Changing Organizational Culture The Change Agent’s Guidebook Marc J. Schabracq UniversityofAmsterdam,TheNetherlands Changing Organizational Culture The Change Agent’s Guidebook Marc J. Schabracq UniversityofAmsterdam,TheNetherlands Copyright(cid:2)C 2007 JohnWiley&SonsLtd.TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester, WestSussexPO198SQ,England Telephone (+44)1243779777 Email(forordersandcustomerserviceenquiries):[email protected] Visit our Home Page on www.wiley.com AllRightsReserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording, scanningorotherwise,exceptunderthetermsoftheCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988 orunderthetermsofalicenceissuedbytheCopyrightLicensingAgencyLtd,90Tottenham CourtRoad,LondonW1T4LP,UK,withoutthepermissioninwritingofthePublisher. 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OtherWileyEditorialOffices JohnWiley&SonsInc.,111RiverStreet,Hoboken,NJ07030,USA Jossey-Bass,989MarketStreet,SanFrancisco,CA94103-1741,USA Wiley-VCHVerlagGmbH,Boschstr.12,D-69469Weinheim,Germany JohnWiley&SonsAustraliaLtd,42McDougallStreet,Milton,Queensland4064,Australia JohnWiley&Sons(Asia)PteLtd,2ClementiLoop#02-01,JinXingDistripark,Singapore129809 JohnWiley&SonsCanadaLtd,6045FreemontBlvd,Mississauga,ONT,L5R4J3,Canada Wileyalsopublishesitsbooksinavarietyofelectronicformats.Somecontentthatappears inprintmaynotbeavailableinelectronicbooks. AnniversaryLogoDesign:RichardJ.Pacifico LibraryofCongressCataloguing-in-PublicationData Schabracq,Marc. Changingorganizationalculture:thechangeagent’sguidebook/MarcJ.Schabracq. p. cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN978-0-470-01482-0(cloth:alk.paper)–ISBN978-0-470-01483-7(pbk.:alk.paper) 1.Organizationalchange. 2.Corporateculture. 3.Leadership. I.Title. HD58.8.S295 2007 658.4′063–dc22 2007019142 BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary ISBN978-0-470-01482-0(hbk) 978-0-470-01483-7(pbk) Typesetin10/12ptTimesbyAptara,NewDelhi,India PrintedandboundinGreatBritainbyAntonyRoweLtd,Chippenham,Wiltshire Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaperresponsiblymanufacturedfromsustainableforestry inwhichatleasttwotreesareplantedforeachoneusedforpaperproduction. Contents AbouttheAuthor vii Introduction 1 PartI Changingorganizationalculture Chapter 1: Organizationalculture 7 Chapter 2: Assessingtheorganizationandculturalchange 23 Chapter 3: Everydayreality,attitudeandleadership 51 Chapter 4: Mappingandtakingawayineffectiveness 75 Chapter 5: Dialogue 109 PartII Techniques,personalissuesandexercises Chapter 6: Techniquesandtools 131 Chapter 7: Personalissues 167 Chapter 8: Exercises 191 PartIII Addenda Addendum 1: Somemeaningsofthenon-verbalbehavioralelements inChapter8 229 Addendum 2: SomeconnotationsofthewordsintheYou-We-Itexercise inChapter8 239 Addendum 3: Examplesofunproductiveassumptions(Chapter8,Walk2) 241 Bibliography 243 Index 249 About the Author DrMarcJ.Schabracq(1949,Amsterdam,TheNetherlands;[email protected]) is a work and health psychologist. As an independent organizational consultant, Marc Schabracqhasacquiredmuchexperiencewiththehumanaspectoforganizations(organi- zationalculturechange,leadership,personaltransitions,stressmanagementandpersonal integrity)inagreatnumberofprofitandnon-profitorganizations.Inaddition,hehasworked attheUniversityvanAmsterdamsince1973,andsubsequentlyinclinicalpsychology,so- cialpsychologyand–since1987–workandorganizationalpsychology.Hehasproduced morethan20scholarlyandprofessionalbooksaboutpsychology,aswellasmorethan100 articles and book chapters. In addition, he has written three novels and a bundle of short stories. Introduction This book is about changing organizational cultures, and is written for professionals and leaderswhoare,orwanttobe,theagentsofthatchange.However,thebookisnotwritten for people who want to do the job in separation from reality by applying rigid models and methods. Neither is it written for people who want to hold on at any expense to targetsthatcreatetheirown,mostlyunproductiverealities.Thisbookismeantforchange agentswhodaretoacceptthechallengetothinkforthemselves,andwanttobetheirown instrumentinchangingculture.Therefore,thebookgivestechniques,pointersandexercises fordevelopingyourownthinking,feelings,intuition,fantasyandperception:allofthatfor thesheerreasonofbecomingawell-tuned,effectivechangeinstrument. The book focuses on the hardcore element of changing culture, namely changing the peopleinvolved.Asitis,culturalchangeimpliesthatthepeopleinvolvedchangetheiras- sumptionsandgoals,andbehaveaccordingly.Gettingpeoplethatfardemandsconsiderable care,skillandeffortfromthechangeagents.However,that’snotall.Thoughtheobjective ofculturalchangeistobringaboutimprovementsforallconcerned,changingassumptions, goalsandbehaviorimpliesfortheindividualmembersofthatculturesignificantpersonal transitions,whicharetypicallyaccompaniedbyallkindsofmostlyunpleasantemotions. The change agents must be able to guide the people involved through these emotions, in ordertopreventneedlessdamagethatwouldbeharmfulfortheorganizationalmembers, thechangeagentandtheorganizationasawhole. The main objective of a good change agent, and of a good leader too for that matter, is the joint optimization of the outcomes for the organization as a whole, as well as for its individual members and other stakeholders. This joint optimization demands the application of all kinds of virtues. Justice may spring to mind here first, but courage, moderation,prudence,honesty,humilityandmanymorevirtuesplayaroletoo.Whythis enumerationofloftyconcepts?Essentiallytomakeclearthatbeingachangeagenthasa heavyethicalload–afactthatisignoredalltooeasily,bothinpracticeandintheory. Whenyouareachangeagent,reallychangingacultureandthepeopleinvolvedimplies deploying yourself as the catalyst of that change. Being a catalyst does not leave you unaffected.Goingthroughtheprocessofbeingacatalystistaxing,anddemandsthorough self-management. Still, the outcomes of the process are essentially positive: you refine yourself in the process, also in the field of ethical awareness. Being a change agent thus implies a continuous process of personal growth, and this book wants to contribute to such growth. To that end, the book also examines a number of personal items – such as the influence of unfinished business in your life, your mortality, your background, your leitmotifsandyourtransitions–whichinfluenceyourroleasachangeagentandcanevoke resistance to change. Insight into these personal items also helps you to assist the other partiesinvolvedtodealwiththesameissues.