Tool 03/30 - Kotter's change model

 

The objectives of this short ten minute exercise -

1. To learn a tool that will be helpful in work life 
2. To apply the learning
3. To use this as a morning ritual to start a great day 

Step 1 - the warm up

Keep your journal and the pen at hand

Sit in a relaxed position with an intent to go into a ‘flow state’ to learn something new

Take three deep, powerful breaths to lock in your focus and start the next step

Step 2 - the learning

About Kotter's 8-step change model

Dr. John Kotter introduced this model in 1995 through his book ‘Leading Change’. This model is a framework for managing organizational transformations. It emphasizes creating urgency, building coalitions, and integrating this change into culture. 

Widely used in business, it draws from decades of research on effective change leadership and management.

Situations where this tool can be best used

• Organizational restructuring during mergers or acquisitions
• Digital transformation e.g implementing new technologies
• Cultural change e.g shifting company values/ behaviors to align with new goals

The top three mental muscles (competencies) developed by practicing this tool

Change Management - Understanding and applying a structured approach to leading change initiatives

Leadership - Developing a clear vision and strategy for change, and inspiring others to support and implement it

Communication - Effectively communicating the need for change, the vision, and the plan to stakeholders

A corporate story to understand the usage of this tool

Howard Schultz (Starbucks) story

The context

In 2008, Howard Schultz returned as CEO of Starbucks to address declining profits and a diluted brand experience. The global financial crisis and rapid expansion had led to a loss of focus on quality and customer experience, threatening the company’s market position.

Kotter's 8-step change model in action - 

Create a sense of urgency - Schultz identified the existential threat to Starbucks' brand and financial health and communicated the need for immediate action

Build a guiding coalition - Schultz formed a leadership team with individuals passionate about Starbucks' mission. He also hired new talent to spearhead the transformation

Develop a vision and strategy - The vision focused on returning Starbucks to its roots of delivering high-quality coffee and a personalized customer experience

Communicate the vision - Schultz focused on “rediscovering the soul of Starbucks” in his constant communication through memos, town hall meetings …

Empower broad-based action - Schultz empowered employees (called "partners"). He kept all the 7,100 stores closed for a day only to retrain people on making the perfect espresso

Generate short-term wins - He launched Starbucks rewards loyalty program. He launched new, premium product lines. He used positive press to restore customer engagement

Consolidate gains and produce more change - He continued the momentum by focusing on technological innovation, such as mobile ordering and convenient payment systems

Anchor new approaches in the culture - Schultz embedded the company’s mission to “inspire and nurture the human spirit” into its culture. He emphasized ethical sourcing of coffee and corporate social responsibility, making these values integral to Starbucks’ identity.

Outcome - Within a few years, Schultz’s leadership helped Starbucks regain its financial stability, brand value, and customer loyalty

A story from the World Wars

My personal story

The context

As head of employee engagement, I had to create many employee events. The employees were always busy with their billable work. And their managers did not want to waste their time on non-billable tasks. 

Therefore I had to use a lot of informal networks to make people available to participate in our events. I did not know Kotter’s model then. But had I known it, this is how I would have progressed.

Create sense of urgency - Create a pitch to show importance of employee engagement for individual managers so that they could relieve their team members for our events. I could have highlight how disengaged employees could lead to burnout, reduced productivity, and attrition (I did not do this actively)

Build a guiding coalition - Identify personal passions of senior management to include them in different teams. They could have driven the initiative forward (I did this only in phase 2)

Develop a vision and strategy - Clearly define what's in it for them (opportunity to use untapped talent/ unfulfilled childhood dreams) (I created events such as recognitions, dinner with CEO… etc.)

Communicate the vision - Regularly communicate the benefits of engagement through emails, town halls, sharing success stories of employees (I didn't do it using any documented communication strategy. It was more haphazard)

Empower broad-based action  - We created champions for different communities. We gave them budgets and empowered them to design their events (I did this without knowing this model😀)

Generate short-term wins - Organized events like photography competitions, exhibiting paintings of employees’ spouses, pot-luck lunches, filmmakers’ competition on environmental issues, teaching computers to village students etc. etc. (I did it well; thanks to our champions)

Consolidate gains and produce more change - I could have used the momentum from early wins to push for larger initiatives positioning the drive as a strategic investment in workforce excellence (Well, there was a great opportunity to build our brand. However, we created amazing internal brand)

Anchor new approaches in the culture - I had studied the theory of multiple intelligences then. I could have captured employees’ top areas of intelligence in the employee database. This could have created a new orbit of employee engagement (e.g. singers, painters, dancers, people who loved teaching ….for CSRs in schools, pet lovers for taking care of stray dogs….)... anyway, someone reading this can pick it up from here

Step 3 - the reflection

Sit back, go down memory lane, think of various events in your work life where you could have used this learning.

If nothing comes to mind, think of a situation that would help you answer any one of these interview questions.

1. “How do you handle resistance to change?” - Use step 1 and 2 to explain how you addressed ‘early’ resistance and built trust. Use step 4 to explain how you minimized ‘ongoing’ resistance through communication. Speak about quick wins (Step 6).
2. “What strategies do you use to ensure a change is sustainable?” - Focus on Steps 7 and 8: e.g. Continuing to monitor progress and embedding the change into processes, anchoring the change in the company culture through recognition, reinforcement, and leadership behaviors etc.
3. “How do you align teams with a new vision or strategy?” - Describe your strategy of communicating a vision (Step 4) and empowering your team to act (Step 5). Highlight how creating small wins and celebrating them (Step 6) helps build confidence and alignment

Step 4 - the practice

Apply your learning to the situation you selected above.

Create sense of urgency - 

Build a guiding coalition - 

Develop a vision and strategy - 

Communicate the vision - 

Empower broad-based action  - 

Generate short-term wins -

Consolidate gains and produce more change - 

Anchor new approaches in the culture - 

Step 5 - the victory lap

Celebrate your achievement for a minute. Maybe a quick victory lap doing some energizing exercise?

**

To those who felt, “Learning and applying these frameworks takes time, which is often scarce in a fast-paced work environment.” - Do you feel that the last ten minutes were worth the effort? 

This exercise is not only about management tools. It’s about building a neural pathway at the start of the day. And it’s about my mantra for creating small daily acts of feeling successful and happy. 

Don’t forget to carry this image 👇 in your mind. There could be a great situation where you may want to use the tool. Keep a log of all such situations. It will help you when you want to train someone.

My congratulations for your first dose of the day of success and happiness. Have a great day ahead.

Tool 02/30 - PESTLE Framework

 

The objectives of this short ten-minute exercise -

1. To learn a tool that will be helpful in work life 
2. To apply the learning
3. To use this as a morning ritual to start a great day 

Step 1 - the warm up

Keep your journal and the pen at hand

Sit in a relaxed position with an intent to go into a ‘flow state’ to learn something new

Take three deep, powerful breaths to lock in your focus and start the next step

Step 2 - the learning

About PESTLE

PESTLE is a strategic management tool used to analyze external factors - Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental, that impact an organization. It nudges you to look at a situation from a multidimensional perspective. Introduced in the 1960s by Harvard professor Francis Aguilar. PESTLE provides a structured approach for analyzing market dynamics, risks, and opportunities. It helps businesses anticipate changes and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Situations where this tool can be best used

• Planning a product launch and assessing external risks
• Developing a long-term sales strategy considering economic and social trends
• Leading a strategic review of the company’s positioning in global markets

The top three mental muscles (competencies) developed by practicing this tool

Strategic thinking and vision – PESTLE encourages us to think about long-term impacts of external factors. It drives us to develop a clear strategic direction based on insights from various forces.

Decision-making and problem-solving – The tool provides a structured approach to analyzing external influences, allowing us to make informed, data-driven decisions and anticipate challenges.

Adaptability and change management – By identifying trends in political, economic, and social environments, PESTLE prepares us to adapt strategies and manage change effectively in response to external pressures.

A corporate story to understand the usage of this tool

The Paul Polman (Unilever) story

The context

In 2009, when Paul Polman became CEO of Unilever, he recognized that global challenges such as climate change, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer preferences required a strategic pivot. The PESTLE framework was central to understanding the external environment and shaping Unilever’s future.

PESTLE in action - 

Political - Increasing regulatory focus on environmental sustainability (action - ensure Unilever’s operations comply with emerging international standards and advocate for more progressive regulations).

Economic - Financial crisis and rising raw material costs (action - Improve supply chain efficiency).

Social -  Changed consumer preferences with respect to sustainable and ethical products (action - Create products with reduced environmental footprints).

Technological - Global priority about sustainability (action - Integrate green technologies in Unilever’s manufacturing processes).

Legal - Evolving global laws (action - Ensure compliance with evolving global laws related to corporate responsibility and sustainability).

Environmental - Global priority to environmental issues (action - Demonstrate commitment to reducing Unilever’s environmental impact through sustainable sourcing and reducing waste).

The outcome

Unilever grew significantly while simultaneously reducing its environmental footprint. The PESTLE framework helped Unilever stay ahead of external changes, aligning the company’s strategy with global sustainability trends.

A story from the World Wars

My personal story

The context - I was given charge of employee engagement in our organisation. Conducting various employee events was part of my role. I had studied Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences during that time. This theory, though popular in academia, was never used in the corporate world. We were probably the first ones to embrace it by creating various employee interest groups mapped to different intelligences identified by Gardner. 

I had looked at my role in a unidimensional lens, that of employee satisfaction (economic perspective). I did not know PESTLE then. If I had, this is how I would have leveraged our unique implementation to generate huge visibility for our organisation.

Political - Opportunity to contribute to many governmental programs using talents of different employee groups

Economic - Opportunity to provide employee satisfaction (events for groups under musical, linguistics, kinesthetic, naturalistic intelligences) resulting in retention thus reducing hiring costs

Social - Opportunity to work with NGOs by deploying groups with intra and interpersonal intelligence 

Technological - Opportunity for technology advancements by bringing brainy techies together (logical/ mathematical intelligence)

Legal - Bringing together sensitive activists (intrapersonal intelligence), we could create support systems to fight harassment/ discrimination and shared our insights with other companies

Environmental - We created groups interested in environmental issues. They undertook various initiatives within the company and outside

Step 3 - the reflection

Sit back, go down memory lane, think of various events in your work life where you could have used this learning.

If nothing comes to mind, think of a situation that would help you answer any one of these interview questions.

1. "How do you keep informed about factors that could impact our industry?" - You can describe how you use PESTLE to stay up-to-date on external influences, explaining how you analyze external factors to anticipate changes and make decisions.
2. "Describe a time when you had to make a business decision based on market trends." - Here, you could explain how you used PESTLE to identify relevant trends (e.g., economic downturn or regulatory changes) and how these influenced your decision-making.
3. "What are the key challenges you foresee in our industry, and how would you address them?" - Use PESTLE to structure your response, discussing possible regulatory changes, economic pressures, social shifts, or environmental concerns that could impact the company and suggesting proactive steps to address them.

Step 4 - the practice

Apply your learning to the situation you selected above.

Political - 

Economic - 

Social - 

Technological - 

Legal - 

Environmental - 

Step 5 - the victory lap

Celebrate your achievement for a minute. Maybe a quick victory lap doing some energizing exercise?

**

To those who felt, “Many tools don't provide quick, tangible results, which can be frustrating for those who expect immediate outcomes.” - Do you feel that the last ten minutes were worth the effort?

This exercise is not only about management tools. It’s about building a neural pathway at the start of the day. And it’s about my mantra for creating small daily acts of feeling successful and happy. 

Don’t forget to carry this image 👇 in your mind. There could be a great situation where you may want to use the tool. Keep a log of all such situations. It will help you when you want to train someone.

My congratulations for your first dose of the day of success and happiness. Have a great day ahead.

Tool 01/30 - The paradox theory

   The objectives of this short ten minute exercise -

1. To learn a tool that will be helpful in work life 
2. To apply the learning
3. To use this as a morning ritual to start a great day 

Step 1 - the warm up

Keep your journal and the pen at hand

Sit in a relaxed position with an intent to go into a ‘flow state’ to learn something new

Take three deep, powerful breaths to lock in your focus and start the next step

Step 2 - the learning

About the Paradox theory

The paradox theory examines how seemingly opposing elements coexist and interact to create success in complex, dynamic environments. Instead of choosing between conflicting forces—such as stability versus change, or competition versus collaboration—it encourages embracing both. This balanced approach enhances flexibility, innovation, and resilience, helping organizations thrive amid uncertainty.

This theory has been in existence since the Eastern Yin/ Yang or the Greek Zeno’s days. Since the 1980s and 1990s, the management scholars started recognising that organizations face persistent tensions between opposing forces, such as Stability vs. Change, Short-Term vs. Long-Term Goals, Autonomy vs. Control etc.

Situations where this tool can be best used

• Handling conflicting priorities between customer demands and internal resource limitations
• Balancing cost-cutting measures with the need for innovation and growth
• Managing conflicting stakeholder interests (e.g., shareholders vs. customers)

The top three mental muscles (competencies) you develop by practicing this tool

Adaptability and Agility - Makes adaptability and agility essential for the balancing act of dealing with conflicting demands.

Innovation and Creativity - Encourages us to think creatively, as we must find innovative solutions to reconcile opposing forces.

Decision-Making and Judgment - Helps us embrace complexity and ambiguity, making balanced, thoughtful judgments in the face of contradictory demands.

A corporate story

The Satya Nadela (Microsoft) story

The paradox - Control vs. Empowerment

The challenge - Microsoft's corporate culture had been viewed as rigid and bureaucratic, with leaders exercising tight control over decision-making. Nadella needed to decentralize authority to empower employees and foster innovation, while maintaining enough control to ensure alignment with the company’s overall strategy.

Paradox Management - Nadella focused on creating a culture of empathy and empowerment (growth mindset). At the same time, he implemented clear structures for accountability and strategic alignment to ensure control where needed 

(Satya must have listed a whole range of solutions to manage this paradox; and then picked up the growth mindset strategy mentioned above. I am sure he must have used some tools such as brainstorming, six thinking hats, mind mapping ... and so on to select the right strategy. The essence of the paradox theory as a tool is to a. Acknowledge and accept contradictory elements, b. Balance opposing forces without choosing one over the other and c. Achieve stability through ongoing adaptation and change) 

Outcome - Microsoft’s cultural shift led to increased employee engagement, creativity, and innovation.

A story from the World Wars

My personal story

The paradox - Quality vs. Delivery on time

The challenge - As head of QC team, I always faced the challenge of urgency of delivery vs following the process. I had to continuously fight for more time to conduct satisfactory testing while the developers would keep on extending their coding time

Paradox Management - 

This is what happened in real life - I felt like a victim without any fault of mine. I indulged in arguing and asking for more time for testing. All this had a negative impact on my team too.

How things could be different if I knew about Paradox theory - I could have agreed with the Programme Manager that my team would adopt risk-based testing (concentrating only on the key features) if the delivery was delayed by the development team.

Outcome -  This approach and agreement could have put pressure on the development teams to deliver on agreed date 

Step 3 - the reflection

Sit back, go down memory lane, think of various events in your work life where you could have used this learning.

If nothing comes to mind, think of a situation that would help you answer any one of these interview questions.

1. "Tell me about a time when you had to balance competing priorities or manage conflicting goals." - Using paradox theory, you can highlight your understanding of both sides of the conflict (e.g., speed versus quality) and explain how you balance them, demonstrating flexibility and strategic thinking
2. "How do you handle situations where short-term and long-term objectives are in conflict?" - The paradox theory approach lets you acknowledge the value of both perspectives and discuss strategies to pursue immediate needs while planning for the future, showing strategic vision
3. "Describe a time when you had to advocate for both the needs of your team and the broader goals of the organization." - Here, you can discuss your ability to balance advocacy for your team’s well-being with accountability to organizational objectives, using paradox theory to illustrate your nuanced approach

Step 4 - the practice

Apply your learning to the situation you selected above.

The paradox - 

The challenge - 

Paradox Management - 

Outcome -  

Step 5 - the victory lap

Celebrate your achievement for a minute. Maybe a quick victory lap doing some energizing exercise?

**

To those who felt, “Management tools often come across as complex or overly theoretical, which can discourage practical application” - Do you feel that the last ten minutes were worth the effort? 

This exercise is not only about management tools. It’s about building a neural pathway at the start of the day. And it’s about my mantra for creating small daily acts of feeling successful and happy. 

Don’t forget to carry this image 👇 in your mind. There could be a great situation where you may want to use the tool. Keep a log of all such situations. It will help you when you want to train someone.

My congratulations for your first dose of the day of success and happiness. Have a great day ahead.

Prabhakar Pandit and Lateral Thinking

 

Photo credit - https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kVhfJv7kU8M/maxresdefault.jpg

Sharing a story about my inquiry into the science of Lateral Thinking. A journey of thirty years.

I remember Mr. Prabhakar Pandit even after so many years with gratitude and affection. 

I was a young officer in a bank then. Mr. Prabhakar Pandit was one of our customers. A middle aged man, he was a bit short tempered, just like any other extremely intelligent people. My colleagues were hesitant to serve him. Somehow Prabhakar took a fancy to me, maybe because I offered my time to listen to him, maybe because I gave him good service. Prabhakar was a multi-faceted person, a thinker and a student for life. He would speak to me on many topics whenever he visited us.

Once Prabhakar gifted me a newspaper article on Edward de Bono, the pioneer of Lateral Thinking. Prabhakar spoke to me about de Bono at length.

Now I had to do something about his gift. After I read through the article, I wrote to Edward thanking him. Those were the snail-mail days and my letter had to travel from Bombay to somewhere in Malta. I never got any reply from Edward (obviously I could not expect one; where will the global leaders find time for all this?). But Prabhakar was happy that I was progressing on his pet topic.

(Something about de Bono for the uninitiated - Edward de Bono is a physician, psychologist, and an author. Some of his famous books are the mechanism of the mind, New think, Six thinking hats etc. Edward proposed a theory that innovation is not the prerogative of a select few; anyone can train him/ her to think laterally. The word lateral thinking was coined by de Bono.)

Years went by. By then I had read quite a few books by de Bono and kept thanking Prabhakar. When the internet arrived on my desktop, the first thing I did was to look for Edward de Bono. 

Again I contacted him after fifteen years, this time by a faster mode, email. To my surprise, I received a response followed by a CD about a school programme called CoRT (Cognitive Research Trust). CoRT programme is about nurturing the practice of lateral thinking in schools. This has been rolled out in Venezuela and China (I am told that China has vowed to make every Chinese person a lateral thinker by 2020).

I continued holding Prabhakar’s gift in my heart. During my stay in the UK, I got to learn bits of lateral thinking from Peter, Edward’s brother.

We encouraged our colleagues to implement de Bono’s six hat thinking in our meetings (my colleague Rachna was a master in this); we started using some of the thinking techniques such as PMI (plus, minus and interesting) etc. in our decision-making activities; we started using some of his favourite terminologies such as valufacture (manufacture of value), Po (something between Yes and No) etc. in our conversation; we taught our R&D teams to practice lateral thinking every week as a thinking ritual… etc. etc. One of the stories I wrote a long time ago was titled ‘Valuefacture’. 

Will I continue with this journey started by Prabhakar? I surely will.

I doubt if Prabhakar ever thought that the small newspaper cutting he gave a young man would drive him to pursue the though for so long.

Thank you, Prabhakar, wherever you are. I still hold your gift close to my heart, a gift that you gave me some time in 1986.

xxx

Postscript:

Let me now write about Alfred Sisley (1839–1899), one of the important Impressionist painters. Sisley was English but was brought up in France. Sisley is recognized as the most consistent of the Impressionists, never deviating into figure painting.

Sisley's best-known works are Street in Moret and Sand Heaps.

(Impressionism is an art movement. It was started by painters to challenge the then existing style of painting. They redefined painting as an impression of one’s mind rather than what is seen by the eye. Whenever I write about the Impressionist painters, I think of innovation; I want to learn from their conviction to challenge the status quo.)

This painting, titled Fog, Voisins was painted in 1874.

Sisley painted this fog effect with a hint of a fence in the background, foliage on the left, a tree with twisted branches on the right. The protagonist of the painting is the silvery mist which blurs the shapes and the background into a bluish grey tone. A subtle harmony, a silent poem.

Article originally published on Linkedin on 23 July 2017.