September 19, 2001	Volume 1, Issue 38
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Now We're in Chaos

by Rick Brenner

Among models of Change, the Satir Change Model has been especially useful for me. It describes how people and systems respond to change, and handles well situations like the one that affected us all on September Eleventh.

verything changed on September Eleventh, and we're still learning the meaning of "everything." People working on projects, especially those that involve air travel, are now struggling with Change. Among models of Change, the Satir Change Model, developed by Virginia Satir, stands out for me as especially useful. It describes how we respond to change, using six elements:

Old Status Quo

The initial state of the system, before the change cycle begins. Example: September 10.

Foreign Element

The event, incident, or new information that disrupts the Old Status Quo. Example: the events of September 11.

Chaos

The state of confusion and disruption that persists following the recognition of the Foreign Element. Example: where we are now — we haven't yet adjusted to the new situation.

Transforming Idea

The realization or concept that takes us from Chaos toward a new way of operating. We probably don't yet have the Transforming Idea for the change cycle resulting from the events of September 11.

Integration and Practice The Chaos of change
can create stress,
fatigue and
erratic performance

A period of assimilation of the Transforming Idea, when we practice ways of incorporating it into our operations.

New Status Quo

After we've integrated the Transforming Idea into our operations, a New Status Quo begins, in which we continue to enhance performance.

For many of us right now, after the Foreign Element that arrived on September 11, disruptions persist:

• Loss of key personnel, plant, equipment, and communications infrastructure
• Business disruption
• Unwillingness of staff to travel by air
• Restricted travel budgets
• Reductions in flight availability
• Increased inconvenience in traveling by air

These consequences become Foreign Elements themselves, with new change cycles of their own. The Satir Change Model provides a useful guide for dealing with them. I'll focus for now on Chaos, where most of us are right now.

When in Chaos, acknowledge it

Recognize that you're in Chaos, and that most people are under stress. Watch for signs of fatigue and erratic performance, and give people time to rest and to share their concerns. Use Temperature Readings to help people vent. See "Take Regular Temperature Readings," Point Lookout for August 29, 2001.

Recognize the tug of Old Status Quo

Chaos is uncomfortable. Many of us don't like it, and try to resurrect the Old Status Quo. Let go. Accept the change, and know that there's no going back. For example, if air travel now takes much longer, adjust project schedules — and employee compensation — accordingly.

In Chaos, make no major decisions or commitments

While we must make decisions, beware of making long-term decisions. When the Transforming Idea arrives, it will certainly provide better guidance than we now have. For example, avoid committing to a new project involving air travel.

Watch for the Transforming Idea

The Transforming Idea can come from anywhere — any level of your organization, even a competitor. Be open to ideas from all directions and all employees.

Chaos is not a bad thing. It just is. To manage through it, we must first accept it. Perhaps this is what Dorothy knew when, as she entered the Land of Oz for the first time, she said, "Toto, I have a feeling that we're not in Kansas anymore."  Top    Next Issue

For more on the Satir Change Model, see "Change How You Change," Point Lookout for March 20, 2002, and "Piling Change Upon Change: Management Credibility," Point Lookout for October 18, 2006. For other examples of the effects of change-driven Chaos, see "The True Costs of Cost-Cutting," Point Lookout for January 30, 2008.

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Is your organization embroiled in Change? Are you managing a change effort that faces rampant cynicism, passive non-cooperation, or maybe even outright revolt? Read 101 Tips for Managing Change to learn how to survive, how to plan and how to execute change efforts to inspire real, passionate support. Order Now!

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More articles on Organizational Change:

Look Before You Leap

When we execute complex organizational change, we sometimes create disasters. It's ironic that even in companies that test their products thoroughly, we rarely test organizational changes before we "roll them out." We need systematic methods for discovering problems before we execute change efforts. One approach that works well is the simulation.

Conventional Foolishness

Every specialization has a set of beliefs, often called "conventional wisdom." When these beliefs are so obvious that they're unquestioned and even unnoticed, there's an opportunity to leap ahead of the pack — by questioning the conventional wisdom.

Beyond WIIFM

Probably the most widely used tactic of persuasion, "What's In It For Me," or WIIFM, can be toxic to an organization. There's a much healthier approach that provides a competitive advantage to organizations that use it.

Plenty of Blame to Go Around

You may have heard the phrase "plenty of blame to go around," or maybe you've even used it yourself. Although it sometimes does bring an end to immediate finger pointing, it also validates blame as a general approach. Here's how to end the blaming by looking ahead.

On Beginnings

A new year has begun, and I'm contemplating beginnings. Beginnings can inspire, and sometimes lead to letdown when our hopes or expectations aren't met. How can we handle beginnings more powerfully?

See also Organizational Change for more related articles.

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Organizational Politics for People Who Hate Politics

Have you ever felt powerless to implement an important new idea? Have you ever been "blind-sided" at a meeting? Have you ever lost two good employees because you could find no way to keep them from attacking each other? These are some of the issues of organizational politics. Many of us have become enmeshed in them from time to time, but we've also known some people who seem to be able to engage and prosper. How is that done? We'll inventory the challenges of organizational politics, and provide tools for anticipating and addressing them. The focus of this program is practical — attendees learn concrete techniques for dealing with the problems that arise in workplace politics, while keeping their integrity intact. Read more about this program. Here are some upcoming dates for this program:

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  your calendarRichmond, VA (South Side): March 17, Southside Dinner Meeting, Central Virginia Chapter of The Project Management Institute.
   
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  your calendarRichmond, VA (West End): March 18, West End Dinner Meeting, Central Virginia Chapter of The Project Management Institute.
   
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  your calendarThe Conference Center at Bentley in Waltham, MA: May 1, Professional Development Day, Massachusetts Bay Chapter of the Project Management Institute. Register now.
   

The Race to the South Pole: Ten Lessons for Project Managers

On 14 December 1911, four men led by Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole. Thirty-five days later, Robert F. Scott and four others followed. Amundsen had won the race to the pole. Amundsen's party returned to base on 26 January 1912. Scott's party perished. As historical drama, why this happened is interesting enough, but to project managers, the story is fascinating. Lessons abound. Read more about this program. Here are some upcoming dates for this program:

• Download to
  your calendarMelbourne, FL: April 12, Monthly Meeting, Space Coast Florida Chapter of the Project Management Institute. Register now.
   
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  your calendarHilton Garden Inn, Idaho Falls, ID: April 15, Professional Development Day, Eastern Idaho Chapter of the Project Management Institute.
   
• Download to
  your calendarThe Conference Center at Bentley in Waltham, MA: May 1, Professional Development Day, Massachusetts Bay Chapter of the Project Management Institute. Register now.
   
• Fort Wayne, IN: September 22, Monthly Meeting, Northeast Indiana Chapter of the Project Management Institute.
   
• Overland Park Convention Center, Overland Park, KS: October 4, Professional Development Day, Kansas City Chapter of the Project Management Institute.
   
• Download to
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Person-to-Person Communication for Project Managers

When we talk, listen, send or read emails, read or write memos, or when we leave or listen to voice mail messages, we're communicating person-to-person. And whenever we communicate person-to-person, we risk being misunderstood, offending others, feeling hurt, and being confused. There are so many ways for things to go wrong that we could never learn how to fix all the problems. A more effective approach avoids problems altogether, or at least minimizes their occurrence. In this very interactive program you'll learn a model of inter-personal communications that can help you stay out of the ditch. In those moments of intense involvement, when we're most likely to slip, you'll have a new tool to use to keep things constructive. Read more about this program. Here's an upcoming date for this program:

• Download to
  your calendarHilton Garden Inn, Idaho Falls, ID: April 15, Professional Development Day, Eastern Idaho Chapter of the Project Management Institute.
   

The Politics of Meetings for People Who Hate Politics

There's a lot more to running an effective meeting than having the right room, the right equipment, and the right people. With meetings, the whole really is more than the sum of its parts. How the parts interact with each other and with external elements is as important as the parts themselves. And those interactions are the essence of politics for meetings. This program explores techniques for leading meetings that are based on understanding political interactions, and using that knowledge effectively to meet organizational goals. Read more about this program. Here are some upcoming dates for this program:

• Download to
  your calendarHilton Garden Inn, Idaho Falls, ID: April 15, Professional Development Day, Eastern Idaho Chapter of the Project Management Institute.
   
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  your calendarWherever you are: it's a webinar: August 3, Monthly Meeting Webinar, Memphis Chapter of the Project Management Institute.
   

Human-Centered Risk Management

Most of us can assess technological risks, but risks related to human behavior tend to resist our best efforts. This session provides a framework for evaluating risks related to the behavior of individuals, teams, organizations and people generally. Human-centered risk differs from technological or market risk, because objective evaluation requires acknowledging personal and organizational limitations and failures. Since some of those limitations and failures might apply to the people assessing the risks, or to their superiors, there's a tendency to deny them or to explain them away. Our approach examines capability, organization, context, risk mitigation, and workplace politics. It has tools for guiding the assessment and management of human-centered risk, and we show how to extend these tools to suit your situation. You'll learn how to identify sources of risk in human behavior; recognize systemic and individual barriers to acknowledging risk; assess the effects of organizational turbulence; determine the risk associated with inappropriate internal risk transfer; estimate the effects of team dysfunction, toxic conflict and turnover; and measure the impact of workplace politics. Read more about this program. Here's an upcoming date for this program:

• Download to
  your calendarHilton Garden Inn, Idaho Falls, ID: April 15, Professional Development Day, Eastern Idaho Chapter of the Project Management Institute.
   

Managing Virtual Teams for Real Results

Managing global or dispersed teams is challenging — miscommunications, misunderstandings, and interpersonal conflict all thrive in the typical environment of the distributed team. And they're even more common in global teams, because of time-zone offsets and language and cultural differences. We'll inventory the challenges distributed and global teams face, and provide tools for anticipating and addressing them. The focus of this program is practical — attendees will learn concrete techniques for preventing and dealing with the problems that accompany global and distributed teams. Read more about this program. Here's an upcoming date for this program:

• Download to
  your calendarKitchener, Ontario: May 19, Dinner Meeting, PMI Canada's Technology Triangle Chapter.