We're Writing and Talking about Managed Change™ in All its Forms
2007 was a busy year of writing and speaking for LaMarsh & Associates and, from the schedule so far, it looks like 2008 will be even busier.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST TO YOU
NEW:
Balancing Employee Expectations and Healthcare's Rising Costs, How Smart Employers Build Acceptance for Change. A LaMarsh & Associates white paper by Catherine Wolpert and Rick Rothermel.
Accepting the strategy: the role of change management in achieving the future, Jeanenne LaMarsh, CXO America
Coming up with a great idea is just the start of any change process. The real trick lies in making the idea stick, argues Jeanenne LaMarsh.
Read the latest issue of our Newsletter, "Case for Change."
Subscribe (it's free) and get e-mail alerts about future issues.
The Challenge of Effectively Implementing Change (PDF 141KB); Charles Thalheimer; NewsDirect, Society of Actuaries
Executive leadership in almost every organization traditionally expects fully functional deployment of change initiatives; on-time, and on-budget. They also expect those impacted by the change—the “targets”—will jump on the bandwagon, accepting and embracing the change in the name of the overall good. More often than not executive leadership is disappointed. Successful change in infrastructure and business operations requires employees, suppliers, and sometimes even customers to overcome significant issues of resistance to be in a position to accept and, better yet, embrace the change. Successfully moving the organization to acceptance of this "Desired State" is defined by many as "getting results."
Resilience Training, Jeanenne LaMarsh and Rick Rothermel, Chief Learning Officer
The strength of Six Sigma lies in its ability to assess the processes in the current state, but a frequent complaint is that it is not equally strong it its ability to assess the other current-state elements of structure, people, and culture. Without this full rigor, it is possible to miss elements that are contributing to a problem. Equally important, it is possible to miss potential sources of resistance.
The People Behind the Process (PDF 80 KB), Jeanenne LaMarsh, APICS Magazine (The Association for Operations Management)
When successful, six sigma improvement projects can propel a company into new and stronger competitive positions. However, like all changes, these projects are not always successful or, when they are, that success is not always sustained. Managed Change does not require fundamental changes in the six sigma methodology. Instead, it adds rigor to the process improvement project by using the six sigma tools and methodology, holding it to an even higher standard.
Managing Change in the Supply Chain: A
Case Study (PDF 281KB), Jeanenne LaMarsh, Supply Chain Practice Journal / Cranfield University
Jeanenne LaMarsh explores the issue of change management in the supply chain. The paper examines the application of the Managed Change model as a management methodology that reduces resistance to change by addressing the critical issues of communication, learning and reward. A major transformational change project in the supply chain at Abbot Laboratories is used as a case study to demonstrate the methodology.
Why Change Usually Fails and What You Can Do About It,
Jeanenne LaMarsh, Credit Today
The credit profession has had its share of change. Mergers and acquisitions, rapidly advancing technology, downsizing, and ever-increasing demands of customers have resulted in a profession faces with new systems, new processes, fewer people, and increasing demands….successful change depends on planning the change, managing the change process, and sustaining the change.
A Well-Managed Change – Six Sigma and Managed Change: Making it Easier to Choose Change, Jeanenne LaMarsh, 6 Sigma Quality in Manufacturing (SME)
As organizations make six sigma the core of their change process, they send a strong message: Change is constant. Change is how organizations stay competitive. Change is how they grow. Six sigma is their way of making change happen. And six sigma works. Integrating six sigma into the DNA of an organization increases its growth potential, instituting a disciplined and structured process that can be shared throughout the organization.
Approaching Transformation: Identify and minimize resistance to change with Six Sigma (PDF 926KB), Jeanenne LaMarsh, Industrial Engineer (Institute of Industrial Engineers)
The strength of Six Sigma lies in its ability to assess the processes in the current state, but a frequent complaint is that it is not equally strong it its ability to assess the other current-state elements of structure, people, and culture. Without this full rigor, it is possible to miss elements that are contributing to a problem. Equally important, it is possible to miss potential sources of resistance.
Change: Managing the Inevitable, Charles Thalheimer, LIMRA MarketFacts Quarterly (Life Insurance Marketing Research Association) Request a hard copy of this article
Change—we talk about it all the time and the consensus is that the rate of change is at an all-time high. Some changes are internally driven and the leadership sees opportunities to improve the business. More and more change is being forced on us by outside entities. The life insurance business is far from immune, with changes being thrust on the industry by regulators at the state and federal levels.
BOOKS
Master Change, Maximize Success
Change is a given in any organization, and you deal with it every day. Master Change, Maximize Success puts you in control by teaching you to manage change, instead of letting it take over. You will learn to see change as a process, one that provides opportunities for creativity and leadership. Discover the critical variables that make change successful, from assigning roles and duties to creating a culture of innovation. Throughout the book, practical suggestions and step-by-step Work Solutions present simple, fresh ideas that can invigorate your company and drive growth. With their years of experience helping organizations and leaders become more effective and competitive, authors Jeanenne LaMarsh and Rebecca Potts will help you benefit from change and achieve your goals. Buy this book today.
Changing the Way We Change, was originally published in 1995 as part of the Engineering Process Improvement Series.
Jeanenne LaMarsh, CEO and Founder of LaMarsh and Associates provides the reader with a new perspective on change—not as a one-time phenomenon, but as a continual process of adaptation that can become an integral part of the way an organization operates.
The price of the book is $18.95, including shipping and handling. To order your copy please e-mail your address and contact details to Nicole Sturznickel.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS & SPEECHES
Jeanenne LaMarsh, Randy Kesterson and Albert Vermeulen presented at the International Society of Six Sigma Professionals (ISSSP) Leadership Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona
Jeanenne LaMarsh, and Karen Welch of Abbott Nutrition presented, "How Abbott Nutrition is Integrating Change Management into their LeanSigma Deployment."
Not only is the deployment of LeanSigma into an organization a major change, but each and every project implemented is a change to the way someone is doing business. In addition to this, incorporating other major initiatives a company may have embarked on requires specific attention to the detail of identifying and mitigating resistance - ownership issues, perceptions and lack of understanding.
Randy Kesterson and Albert Vermeulen presented, "They Don’t Want to Change, So Now What Do I Do?"
Every survey, whether formal or at the water cooler, supports the premise that no matter how good your Black Belts and Master Black Belts are at applying Six Sigma not all projects result in sustained change. And those surveys also identify the reason: the people affected by this project resist the changes they will have to make. The session will present the ways in which the Deployment Leaders can build effective change management into their Six Sigma approach and change the way in which their organization applies Six Sigma.
For more information, please visit www.isssp.com
International Society of Six Sigma Professionals (ISSSP)
Web Conference
Jeanenne LaMarsh and Randy Kesterson joined executives, sponsors, Master Black Belts, and project managers from 23 companies at a recent Web Conference sponsored by the ISSSP, entitled Six Sigma and Managed Change: An Integrated Approach.
They discussed how Black Belts know there is another tool kit they need to make their Six Sigma projects successful: a way to deal with resistance. This session presented Managed Change and demonstrated how it can be inserted into DMAIC to provide an integrated and comprehensive method to reduce that resistance.
Six Sigma Forum, Hosted by Duke University Hospital and North Carolina State University, Durham, NC Randy Kesterson presented, "Tackling the Challenge: Leading Cultural Change". Research has shown that only 33% of all change projects - including Six Sigma projects - are fully successful, and one in six projects end in total failure. Failed projects typically have no plan for implementation, a fuzzy definition of the desired outcome, or completely ignore the potential for resistance to the change. This resistance can often be fostered by changes to aspects of an organization's culture. Culture change, however, can not take place in a vacuum. Change to an organization's culture must be made in coordination with and in support of changes to the business processes, structure, and people's skills and competencies. Mr. Kesterson explained how the Managed Change approach has been proven to support Six Sigma's DMAIC methodology in significantly reducing the resistance to change. For more information about the forum, please see Fourth Annual Six Sigma Forum (PDF 126KB).
Advanced Insurance Direct Marketing Workshop: Confronting the Issues - Breaking Down Barriers to Growth! The Ritz Carlton Hotel, Tysons Corner, Virginia. Charlie Thalheimer presented a special session on Creating a Change Environment. This unique session explored the elements of change and helped attendees learn techniques to minimize resistance, communicate effectively and create a corporate culture capable of accepting change in a world that is exploding with new and advanced technology. For more information, please visit www.jcg-ltd.com.
American Society for Quality (ASQ), 18th Annual Quality Management Conference, Irvine, CA. Jeanenne LaMarsh presented Building a Resilient Organization. In response to rapidly changing technology, an environment characterized by mergers and acquisitions, increased competition and cost pressures, and an increasingly global marketplace, this session demonstrated the need for effective and sustainable change. In addition, Ms. LaMarsh examined how effective change management contributes directly to the bottom line by accomplishing a number of key goals including minimizing the potential for key personnel loss during the implementation of change, accelerating the change time line, increasing cooperation among the targets of change, and ensuring sustainability of the change. For more information, please visit
www.asq.org/qm/conferences.
To learn more contact Lew Lash or call 262.236.0899
