Page 17 - Future Pull.pdf

BOOK CHAPTER REPRINT
CHAPTER 11
FUTURE PULL Understanding the Culture in Culture Change by LaVrene Norton
Renewal is different for each person. For one prone to always be assertive and speak out, it might be, “I need to be quiet more and listen harder.” For the quiet and shy, it might be, “I need to speak and express my- self even in the midst of differing opinions.” For the pessimist, “I need to be more upbeat and optimistic
everybody says, “I want to become more, I want to stretch as far as I can to reach the vision.” For me, that conjures up a picture of runners stretching to warm up before starting a marathon.
Renewal is another means by which strategic change events can facilitate high involvement. Here, stakehold-
about what we are trying to accomplish because how I act will affect our journey together.”
When deep, personal renewal happens on an orga- nizational scale, we at Action Pact call it high involve- ment. W. Edwards Deming was a leader of the qual- ity improvement initiative responsible for American manufacturers’ resurgence to global dominance in the 1980s. Consistent with his principal of universal par- ticipation (Deming, 1986), high involvement in changing the culture of long-term care means partici- pation by all management, staff, residents, and as many members of the board, residents’ families, and the out- side community as possible.
High involvement implies intellectual, philosophi- cal, emotional, and volitional attachment to the orga- nization’s shared vision. The result is a deep and rich consensus toward implementing the vision in which
ers inside and outside the organization come together in a highly informative and interactive event that posi- tions the change journey for success, held over a 3- to 5-day period (Box 12.2). The organization’s energy and commitment are apparent. Consistent information is shared with all. Participants struggle, worry, experience pleasure and satisfaction, and together embrace these new ways. Resistance to change is minimized, and the full community contributes to the unfolding vision.
RELEARN: GROWTH AND LEARNING AS CENTRAL TO ALL WORK
Growing and learning are central to everything that is done. That is also true for renewal. The difference is that renewing is about individuals aspiring and feel- ing the burning within them (yes, we see the vision,
17