Pink Elephant Blog
Leading with Authenticity in Times of Transition
Pink Elephant is pleased to highlight our brand-new Organizational Change Management Applied certification course. It will take you beyond core organizational change management concepts, theories, and practices to provide a structured approach that enables IT professionals and leaders to implement and maintain change initiatives. This certification course uses Pink’s proprietary 20/20 change model as well as many exercises and case studies to give participants a very practical, hands-on learning experience.
In this blog, we’ll provide a sample of one of the actionable frameworks contained within the new course. First, we’ll look at the usual structural and people-related responses that organizations first experience when introducing a change initiative. Then, we’ll look at the Wheel of Transition – one of many models and concepts taught during the course – that is vital to helping leaders better understand how to lead their organizations through change.
A Typical Organizational Response to a Change Initiative
According to the book, Leading with Authenticity in Times of Transition, the first response by an organization to change that often occurs is: “Leadership focuses on the structural side of change by visioning, reorganizing, and restructuring – senior leaders see problems and opportunities and come up with ways for the organization to deal with them. Skilled managers look at direction, structure, operations, and other factors, and then develop a plan of action. Goals are set, processes are revamped, jobs are redesigned or eliminated, and new metrics are established – all under the umbrella of the ‘change initiative’. All the while, leaders mask their own emotional response to the change to maintain an image of strength.”
But things don’t always work out the way leaders had hoped they would:
“Unfortunately, the best-laid plans for organizational change are frequently diluted or damaged by a failure to exert strong leadership around the people issues. Sooner or later, leaders see that the change isn’t working according to plan. Individuals are not performing as needed and are even resistant. In response, leaders naturally turn to their strengths and habitual ways of behaving. They reiterate the logic of the change and push people harder… Usually, the organization sheds the most resistant employees, which raises the pressure on and anxiety in the people who remain.”
The Wheel of Transition and Six Paradoxes that Build Trust
In their above-mentioned book, Kerry A. Bunker and Michael Wakefield identify six paradoxes that develop and maintain trust during times of change. The authors illustrate the six pairs on a wheel with diametrically opposed competencies, and each pair has matching numbers.
The six competencies on the structural side of change are balanced against the six people-related competencies on the opposite side of the wheel.
This Wheel of Transition and the paradoxes comprise a model for leaders to understand how to manage the struggle to drive change on the one hand while, on the other, to address the need to nurture and positively move people to a new way of doing things and to cement change. This is not always an easy balance for leaders, but both sides of this equation must be addressed, at the same time, for successful change initiatives.
Let’s take a look at the pair of competencies that balances catalyzing change (structural) with coping with transition (people-related). This is pair number six on the wheel below.
“Striking a balance between catalyzing change and coping with transition helps you establish your authenticity and trustworthiness as a leader. Catalyzing change involves the ability to manage an initiative or change, generate acceptance and support, and see things through. Coping with transition involves the ability to recognize and address the personal and emotional fallout that accompanies change.”
“A leader who is adept at both catalyzing the change and coping with the complexities of transition creates a climate and culture for working through difficult times. Trust and commitment are maintained at a higher level, and the transition ultimately gains momentum as people work through the process… Unfortunately, the fast pace and complex challenges that typify today’s organizations push most leaders to focus on catalyzing change at the expense of helping people deal with the transition during the change.”
Going beyond Theory to Applying Best OCM Practices
One of the major challenges that leaders face is how to obtain practical guidance on going beyond the knowledge of organizational change to actually applying its concepts, theories, and models within their organizations. The six paradoxes contained within the Wheel of Transition represents just one of the many frameworks that organizations can use to achieve successful change initiatives.
In response to this reality, Pink Elephant has recently introduced the Organizational Change Management Applied certification course. This course features many frameworks (including the Wheel of Transition) and models (such as our proprietorial Pink 20/20 Change Model), as well as interactive hands-on exercises that will enable participants to apply the best practices for leading change to their own organizations.
Organizational Change Management at Pink22
Deepen the depth of your knowledge of organizational change management at Pink22. An entire track of Organizational Change Management sessions will focus on addressing the people side of change – which is the often-overlooked but critical aspect of change. You can learn from top-notch thought leaders as they present cutting-edge organizational change management knowledge, as well as seasoned IT practitioners who will share their first-hand case studies.
At Pink22, you can learn more about the Wheel of Transition framework at by joining Pink Elephant Senior IT Management Consultant Robin Hysick for her Leading with Authenticity in Times of Transition presentation. Pink22 – the 25th Annual International IT Service Management Conference and Exhibition is being held from June 19-22 at the incomparable Bellagio in Las Vegas. Robin will highlight the framework’s purpose to help leaders determine how to choose and move among a variety of managerial approaches to help them see what’s working, what’s not, and what’s missing. Managing change requires leaders to focus simultaneously on managing both business operations and providing effective leadership to people.
In addition, you can register for pre- and post-conference in-person certification courses that include Organizational Change Management Essentials and Organizational Change Management Applied. Take advantage of our Spring Sale – conference attendees can save 50% off the cost of the certification courses – exams are included!
Spring Sale
Everyone can save 15% during our Spring Sale on numerous live, instructor-led virtual courses being delivered in April and May – and save 15% on our self-paced online certification courses. Please note purchases must be made by April 22, 2022 – and exams are included.
Stay in the Loop
Keep up to date with all Pink happenings – including news about ITSM courses special offers and educational articles/webinars – by simply signing up for our e-newsletter.
Like this article? 
Comments