, what they were trying to achieve. And then one day, one of my peers came up to me and asked: “Can you help me think through this change?” It was clearly going to take more than a brief conversation, so I volunteered one of my staff, Peter, to go and work with her. It was energising and motivating for him, and he did excellent work. We agreed that he would work from an appreciative stance, inspired by Appreciative Inquiry8 — what was working well, and building on that, rather than to focus on problems. It’s much easier for people to seek help if they know that they won’t be construed as inadequate and it helps them to strengthen their confidence. KK: So whilst the party line was still about putting a centralised OD infrastructure in place, you strategically ignored the normal www.ashridge.org.uk/360 divisional boundaries. You had informal conversations, and the next thing you do is lend one of your people to support the OD effort in another division? You had a particular way of thinking about how to make change happen. SP: Well yes, you could put it that way, although the very thought of breaking the rules makes me feel nervous! The brief for the OD work had been to break down divisional boundaries. Rather than to take a big, orchestrated approach to this, with plans and organisation–wide presentations, I thought we could just start the work, in a small way — just getting on with it. The news got around, and more requests came in, and I tried to respond as best as I could. I asked for support from another division too, keeping things in balance. Eventually the work got noticed, and I was tasked with developing people to do more of this work across the organisation. Our OD approach to change was on its way. KK: I want to come back to something I mentioned earlier about the importance of your caution in the formal space. In a tightly regulated environment, such as the one you are working in, one has to ask one’s boss for permission before doing something that’s off the beaten track. You seem to have made a smart distinction about when you need to go through the formal channels and when you don’t. And since you are such a good corporate citizen, you are trusted. I don’t think you quite realise what a sophisticated skill this is, as it comes natural to you. You break the rules, but you do it respectfully. And then you brought someone in to work in your division too, so that you’re not seen as the queen of OD who is beyond needing help. I am reminded of Shaw’s advocacy that change in organisations comes about by changing the nature of the conversations that happen9. You appear to me to have been very savvy about working in the formal and the informal space, attending carefully to the formal whilst spotting opportunities in the informal arena. The latter is not obvious. You made a real strategic gesture by loaning Peter to another division. It didn’t show up on your appraisal form, but you did it anyway, because you knew it was a move in the right direction. So much relational work went on to prepare the ground. It’s not easy to hold on to that as real work, because it comes natural to you, and because it happens below the radar and doesn’t give you recognition. The Ashridge Journal A relational approach to organisation development Autumn 2012 Conclusions In times of high anxiety, it is particularly tempting to pursue an illusion of control through extensive planning, through taking an analytical approach to solving complex and messy problems, and to rely heavily on external experts who offer blueprint solutions, despite much evidence that this approach rarely delivers the desired outcome. Starting with small experiments, working with what is actually going on, supporting people in making changes, one step at a time – an approach to organisational change more congruent with a complexity perspective – however effective, often runs counter to existing cultures that favour more high profile and controlled interventions. That can be challenging work. It requires building strong enough relationships to have a basis from which to challenge the proponents of a more mechanistic approach. It also means gaining enough trust from peers for them to be willing to join you in your counter-cultural approach. This ‘extra-curricular’ activity comes on top of an already full agenda and is not without personal risk in the highly political context of organisations under pressure. References Congruent with relational practice, taking care to find a space conducive for reflection, away from the bustle of the office environment, is important. Indeed, it can be a marker of the different kind of conversation one is aspiring to. Perhaps it ought not to surprise us that, in times of anxiety and stress, attending to the quality of our relationships, and making them a subject of our focus and energy, is crucial. Maybe we will learn to value this relational work as the difference that makes the difference, to paraphrase Gregory Bateson. 1. Van Manen, M. (1990) Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy, SUNY Press, New York. 2. Roth, G., & Kleiner, A. (2000) Car Launch: The Human Side of Managing Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 3. Watzlawick, P., Weakland, J.H. & Fisch, R. (1974) Change: principles of problem formation and problem resolution, W W Norton, New York. 4. Stacey, R.D. (2011) Part 3: Complex responsive processes as a way of thinking about strategy and organisational dynamics” in Strategic management and organisational dynamics, 6th edn, 296-495, FT Prentice Hall, Harlow. 5. Meyerson, D. & Scully, M. (1994) Tempered Radicalism and the Politics of Ambivalence and Change, Organisation Science, 6, no. 5, 585-600. 6. Fletcher, J. (1999) Disappearing Acts. Gender, Power and Relational Practice at Work, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. 7. Fletcher, J. (1999) Idem 8. Whitney, D. & Trosten-Bloom, A. (2010) The power of appreciative inquiry: A practical guide to positive change, 2nd edn, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco, CA. 9. Shaw, P. (2002) Changing conversations in organisations, Routledge, UK. This kind of relational engagement does not traditionally count as ‘real work’ in many organisations. Terms such as ‘fluffy’, ‘needing to be liked’, ‘soft’, are ways to diminish its significance. To avoid colluding with an organisational discourse that tends to disappear, this relational work is a challenge, not in the least for the people who are engaged in it. Learning Histories, or other reflective disciplines, can support participants in naming and validating their relational work and can help them to mark the contribution they have made to their organisation, even if it does not show up on the ‘balanced score card’. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Leadership Summer 2010 Developing a digital learning strategy Today’s digital workplace blends different technologies, working practices and generations, but how can organisations ensure an effective return on investment? Tony Sheehan highlights the value of considering nine challenges in the digital environment, and introduces a framework for aligning organisational needs with digital learning strategy. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Developing a digital learning strategy Autumn 2012 Tony Sheehan is Director of Learning Services at Ashridge, where he is responsible for the teams that create digital and physical knowledge solutions. These include Virtual Ashridge (an online learning resource), the Ashridge Library, and Ashridge Psychometrics. He also actively explores and advises on knowledge strategy and on the emerging impact of new technologies on workplace learning. Email: [email protected] Introduction Although Arie de Geus’s quote1 is now over 20 years old, it still remains true that in business: The ability to learn faster than your competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage Rapid innovations in technology have caused digital learning to emerge as an option that is no longer restricted to merely blending with face–to–face interventions. Today’s organisations increasingly think, communicate and work digitally, and learning has had to evolve to keep pace. These organisations exist in a cauldron of information, of global competition, and of financial constraint. Individuals are always connected, always collaborating, always on, thanks to a wealth of new devices — yet are pressured to make effective business decisions faster and faster amidst a sea of distracting content. This creates a considerable challenge for executive education; a need to devise strategies that help people to learn in a digital age even though there is little time or inclination to do so in practice. So how can organisations develop digital learning strategies around mobile devices, online content, social networks, virtual community discussions and real time collaboration solutions? How can busy executives find time to learn digitally in a world where there is barely time to think? Is there a way in which new technologies can help learning rather than simply generate still more search results? To answer these questions, Ashridge has explored the changing nature of three distinct areas: • • • The needs of digital learners Digital learning objectives Digital channels and devices. Each of these are considered in turn before exploring a framework for development of digital learning strategies that align with the needs of today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. The needs of digital learners An average person consumes 10,845 words or 34 gigabytes on a typical day, not even allowing for information at work2 There is little doubt that digital learners have become extremely effective information processors, but current working and learning practices are somewhat less effective. Individuals in the workplace are now more often expected to drive their www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Developing a digital learning strategy own career development, but in the face of information overload, and of complexity in the business environment, distraction is rife: the need to align digital learning strategies to business strategies and learner needs is paramount. An effective digital learning solution needs to understand the learning objectives of a particular intervention, the preferences of digital learners and how they aggregate into a dominant digital learning ‘culture’ of individuals within an organisation. The digital learner within a given organisation will vary in terms of three distinct needs as shown in Figure 1: • Technology — the extent to which new technologies, social media sites, online collaborative courses, ebooks etc are embraced or shunned • Timing of learning — the idealised approach to learning on the job, justin-time, or in the classroom, just in case • Location of learning — the place of ‘persistent presence’ where learners tend to spend their time and think. By exploring these needs, an understanding of the most dominant digital preference of learners within an organisation can emerge, as well as ideas on suitable learning designs that may fit with the time, technology or location preference. For example, a timestarved senior leader who prefers to learn ‘on demand’ will tend towards virtual and mobile learning solutions, whereas a new Autumn 2012 recruit getting up to speed in their field or studying for a qualification will tend to be more receptive towards more structured programmes and e-learning modules requiring formal attendance and assessment. Even when digital learning interventions have been created, the behaviours that people exhibit when engaging with digital content is highly variable, with a new wave of digital learning styles starting to emerge: • Surfers and divers — characterised either by a desire to retain broad overviews of connected concepts or a preference towards detailed understanding of narrower subject areas • Contributors and consumers — characterised by those who actively engage in digital learning activities or those who more passively observe with limited active participation • • Steady learners or socialites — characterised by those (particularly those starting to build competence in their field) who tend to need more knowledge delivery and ‘scaffolding’: as opposed to those who are more willing to learn on demand through social and business networks Activists and objectors — characterised by those who are eager to engage and explore new learning technologies: as opposed to those who are less keen and more cautious. Shun Technology Embrace Just in case Timing Just in time Face to face Location Figure 1. Understanding the needs of digital learners www.ashridge.org.uk/360 Online, mobile Organisations inevitably contain a blend of these learner preferences which makes creation of a ‘one size fits all’ solution difficult. As such, although learning solutions should be designed to reflect the most dominant technology culture to stimulate and support business priorities, there is also a need to provide some elements of fluidity and choice to support other learner preferences. It is easy to become almost paralysed by the varieties of course design and technologies that could be used to support learning. Schofield, West and Taylor3 highlight the challenges of adopting a suitable strategy for mobile learning in such circumstances but also stress the value of starting and sustaining a freedom to fail approach. They also highlight the increasingly impatient attitude towards digital learning from all of the above groups, highlighting the need for content that is Just enough, just in time, just for me4 Crafting the right approach to digital learning Having established the dominant types of digital learner need within an organisation, the focus moves towards selection of methods to deliver the desired experience. Whilst there is no shortage of choice of tools, techniques and innovation in the digital learning space, there is still all too often limited user satisfaction. The wealth of resources available results in what Schwartz5 calls ‘the paradox of choice’, whereby digital learning designers are almost paralysed by the choice available, anxious that they may not have made the right decision and frustrated at the gap between their expectations of good digital learning and the realities of their actual experience. The e-learning market space demonstrates this paradox in practice; it continues to thrive, with the US market alone worth $22bn in 2011 and projected to grow to $27bn by 20166. At the same time, The Ashridge Journal Developing a digital learning strategy however, Armstrong and Russell7 suggest that structured e–learning courses remain one of the least effective management development practices for middle managers. To cut through this challenge and develop clear objectives for an appropriate digital learning design, three key factors again need to be considered, as shown in Figure 2: • Content strategy — in particular, the decision whether to actively curate and signpost to content, or to trust and encourage learners to make full use of available resources • Delivery focus — the choice between knowledge delivery by experts as opposed to more active facilitation of group based discussion and problem solving • Programme scale — the decision on whether to create more targeted learning opportunities or to encourage large volumes of users to learn in parallel. The content available to support digital learners is currently influenced by the interplay of the declining physical book market, growth in access to free digital content and the proliferation of open educational resources and online collaborative courses. The explosion in free online content (through blogs, tweets, whitepapers etc) creates immense choice and opportunity for knowledge creation, but can also add to the frustration of many Curate Content Trust Expert Focus Social Niche Scale Volume Figure 2. Establishing digital learning objectives Autumn 2012 digital learners. Mere access to content does not necessarily equate to improved quality of new insights and knowledge as TS Eliot8 observed: Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? Individuals are now accessing content on demand (for example via mobile) and frequently developing increased confidence in decisions made using this approach. This, in turn, creates a need to consider the implications of new learning behaviours that might start to evolve as a result of our digital environment. Sparrow et al9 have analysed this trend and suggest: When people expect to have future access to information, they have lower rates of recall of the information itself, and enhanced recall instead for where to access it Those seeking to develop digital learning strategies in the face of assumed continual access to learning materials must therefore consider whether it is sufficient to allow learners to find their path in a sea of content or to what extent distilled signposts to relevant (or perceived quality) content may be more appropriate. There is also a need to build on the social nature of much of today’s knowledge base. Internet content can be enhanced through organisational adoption of Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 principles such as collaboration and co–creation of content. Although tools such as blogs, wikis and discussion fora have been available for many years, the improved recent adoption of these tools within organisations as well as improved access to debate via mobile devices now allows the wisdom of the crowd10 to be far more achievable in practice. The advent of more social learning models embracing these principles and empowered through technology has significant implications for digital learning design, as the knowledge www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Developing a digital learning strategy of learners within and accessible to a community of practice can now frequently be as current, perceptive and powerful as the expert view. The impact of social learning is, however, influenced by the extent to which such practices can be cultivated in a given learning context. Communities require engaged users who are relatively easy to create when: • Networks are social (for example Facebook to keep up–to–date with friends) • When there is business benefit (for example LinkedIn networks opening up job opportunities) • When usage is at scale with a purpose (for example Wikipedia’s ability to maintain quality due to a belief in the value of sharing knowledge). Digital learning designers need to cultivate similar social drivers of individual engagement, enthusiasm and energy within courses and learning interventions. However, the organisational learning context often fails to provide sufficient scale or stimuli to create commitment and belief in the community. What are the consequences of not participating in a collaborative activity in an organisational learning community? What are the benefits? Is there enough dialogue, diversity of opinion and debate to sustain the community? Social learning models have challenged those delivering executive education to evolve rapidly from expert teacher towards a blend of facilitator, signposter, problem solver and critical reviewer. The need to stimulate and sustain learning communities is now a given, one which can stimulate considerable engagement, participation and knowledge creation if successful. That said, it requires some rethinking of existing models and www.ashridge.org.uk/360 Autumn 2012 behaviours. For some, this has stimulated the development of the new modes of learning delivery that are now emerging at a pace to fit with new models for content and social learning. At Ashridge, the MBA programme has started to ‘flip the classroom’ with more theoretical principles, models and knowledge delivery delivered online in advance via the Virtual Ashridge platform, in preparation for more detailed exploration of context and application to real business problems when in online communities and real-time sessions. In the broader context, digital learning opportunities are now increasingly presented at scale, increasingly embracing better digital practice and increasingly free at the point of consumption by many global institutions. The development of open educational resources, such as iTunesU and MIT’s Open Courseware, meant at first the offer of free content at scale. This has more recently been supplemented by structured MOOCs (massive open online courses). These courses have delivered learning on demand to vast numbers, stimulating new modes of teaching and learning on a global scale through the likes of Khan Academy, EDx and Coursera (two consortia of US universities). At Stanford, an artificial intelligence course taught onsite to 200 students in 2010 became an online event attracting over 160,000 participants from 190 countries in 201111. Building on this success, the numbers registered on MOOCs run by Udacity and Coursera have now approached and exceeded 750,000 and 1 million learners respectively12. The benefits of teaching at this scale include dramatically improved access to learning and immense scope for peer–to– peer interactions to build knowledge. There are also, however, inevitable compromises, particularly when moving from knowledge delivery towards activities that may require more complex levels of dialogue and debate (for example strategy, leadership, change). As a result, digital learning has The Ashridge Journal also benefited from interventions that blend global reach with online web conferencing tools such as Cisco Telepresence, WebEx and Skype. Successfully embracing such technologies demands both the recognition of different experience in such online environments and a need to develop new skillsets as educators. As Caulat and O’Brien13 highlight: Good listening, the ability to build trust and intimacy in a virtual environment, becoming comfortable with silence and reflecting on its meaning and acquiring good process skills appropriate to the virtual environment, are all aspects that good virtual facilitators need to develop Supporting digital learning channels The combination of improved choice of content, improved internet access and recent penetration of devices such as tablets and smartphones has revolutionised the digital learner’s ability to consume digital learning. In 2010 more than 60% of the world’s population were using mobile phones14, with smartphone penetration growing at over 20% a year and now exceeding 50% in the US15. The proliferation of such devices does, however, create three further challenges for learning designers as shown in Figure 3: • Devices — the decision as to whether to support one or multiple devices • Formats — the selection of content format to support a particular device or to compromise and apply best endeavours to work across multiple devices • Innovations — the ability to fix learning for a period or to adopt a more fluid approach in order to keep pace with on-going technology developments. Digital devices — smartphone, tablet, and laptop alike — have become learning lifelines, the veins through which knowledge can be exchanged and through which rich learning now needs to be stimulated. Costs of these devices were previously out of reach of the typical consumer and many organisations adopted strategies based on, for example, a single software platform or mobile device, largely under the control of CIO and Enterprise IT departments. Such centralisation brought with it considerable benefits; centralised storage of knowledge, centralised support, centralised security and common business systems which made digital learning design relatively straightforward with common standards. Times have changed. Digital devices now support digital social lives and set high expectations for access to learning when the device is brought to the work-place. Learning must now be as accessible as Google, as insightful as BBC.com and as fun as Angry Birds, with few rules, One Devices Many Standardise Formats Compromise Fixed Developing a digital learning strategy Innovations Figure 3. Digital channel and device strategy Fluid Autumn 2012 standards or systems to outline how to deliver on these needs. Learning also needs to ideally work on multiple devices, since depriving individuals of access through their preferred device restricts a channel for knowledge delivery and creates a barrier to the discretionary effort that many individuals put in after hours. As a result, some organisations have adopted BYOD (bring your own device) policies, allowing users to bring their own devices to work whilst trusting them to both avoid accidentally corrupting company data through firewall breaches and to not spend excessive amounts of time on activities inconsistent with business needs. Multiple devices are accepted within the business, content is often stored in the cloud and social and business networking co-exist throughout the day. Others have questioned BYOD practices, arguing that device inconsistencies create unnecessary barriers to collaboration, and create challenges (of, for example, decentralised password management) that constrain knowledge sharing. Standardised device policies do cultivate a level of unity around users and content that allows some degree of central support as well as encouraging investment to ensure that user experience in the business reflects that of a social network. At Daiichi Sankyo UK, for example, the adoption of a standardisation policy based on Apple iPads and iPhones has been seen as a way of driving adoption of digital practices across the business. From a clear link to business strategy and culture (in particular, enhancing the ‘Issho’ — togetherness — ethos inherited from its Japanese parent) the policy has been seen to revolutionise both internal communications as well as interactions with customers and stakeholders16. Decisions must be made on appropriateness of learning object design in a manner consistent with device strategy; is it always fitting to deliver learning on demand in ‘bite sized chunks’ through a www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal Developing a digital learning strategy smartphone or is this merely a springboard to richer learning in the classroom, online or at work? There is also a challenge to be faced due to a lack of agreed standards for learning content on mobile, tablet and other devices, which can lead to complex demands for the same learning assets to work on, for example, iOS, Android, Flash, HTML5, different internet browsers etc. If content needs to be suitable for both mobile and tablet devices, how can content be readily repurposed to be accessible through small and large form devices? Even as such development decisions are made, the pace of innovation in the digital space creates an on-going challenge. Each week brings new devices, new ideas, and new learning solutions. To remain relevant and appropriate to user needs, the digital learning designer must maintain awareness of evolving trends, explore which solutions offer best fit and incorporate best practices as appropriate. There is a need to decide how frequently to invest in refreshing learning and, indeed, to consider how viable it is to innovate continuously in this space. It is difficult for any one individual, one team, even one organisation to dominate a space now occupied by so many diverse needs and opportunities and as a result, more flexible approaches are evolving to keep up with the pace of change. Solutions are continuously evolving: flexibility, agility and building bridges between different knowledge domains and different areas of digital learning design are more critical than ever before. As Steve Jobs17 suggests: Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things Autumn 2012 Integrating your digital learning strategy In order to distil the above trends into an effective organisational digital learning strategy, there is a need to explore three areas: 1. Business needs and available investment for digital learning 2. The organisational response and position to the nine key challenges summarised in Figure 4 3. The resultant scope of both digital learning strategy and appropriate digital learning interventions. These issues may not necessarily be explored in that order; new technologies could well influence business strategy, but the broad process is illustrated in Figure 4. have emerged. Our work with Ashridge clients, courses and contacts has allowed us to observe a variety of good practices that adopt considerably different positions and practices shown below. For example: • For a retail client, a technology integration exercise blending an open source learning management system with a video based portal and content from Ashridge and other trusted content providers into a seamless user experience • For a public sector client with a limited budget, a Virtual Ashridge portal provides access to digital learning content on demand, any time, any place for a large volume of organisational learners • For a group of high potentials seeking to energise social networking, a series of bespoke online conference sessions supplemented by an online portal combining Ashridge content and community features to seed and support discussion Given the variety of organisational needs, of potential positions available across the nine areas, and of potential learning objectives and strategies, it is hardly surprising that many different digital learning solutions Business strategy and investment Shun Technology Embrace Just in case Timing Just in time Face to face Location Online, mobile Curate Content Trust Expert Focus Social Niche Scale Volume One Devices Many Standardise Formats Compromise Fixed Innovations Fluid Learning strategy and interventions Figure 4. Aligning nine key challenges to develop digital learning strategy www.ashridge.org.uk/360 The Ashridge Journal • • • For busy managers, a fully virtual online Masters programme to blend content, collaboration and certification, and balance academic requirements with business relevance For a manufacturing sector client working globally, virtual facilitation to engage the group and to consult on paths to better practice For a course made up of time-starved, technology-savvy learners seeking to access knowledge on demand, a mobile solution based on video delivered to multiple smartphones, supplemented by face-to-face sessions to build richer understanding and networks. Digital learning is an area of rapid change, with few silver bullets, few right answers, and a multitude of possibilities where good practice can be developed. To succeed, our research suggests it is appropriate to first consider organisational needs, then the optimal position in the context of current industry trends, and only at that point to focus on exploration of detailed learning interventions and technologies. The transient nature of the digital learning space means, however, that any given strategy – even in the instances outlined above – will need to remain fluid. There are risks that excessive investment at a time of rapid change could result in outdated or inappropriate solutions, and yet failure to embrace digital could also result in considerable loss of learning opportunities. Conclusions The future for digital learning is one of accelerating change, of rapid shift towards self-managed development and of demand for virtual learning solutions that blend quality content, rich community interaction and application to real world problems. Digital learning has evolved rapidly and the principles of learning any time, any place and anywhere are not just possible, they Developing a digital learning strategy are now a critical business requirement. Inevitably, such changes will continue to create questions: Where is the classroom? Where is the learner? Where is the trusted content? What is the comparative value of a certificate of completion for a current MOOC as opposed to a programme taught for a formal qualification? What financial models are appropriate for this new world of learning? The answers to such questions will evolve in response to the volume of learners who are now starting to experience learning digitally. These challenges to the learning industry mirror those of the digital music industry 20 years ago, a world of vinyl, record shops and marque labels almost unrecognisable from the digital music sector today due to innovations highlighted by Bono: What turns me on about the digital age, what excites me personally, is that you have closed the gap between dreaming and doing. You see, it used to be that if you wanted to make a record of a song, you needed a studio and a producer. Now, you need a laptop The digital music industry highlights the benefits of embracing, exploring and shaping new possibilities; the digital learning industry must now do the same. Autumn 2012 References 1. de Geus, Arie (1997) The living company, Nicholas Brealey, UK. 2. Short, J E, Bohm, R E, Baru, C ( 2011) ‘How Much Information?’ 2010 Report on Enterprise Server Information, Global Information Industry Center, UC San Diego. http://hmi.ucsd.edu/howmuchinfo.php 3. Payne-Schofield, C, West, T, Taylor, E (2011) Going mobile in executive education: How mobile technologies are changing the executive education landscape, Research for Unicon produced by Ashridge. 4. Traxler, J. (2007) Defining, discussing and evaluating mobile learning: The moving finger writes and having writ, The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 8(2). 5. Schwartz, B (2004) The paradox of choice: why more is less, Harper Collins. 6. Adkins, S S (2012) North American eLearning Market to Reach $27.2 billion by 2016, Ambient Insight Research, Seattle, WA. http://www.ambientinsight.com/News/AmbientInsight-2011-2016-NorthAmerica-eLearningMarket.aspx 7. Armstrong, A. and Russell, A. (2012) The missing middle: Exploring learning experiences of middle managers in the UK, Ashridge research report. 8. Eliot, T.S. (1934) The Rock. 9. Sparrow, B., Liu, J., Wegner, D.M. (2011) Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips, Science, 5: 776-778. 10. Surowiecki, J. (2004) The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the many are smarter than the few and how collective wisdom shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations, Abacus. 11. Leckhart, S, Cheshire, T. (2012) University just got flipped: how online video is opening up knowledge to the world, Wired, 16 April. 12. Young, J. R. (2012) Coursera hits 1 million students, with Udacity close behind, Wired Campus. http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/ coursera-hits-1-million-students-with-udacity-closebehind/38801?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_ medium=en 13. Caulat, G. & O’Brien, D. (2010) Rising from the ashes — a new way of learning and working, Converse, Issue 7, 9-11. 14. Manyika, J., Chui, M., Brown, B., Bughin, J., Dobbs, R., Roxburgh, C., Hung Byers, A. (2011) Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity, McKinsey Global Institute, May. 15. Lundgen, I. (2012) US Consumers Average App Downloads Up 28%, May 16. http://techcrunch. com/2012/05/16/nielsen-u-s-consumers-appdownloads-up-28-to-41-4-of-the-5-most-popularstill-belong-to-google/ 16. McConaghie, A. (2012) Daiichi Sankyo: breaking down barriers with social media, InPharm, 8, January. 17. Wolf, G. (1996) Steve Jobs: The next insanely great thing, Wired, 4.02, February. www.ashridge.org.uk/360 Ashridge Business School, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire HP4 1NS, United Kingdom Telephone: +44 (0)1442 843491 Facsimile: +44 (0)1442 841209 Email: [email protected] Corporate website: www.ashridge.org.uk 360˚ editorial board: Emma Bradbury, Dr Vicki Culpin, Alex Davda, Lucy Double, Dr Narendra Laljani, Mike McCabe, Kai Peters, Toby Roe © 2012 The Ashridge Trust You may copy and circulate this publication to as many people as you wish. All rights reserved Registered as Ashridge (Bonar Law Memorial ) Trust. 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