Organized Change

Getting started, again

Well, it's the new year and I'm back trying to get this blog up off the ground where I left it a year ago. The economy and some really bad web development projects kept us working on things we had to rather than things we wanted to - like posting to this blog.

So with the new year comes my new year resolution to post more than two or three times a year - shameful.

Diana and I have some major goals planned for 2010 that include:
1) Launching our online PMP Prep course - March 2010
2) Launching a new web site - June 2010
3) Launching our online TPM-Tailored Project Management Course - Sept 2010
4) Completing our dissertations - Dec 2010

We'll be sharing our experiences along the way.

Steve

A contribution of knowledge

It is difficult to precisely define the phrase, contribution to knowledge. The theoretical basis behind contribution to knowledge is research. The main purpose of a scholarly research is to report on original research or experimentation in order to make such information available to the rest of the scholarly world. The basis behind research begins with:

• a hunch about something, which leads to,
• a problem identified, which leads to,
• asking the question “Why?” which leads to,
• active observation of the event, which leads to,
• development of a study, which leads to,
• a hypothesis (an untested theory), which leads to,
• a theory (a set of statements to predict or explain various processes or events), which leads to,
  • Improved evidence 
  • Improved methodology 
  • Improved analysis 
  • Improved concept 
  • Improved theory 

Knowledge is presented in various form and format. We follow this descending hierarchal order of knowledge as our guideline during our research to determine the validity of the information we find.

Primary source of information

• Peer-reviewed scholarly articles
• Doctoral dissertations
• Master thesis
• Literature reviews
• Textbooks

Secondary source of information

• Books
• Industry or professional association publications
• Magazines articles
• News media

The information we present will be gathered from the works based on: 1) legitimate science (scholarly articles and doctoral dissertations) to 2) personal trivia (magazine articles and news media). We may make reference to these contrasting sources of information as “dwelling in the literature,” referring to the scholarly writing that meets specific scientific approach and evaluation to investigation compared to “popular reading” referring to the writing based on personal observation of the author. We will make every effort to distinguish between the two.

This is important for us (as researchers) and you (as readers) because information must be continually evaluated for its:

• Accuracy - how reliable is the information?
• Authority - what are the author's qualifications for writing on this subject?
• Objectivity - is the information presented with a minimum of bias?
• Currency - is the content of the work up-to-date?
• Coverage - is the topic explored in depth?

All of this will become the basis to separate fact from fiction to make an accurate contribution of knowledge.

Steve & Diana

My study of leadership

There are three things I have come to learn from studying leadership over the last fifteen years.

First, there is a right way to lead and a wrong way to lead—most of us lead wrongly.

The reason most people lead wrongly is threefold:
One, it’s easy; It takes a lot of effort to lead others (and yourself) in the right manner. To lead others in the right manner, you will face challenges on your ethics, values, principles, having the right facts to make the right decisions, fear of risks and making mistakes. It’s easier to “go with the flow.”

Two, leaders are lazy; To lead others effectively requires more than just making the right decisions—it requires a high degree of self-awareness that you may not know everything about the situation. Leaders often have to make quick decision, but not always. I have come to value different perspectives and improved my ability reflect (think deeply) about making decisions.

Three, leaders don’t know how to lead. This is not to say you should study leadership from the scholars, but it does mean you should become an observer of good leadership. You cannot be trained in leadership but you can learn leadership. To learn leadership requires observation (observing the actions of good and bad leaders) and reflection (thinking deeply as to why they did what they did).

The second thing I have learned is leaders have the power—whatever they say goes.

That may be true in most cases, but I can influence others. Power comes in many forms. The one form of power that is most often displayed is positional power. “I’m the boss; it’s my way or the highway.” You can develop your ability to influence by cultivating your expert power. Expert power comes in many forms. Deeply understanding the technical aspects of a subject is a form of expert power. This type of expert power is limiting because you can’t know everything about everything. A better form of expert power is derived from becoming a subject matter expert on leadership because leadership is transferable to any situation.

The third thing I have learned is organizational culture wins. A good leader of one cannot overcome the bad leadership of the many.

Being a “leader of one” is difficult when so many others around you don’t care. You will come to the point in your leadership development that will test your resolve. You will reach a fork in the road, a deciding moment or a turning point in life when a major choice is required. In my life, my choice was how I wanted to lead others. Do I do it the right way or the wrong way? What I have now come to learn is to appreciate others who can lead the right way. The one person I know who leads the right way and still maintains her values and principles is my wife, Diana. She has figured out how to lead others within the “political” environment that most people have to work in. She leads quietly.

Thoughts to ponder about leaders:
• A leader needs to spend time thinking about the future, but yet be accountable for today
• Leaders are learners
• Practice open communication and structured decision-making
• You cannot be authentic imitating somebody else
• The most important capability for leaders to develop is self-awareness
• Great leaders typically go through a crucible, a transformational experience in becoming a leader
• Learn from others

Steve

In the pursuit of knowledge & truth

I consider my intelligence as an acquired skill. I have always enjoyed learning because of the influence of former teachers. I do not consider myself gifted when it comes to my intellect. I just work harder at learning than most other people. Thankfully, I enjoy reading which provides me an advantage in gaining new knowledge. I have improved my ability to understand and learn new concepts quickly.

I do enjoy gaining new insights and perspectives, but without a practical application for the information, I will file it away mentally or discard it. This is one of my struggles in my doctoral studies with theory versus applied knowledge. When I see or hear of new concepts or insights I will consider them in the context of my current interests. Presently, my current interest is in the area developing an innovative approach to transfer knowledge for organizational development. I have become fixated on the subject of transference of knowledge from theory to application. Many books are written about the theory or concepts, but often lack identifying the steps that are required to perform the concepts. For the last three years, I have been exploring using technology to advance this concept of transferring theory to applied knowledge.

It is important to me to know the “truth” about a subject matter because I will often rework the information to make it easier for the learner to understand. To accomplish this, I need to fully understand the information (the truth) and its meaning to apply it in the context that I am trying to teach. A well-chosen sentence, phrase, or word can bring clarity to someone who needs to understand a vague concept. This often means I will take bits of information out of order or sequence because the learner only wants to understand the bits and pieces that they are ready to accept. I often hear project managers ask, “What is the one thing I need to know about project management?” My reply is, “Project management is the ability to get things done.” Hopefully, that one statement will provoke a curiosity which will lead to other questions. I will process a large amount of knowledge (truths) to form well-chosen statements.

Steve

Different projects require different approaches

We have been involved in managing projects for most of our professional life. We have experienced successful projects and failed projects. What we have learned from both experiences is the key lies in planning. Often, a vision is developed and then it is hastily executed. It is the typical, “ready, fire, aim” management approach which often leads to failed projects. Most organizations consider planning as an unnecessary step that does not produce anything of value when, in fact, it creates a well thought-out plan. Within this plan, the scope is defined, the time and cost are estimated, risks are identified, and strategies to mitigate those risks are developed. With the input of key stakeholders, the project has a better than average chance of success.

This lack of planning is vital and crucial in implementing a vision or goal successfully. Diana and I have spent the last three years in developing a project planning methodology which will provide a means to identify the scope, time, costs, and risks associated with any project. This endeavor has taken us into researching different project methodologies to further develop our knowledgebase. We have built several working prototypes and we hope, within the next twelve months have a final product completed. It is our intent to use our doctoral studies to conduct research to confirm our theories.

Steve & Diana

Developing a project management model

All organizations have strategic visions and goals. Whether they are to meet a business need or provide a community service, successful accomplishment of new visions and goals advance organizations to new levels. Without accurate forecast of how much the endeavor is going to cost, how long it will take, and what risks are involved, organizations are operating in the dark on what it takes to bring their initiatives to reality. Project management can provide a structured approach in executing the vision by understanding the cost, time, and risks involved in these undertakings.

Developing a structured process to execute an organization’s vision into a reality requires a systematic approach to achieve its desired results. Research data, from a literature review, reveals that the failure rate for organizational change initiatives are as high as 75% in meeting their targeted goals (Standish Group, 2003). The reasons for failure vary from poor strategic planning, the inability to properly plan, and failure to manage the execution of the project (Standish Group). An entrepreneurial opportunity exists for the development of a project management model to be used to facilitate organizational change initiatives.

Over seven years ago, Diana and I began developing a project management model to assist organizations in managing their organizational change initiatives. The planning portion of the model was originally built around four questions:
» What do we need to do? (Scope)
» How long will it take? (Schedule)
» What are the risks? (Risk)
» How much it is going to cost? (Cost)

We have continued upgrading our project management model based on knowledge we are acquiring from business professionals that attend our project management classes and interviews with organizational leaders. By “listening to the voice of the customer,” we have captured their suggestions and other information to add a fifth question to our model.

» How are we going to do this? (Approach)

That one question has caused us to dramatically rethink our project management model. Over the next couple of months, we will begin posting the basis of our new project management model. We will give you a “behind-the-scenes” look of what we call, TPM—A Tailored Approach to Project Management.

We are pretty excited about it.

Steve & Diana
______________________________

Reference:
Standish Group. (2003). Latest Standish Group CHAOS Report shows project success rates have improved by 50%. Retrieved April 27, 2005, from Business Source Premier

Working on the business—not in the business

As I look into the future and envision what life I want to create, I see several images. Many years ago, I read a book by Alvin Toffler (1984) called the Third Wave in which he described the "electronic cottage." That phrase has resonated with me for all of my adult life. To be able to create your own livelihood from your own hands conjures up images of the master craftsman of the past. The electronic cottage is now a reality. With the advent of the Internet, knowledge work can be accomplished across town or across the world in mere seconds.

It is easy to describe my future in quantitative terms; 1) to be able to make an annual income of $250,000, 2) work six months out of the year, and 3) have a home in two different geographical locations. From a qualitative perspective, my life would change from working for someone to working for myself. Being able to spend more time with family, working on other innovative ideas, and working with organizations I am interested in.

To teach project management via the Web would allow me to reach that vision. Using Web-based technologies, online training sessions can be conducted with a geographically dispersed group. The advantage is reducing the down-time resulting from business travel. Time is a precious commodity for me. I do not want to spend my time waiting in airports. My quality of life would improve by spending time doing other more intrinsic valuable activities.

One of the biggest causes of failure for entrepreneurial organization is the entrepreneur working in the business rather than on the business. Web-based technology would provide me with the precious commodity of time to work on my business.

Steve

The purpose of conducting research—Isn’t it all just common sense?

Definition: doctoral research—to know a lot about very little

Would you say that happier employees tend to be more productive? If you are like most people, your common sense would probably tell you, “yes.” Despite what you may believe, this is generally not true (Greenberg & Baron, 2003). Research shows that people who are satisfied with their jobs are generally no more productive than those who are dissatisfied with their jobs.

If we can not trust our common sense, then what can we trust? This is where the scientific method of research enters the picture. Although far from perfect, the tools, techniques, methods, and processes of research can tell us a great deal about a topic. Not everything from research contradicts common sense. In fact, most research confirms things we already believe to be true.

Research generates knowledge through its collection of data. Data—images, sounds, words, and numbers—are grouped into patterns, it becomes information. When information is put to use or applied, it becomes knowledge. Our research, over the next several years on the subject of “organized change,” will be qualitative, rather than quantitative. Qualitative research is analogous to being, “an inch wide and a mile deep” where quantitative research would be described as a “mile wide and an inch deep.”

As researchers, we will seek our answers in the “real world” through what we see, hear, and read from people, places, events, and activities. Do we know where we will end up at the end of this? No, that is what excites us. As we journey over the next several years into this subject, we are hoping our curiosity will grow to understanding to knowledge-building. As the adage says, “a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step," so begins ours.

Steve & Diana

References
Greenberg, J. & Baron, R. A., (2003). Behavior in Organizations, 8th Ed., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Sometimes there are not enough words

Last week, I had a conversation with the CEO and Chief Engineer of the company I am presently consulting with. They are currently using paper and pencil to sketch out conceptual designs for their products. Before I could stop myself I said, “You guys need to be using Visio for these conceptual designs.” They hadn’t heard of the product. “It’s a simple drawing program,” I said. They had just spent 4 hours drawing a new conceptual design with pencil and paper. I took their design and drew it in 20 minutes. The CEO was pretty excited with what he saw. “No more pencil and paper drawings for me”, he said.

What was interesting was the reaction of the Chief Engineer. He didn’t like it. The Visio drawing wasn’t a true CAD (computer-aided design) drawing. I remember thinking something about “old school” or it could have been “old dog.”

I asked him, “How many of these conceptual designs do you do in a month.” “About 4-6 per month,” he replied. “Do you always spend this much time on a drawing?” I asked. The CEO said, “Mostly, but sometimes, we’ve spent two days on a conceptual drawing.” I had to ask this one, “What do you do if you want to change the design?”

“Start over,”

I didn’t say anymore.

Remembered Joy

Having a blog is demanding. They extract from you valuable time and mental energy. They are also enriching. A blog is to look into the person who writes them. They are said to be a form of “naked conversation” with oneself. And so is the case of this posting.

It has been two years since my last posting. It has been a very enriching time for us and a very difficult time. In his book, The Road Less Traveled, author M. Scott Peck begins his book with a profound statement. “Life is difficult.” Since our last posting, Diana and I have traveled a difficult road.

Shortly after our last posting on Dec. 2005, I received a call that my sister, Carole, had been admitted into the hospital and only had a few days left. The lung cancer that she had fought for the previous six months had come back with a vengeance. She died before we could fly down Florida to be with her.

Carole was our north star. She was the one Diana and I turned to when we eloped thirty two years ago. She was the one that we turned to when Diana fought her battles with breast cancer over the last twenty years. And she was the one who dropped everything to take care of both of us in 2003, when both Diana and I were diagnosed with cancer.

My sister Barbara found this poem that expresses what we need to remember when there are unanswered questions as to why difficulties come into our lives.

To those who face their own difficulties in life…

Remembered Joy

Don't grieve for me, for now I am free.
I followed the plan God laid for me.
I saw his face, I heard his call
I took his hand and left it all.

I could not stay another day
To laugh, to love, to work, to play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
And if my parting had left a void
Then fill it with remembered joy.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss
These things, I too, shall will miss.
My life's been full, I've savored much
Good friends, good time, a loved ones touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief.
Don't shorten yours with undone grief.
Be not burdened with tears of sorrow,
Enjoy the sunshine of tomorrow.

Carole, we will miss you beyond what words can convey.

Peace, love, and may God be by your side,
Steve & Diana