When and How to Communicate and Engage

INTRODUCTION

In this blog I outline the fairly straightforward thinking about [1] Who to Engage [2] How to Engage and [3] When To Engage before I go on to the more challenging question of the pros and cons of who and when.

The problem is sometimes if you make a decision and seek feedback you are un-democratic other times you seek opinion before making your choice and you are seen as indecisive. Talking to people before you are clear on your aims or outcomes may invite as much criticism as making a firm decision and then being told you have failed to fully consult the necessary people or consider the implications.

It’s a pretty tricky situation only compounded if your project or change management has many more stakeholders than you can reasonably sit in a room with, or has many irreconcilable interests.

WHO TO ENGAGE

Anyone who has done any form of project and change management will know and appreciate how important it is to Communicate and Engage with key people.

This will include the customers, suppliers, the team(s) delivering the change and the users / recipients of the change as well as the “stakeholders” which can be as wide ranging as casual spectators to passionate agents for or against what is proposed.

The Communication and Engagement may consider “stakeholders” in RACI groups [link 1]

1.       Responsible - Those responsible for the performance of the task. There should be exactly one person with this assignment for each task.
2.       Accountable - The one ultimately answerable for the correct and thorough completion of the deliverable or task, and the one who delegates the work to those responsible.
3.       Consulted- Those whose opinions are sought; and with whom there is two-way communication.
4.       Informed - Those who are kept up-to-date on progress; and with whom there is one-way communication

Or you might consider power/interest matrix [link 2]

1.       high power/ high interest – MANAGE CLOSELY
2.       high power/ low interest – KEEP STAISFIED
3.       low power/ high interest - KEEP INFOMRED
4.       low power/ low interest - MONITOR

This has Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages: Helps discovering where the real power over a project is located and therefore making better project decisions. Helps finding the right communication means with stakeholders

Disadvantages: Can be subjective. To benefit must be performed on regular basis. Plotting a stakeholder on this matrix does not show his attitude towards our initiative. We do not know whether a stakeholder is for or against it. Sometimes symbols like (+, -, or 0) are used to indicate that a stakeholder shows positive, negative or neutral attitude.

HOW TO ENGAGE

You might additionally plot communication preferences for each group to note those that prefer face-to-face, lots of data, presentation etc. Certain styles suit people or circumstances (The list below is a very small sample and may be different for each project and change management depending on culture and circumstance).

1.       To help Understanding - Workshop; Presentations; Feedback & Support; Video
2.       To help Acceptance – Face-to-face; Group Meetings; Briefings
3.       To help Caring– Face-to-face; Individual Meetings; Briefings
4.       To help Planning – Email; Brochures; Newsletters
5.       To help Implementation –Guides; Check-Lists

You might even use different approaches to suit individual learning, communication or behavioral styles [Link 3]

WHEN TO ENGAGE

There may also be project and change management phases/stages

1.       Pre-Project – outlining the intended project or change
2.       The beginning – explaining who, how, what, when, where, and why of intended project or change
3.       The middle – offering updates and opportunities for comment and feedback
4.       The end – to review the outcome and successes of the project or change

THE PROS AND CONS OF WHO AND WHEN

This is the tricky bit: Most of the above is quite straightforward and well documented. The challenges exist when your project or change management has many more stakeholders than you can reasonably sit in a room with, or has many irreconcilable interests.

A key matter is to understand the difference between consultation (you want their opinion) and communication (you are informing them of your opinion or choice). If you want their opinion the inference is that you are prepared to consider their suggestions to process or outcome. If you have made your choice the implication is that you are pressing ahead and the aim is to inform rather than invite comment.

It is useful to be clear on this to avoid a frustrating waste of time.

Of course you may have a two-step project or change..

Step1 – Discuss and what must happen (consultation)
Step2 – Progress the implementation (communication)

Then the challenge becomes who to invite to invite to each. It may seem obvious to invite the people who will design and shape the change to the former, and those that will deliver and accept the change to the latter but there is a degree more politics in this. Some would prefer not to make decisions or be accountable and others will be affronted if a decision is made without their contribution.

This is also difficult where you might have over 100 stakeholders and you need to think about the best one or two people for each group interest eg a staff representative, union representative, customer representative, supplier representative etc.

The challenge of representatives is that they are often dispatched by their peers with the clear instruction “don’t agree to anything” and then no matter how sensible the discussion the inevitable outcome is that their allegiance and approach aims to satisfy their peers than the over-arching project or change.

In these circumstances it may be important to do some team building so that the understanding and loyalty is to the aims and purpose of the project or change more than the parochial or silo interests of one group. The implication is that this style of engagement will take much longer and is dependent upon personality more than information communication.

You may find that you need to select representatives from each group interest rather as you would guests at a dinner party- where you are hoping they will all get along!

There is much that has been written about team building and creating a collegiate sense of belonging to the programme and ownership of the project or change. This is beyond the scope of this article, except to note that good followership depends upon good leadership.

CONCLUSION

Communication and Engagement can be obvious (none of the approaches above are clever) but it can also be very complex (employing all the approaches above can be difficult) . In the end success depends on relationship and leadership.

CONTACT

If you are interested in Communication and Engagement and would like to offer your experience or contribute towards a best practice guide please get in contact. Email TimHJRogers@ciChange.org or Twitter @ciChange

AUTHOR

Tim Rogers is an experienced Project and Change Leader, with a background in Technology and Business Analysis. He was Project Manager for the commercialization of a major public utility and responsible for Operations Change and Sales Support for one of the ‘big four’ banks. He is also Commonwealth Triathlete and World Championships Rower with a passion for teaching and learning and is a Tutor/Mentor on the Chartered Management Institute courses.

LINKS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsibility_assignment_matrix
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stakeholder_analysis
http://www.humanmetrics.com/personality/communication-strategies-for-different-types

Is Mindfulness Pseudoscience?

Is Mindfulness Pseudoscience?


I have recently completed an 8 week programme of mindfulness for entrepreneurs. I found it enlightening and personally valuable. But I am interested in the science behind mindfulness.

Does mindfulness work for me like a placebo, or maybe it just gives me a period of calm and reflection. Or does it (as some suggest) have scientific basis and result in changes to the brain?

Below are a few links that I have found.

VIDEO

LINKS

http://www.mindful.org/the-science-of-mindfulness/
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/what-does-mindfulness-meditation-do-to-your-brain/
https://www.headspace.com/science
http://evp.harvard.edu/book/where-can-i-find-evidence-based-research-mindfulness

MINDFULNESS FOR ENTREPRENEURS

The 8 week programme of mindfulness for entrepreneurs was part of a PHD study and the outcome from this will be available in 2016. If anyone is interested in this please contact

Dr Agostinis CTT dr.agostinisdclinpsy@cttinternational.com
Glenda.Rivoallan@highlands.ac.uk


THE AUTHOR

Tim Rogers is an experienced Project and Change Leader. He is founder of ciChange.org and curator for TEDxStHelier.Com . He has a passion for learning and has been a Tutor/Mentor for the Chartered Management Institute. He is a Chartered Member of the British Computer Society, has an MBA (Management Consultancy) and is both a PRINCE2 and Change Management Practitioner.

CONTACT

If you are interested in ciChange as a sponsor, speaker or supporter please don’t hesitate to get in contact.

Tim HJ Rogers
Founder ciChange
Twitter: @ciChange
Mobile: +447797762051
http://www. ciChange .org

Adapting to a new environment

One of the first lessons of change is understanding what isn't going to change. It is the solid foundation on which progress is built


TimHJRogers
Consult, CoCreate, Deliver.
www.AdaptConsultingGroup.com
Mob +447797762051
Twitter @timhjrogers

What can business teach us?

What can business teach us?




I was at a networking event and chatting to some people involved in start-ups. They were interested in my experience in the Commonwealth Games and as newly appointed Performance Director for Jersey Rowing Club.

I suggested that the worn-out stories about how sporting effort, focus, goals, commitment can be transferred into business are defunct. They were surprised. In truth it is a very odd bunch that want to push themselves to physical and emotional limits and the idea that these experiences can be applied to business is false.

Here is a real story, with false names…

Colin was moving on from his job and was looking for a successor. He realised that Karen was bright, talented and well placed to do the work. Colin suggested that he’d show Karen all the tasks and let her have a go, so that when the promotion opportunity came she would be ideally placed. To his surprise Karen declined the offer, saying “I’m not paid enough to do that”.

For Colin this was a surprise because as an athlete he always assumed that the hard-work, training and preparation would come before any potential reward. Karen however was more cautious of making a commitment that may not result in a reward.

End of Story

The similarities between Sport and Business are in the people, not the nature of the organisation. Highly motivated people in sport or charity are likely to be highly motivated people in business. It’s not the sport or charity that makes them this way, but the nature and nurture of their experience.

What is more interesting, and not new, is what business can teach Sport. Sir Clive Woodward’s book Winning! is the bible for this and I recommend it to anyone.

I have been appointed ‘Performance Director’ for Jersey Rowing. (See link below) I am interested in what local business leaders can teach a bunch of athletes who are starting to get their heads around the idea of winning the Coastal Rowing World Championships within 5 years.

What do you have to offer?

LINK
http://jrcperformance.blogspot.com/


CONTACT

I am a keen coffee collaborator. You could post a reply, but if you’re in Jersey why not accept an invitation for coffee to discuss.

Tim HJ Rogers
Consult Co-Create Deliver
Mob 447797762051
Web TimHJRogers.com
Twitter @timhjrogers

Some audios about Mindfulness

I have been on an 8 week course on Mindfulness and found these audios very interesting. I have shared this for others who may have similar interests.

http://themindfulnesssummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/20100405-Jack_Kornfield-SR-healing-1.mp3

http://themindfulnesssummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/20101129-Jack_Kornfield-SR-lovingkindness.mp3

http://themindfulnesssummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/A-Few-Mins-of-Mindfulness.mp3

http://themindfulnesssummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Dr-Dan-Seigel-The-Science-of-Mindfulness.mp3

http://themindfulnesssummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Dr-Rick-Hanson-The-Science-of-Mindfulness.mp3

http://themindfulnesssummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Jon-Kabbat-Zinn-The-Science-of-Mindfulness.mp3

http://themindfulnesssummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Kelly-McGonigal-The-Science-of-Mindfulness.mp3

http://themindfulnesssummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/MarkWilliams-MindfulnessMeditations-06-20minSitting.mp3

http://themindfulnesssummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Tara-Brach-The-Science-of-Mindfulness.mp3

http://themindfulnesssummit.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/mindfulnessofbodyandbreath.mp3

Understanding your need for Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness.

At the Leadership Jersey Conference Jeremy Cross talked about the SCARF model

This model helps us understand people's needs (hopes and fears) in relation to leadership and change.

The self assessment test is here...http://www.scarfsolutions.com/selfassessment.aspx


Knowing your preferences within the SCARF model can help you:

Understand your own reactions and those of others
Better regulate your emotions
Better communicate your needs to others
Make choices more suited to your own preferences

STATUS

If status is your biggest driver, you are naturally competitive. You love winning but hate coming second. It might be having the highest sales record, or the owning the latest technology or throwing the most exuberant party that drives you. It could be beating your personal best. Whatever it is, being top is key.

If status rates high in your life, you might need to watch your natural competitive spirit. You might find yourself continuing the argument simply for the sake of winning. Or you might easily be bored if the challenge is missing. You might need to remember to ‘just be.’

You are however motivated by a good contest so look for ways to bring this into your working and personal life. Competition is the norm in sales environments, the legal profession, and sporting clubs. Focus on areas where you have natural ability and can continue to improve.


CERTAINTY

If certainty is your biggest driver, you like things planned well in advance and you don’t like last minute changes. You have a natural affinity with systems and processes. You are a list person and often find yourself the organizer in social and work situations.

With certainty as your biggest driver, be aware that you may naturally limit yourself from doing new (and therefore uncertain) things, even those that could be good for you, like learning new tasks or travelling. You may also react very strongly when people leave things to the last minute or constantly change their mind. Remember they are not doing this just to annoy you!

To feel more reward and less threat with certainty as your key driver involves asking questions to make sure you are clear on expectations. Don’t wait for others to come to you.

AUTONOMY

When autonomy is important, you like being in the driver’s seat. You like calling the shots and don’t like being told what to do or how to do it.

Be aware that you may say no to things simply because they are not your idea. You may also need to remember to give other people the opportunity to choose from time to time!

If autonomy is your biggest driver, find ways to create more choice, even if you have to stick within defined parameters. Ask for where you can have clear autonomy so you can exercise this. And watch out for tasks where you have to follow other people's orders precisely.

RELATEDNESS

If relatedness is your biggest driver, you find it easy to remember things about other people. You always make the effort socially and hate it when others don’t. You find it easy to connect with others and love doing things that make others feel important and special.

When relatedness is your biggest driver, be aware that you may expect more from your friends and colleagues that they can give. You may find yourself easily offended when people don’t respond to invitations or get back to you with answers.

To increase reward and reduce threat around relatedness look for opportunities to connect with others who are important to you. This could be joining a sporting team, organizing an interest group, or phoning family at a certain time each week. Watch out for long terms situations that isolate you from others – such as working on your own.

FAIRNESS

If fairness is your biggest driver, you are happy if beaten by a better player but hate someone who cheats the system. People who jump the queue really get under your skin, but you’ll sign up to a roster that ensures everyone contributes equally.

When fairness is important to you, you might find yourself always speaking up for others when sometimes it’s okay just to let things slide. Fairness tends to dominate all areas of our lives, so in your relationships make room for other feelings such as simply caring for others.

To create more reward and less threat around the domain of fairness, look for ways to get involved. Knowing how decisions are made, or having a say in the process will help. This might be through a career in HR, social justice or policy creation, or getting simply joining in at a community level.

THE AUTHOR

Tim Rogers is an experienced Project and Change Leader. He is founder of ciChange.org and curator for TEDxStHelier.Com . Roles have included Programme Manager for the incorporation of Ports and Jersey, and Jersey Post, as well as Operations Change and Sales Support for RBSI/NatWest. He is also Commonwealth Triathlete and World Championships Rower . He has a passion for learning and has been a Tutor/Mentor for the Chartered Management Institute. He is a Chartered Member of the British Computer Society, has an MBA (Management Consultancy) and is both a PRINCE2 and Change Management Practitioner.

CONTACT

@timhjrogers
Tim@TEDxStHelier.com
447797762051

Wanted Generation-Z partners to tell me how the world really works.

One of the things that makes me most proud running TEDxStHelier is the opportunity to share new ideas and novel thinking and also to give people a voice. You’ll see that this year (2015) TEDxStHelier featured a lot of conversation about education from teachers, pupils and business leaders.

2015TEDxStHelier Videos on-Line at https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tedxsthelier


I attended Leadership Perspectives: Small Island, Big Opportunities @leadershipjsy #leadershipjsy15

I was impressed by Max Bourcier @MaxBourcier, who, like the fantastic students who spoke at TEDx was full of passion, ideas and enthusiasm.

A number of business leaders said wouldn’t it be great to have that type of thinking to invigorate our organisation and challenge our thinking.

My idea is GenZ-Consulting.

To be fair my idea is simply a name, because to truly embrace the concept what I need to do is engage the Generation-Z people and their tutors, teachers, mentors and inspiration and to work with them to co-create something that can benefit business, offer bi-directional mentoring and perhaps do something novel, interesting, informative and worthwhile.

“Problems cannot be solved with the same mind set that created them.” ― Albert Einstein.

So it is madness for a Baby Boomer (me) to talk about Generation-Z things, but I do think there may be mileage and mutual benefit working together. If you are interested in this idea and particularly if you are under the age of 20 please contact me.

CONTACT

@timhjrogers
Tim@TEDxStHelier.com
007797762051


THE AUTHOR

Tim Rogers is an experienced Project and Change Leader. He is founder of ciChange.org and curator for TEDxStHelier.Com . Roles have included Programme Manager for the incorporation of Ports and Jersey, and Jersey Post, as well as Operations Change and Sales Support for RBSI/NatWest. He is also Commonwealth Triathlete and World Championships Rower . He has a passion for learning and has been a Tutor/Mentor for the Chartered Management Institute. He is a Chartered Member of the British Computer Society, has an MBA (Management Consultancy) and is both a PRINCE2 and Change Management Practitioner.