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If you would like to see your results of the survey, e-mail your reposnses to me at wendell@seaborneleadership.com or fax them to me at (317) 863-0926 and I will send them back to you for a nominal fee. If you wish several respondents from one organization, please e-mail me. I will set it up for electronic responses. You will be pleasantly surprised!
All responses are completely confidential—discussions will include only the aggregate scores.
Readiness to Change
In this first section, key elements of change readiness are listed with a short description to help in determining a score. Please rate your company on each item by entering a number for each. Enter “5” for a high ranking ("We’re good at this: I'm confident of our skills here"); “3” for a medium score (“We're spotty here; we could use improvement or more experience"); and “1” for a low score ("We’ve had problems with this; this is new to our organization!').
Please use the following scale in scoring each item.
1 2 3 4 5
Poor Some problems Okay, but… Pretty good Outstanding
SPONSORSHIP The sponsor of change is not necessarily its day‑to‑day leader. He or she is the visionary, chief cheerleader, and bill payer--the person with the power to help the team change when it meets resistance. Give five points--change will be easier--if sponsorship comes at a senior level; for example, CEO, COO, or the head of an autonomous business unit. Weakest sponsors: midlevel executives or staff officers.
LEADERSHIP This means the day‑to‑day leadership--the people who call the meetings, set the goals, and work until midnight. Successful change is more likely if leadership is high level, has ownership, (that is, direct responsibility for what's ‑ to be changed) and has clear business results in mind. Low‑level leadership, or leadership that is not well connected throughout the organization (across departments) or that comes from staff is less likely to succeed and should be scored low.
MOTIVATION High points for a strong sense of urgency from senior management, which is shared by the rest of the company, and for a corporate culture that already emphasizes continuous improvement. Negative: tradition bound managers and workers, many of whom have been in their jobs for more than 15 years; a conservative culture discourages risk taking.
DIRECTION Does senior management strongly believe that the future should look different from the present? How clear is management's picture of the future? Can management mobilize all relevant parties--employees, the board, customers, etc.--for action? High points for positive answers to those questions. If senior management thinks minor change is needed, the likely outcome is no change at all; score yourself low.
MEASURMENTS Or in consultant‑speak, "metrics." High points if you already use performance of the sort encouraged by total quality management (defect rates, time to market, etc.) and if these express the economics of the business. Medium points if some measures exist but compensation and reward systems do not explicitly reinforce them. If you don't have measures in place or don't know what we're talking about, one point.
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT How does the change effort connect to other major goings‑on in the organization? For example: Does it dovetail with a continuing total quality management process? Does it fit with strategic actions such as acquisitions or new product lines? Trouble lies ahead for a change effort that is isolated or if there are multiple change efforts whose relationships are not linked strategically.
PROCESSES/FUNCTIONS Major changes almost invariably require redesigning business processes that cut across functions such as purchasing, accounts payable, or marketing. If functional executives are rigidly turf conscious, change will be difficult. Give yourself more points if they--and the organization as a whole--are more willing to change critical processes and sacrifice perks or power for the good of the group.
COMPETITOR BENCHMARKING Whether you are a leader in your industry or a laggard give yourself points for a continuing program that objectively compares your company's performance with that of competitors and systematically examines changes in your market. Give yourself one point if knowledge of competitors abilities is primarily anecdotal--what sales representatives say at the bar.
CUSTOMER FOCUS The more everyone in the company is imbued with knowledge of customers, the more likely that the organization can agree to change to serve them better. High points if everyone in the work force knows whom his or her customers are, knows their needs, and has had direct contact with them. Take away points if that knowledge is confined to pockets of the organization (sales and marketing, senior executives).
REWARDS Change is easier if managers and employees are rewarded for taking risks, being innovative and looking for new solutions. Team‑based rewards are better than rewards based solely on individual achievement. Reduce points if your company, like most, rewards continuity over change. If managers become heroes for making budget, they won't take risks even if you say you want them to. And, if employees believe failure will be punished, reduce points.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE The best situation is a flexible organization with little churn--that is reorganizations are rare and well received. Score yourself lower if you have a rigid structure that has been unchanged for more than five years or has undergone frequent reorganization with little success. That may signal a cynical company culture that fights change by waiting it out.
COMMUNICATION A company will adapt to change most readily if it has many means of two‑way communication that reach all levels of the organization and that all employees use and understand. If communications media are few, often trashed unread, and almost exclusively one-way and top‑down, change will be more difficult.
ORGANIZATIONAL HIERARCHY The fewer levels of hierarchy and the fewer employee grade levels, the more likely an effort to change will succeed. A thick layer of middle management and staff not only slows decision‑making but also creates large numbers of people with the power to block change.
PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH CHANGE Score high if the organization has successfully implemented major changes in the recent past. Score one if there is no prior experience with major change or if change efforts failed or left a legacy of anger or resentment. Most companies will score in the middle, acknowledging equivocal success in previous attempts to change.
MORALE Change is easier if employees enjoy working in the organization and the level of individual responsibility is high. Signs of unreadiness to change are low team spirit, little voluntary extra effort, and mistrust. Look for two types of mistrust--between management and employees, and between or among departments.
INNOVATION Best situation: The company is always experimenting--new ideas are implemented with seemingly little effort; employees work across internal boundaries without much trouble. Bad signs: lots of red tape, multiple signoffs required before new ideas are tried; employees must go through channels and are discouraged from working with colleagues from other departments or divisions.
DECISION-MAKING Rate yourself high if decisions are made quickly and take into account a wide variety of suggestions. Rate high if it is clear where decisions are made. Give yourself a low grade if decisions come slowly and are made by a mysterious "them"; there is a lot of conflict during the process, and confusion and finger pointing after decisions are announced.
Leadership Behaviors
In this second section, key leadership behaviors are listed. Please rate your supervisor or manager on each item by entering a number for each statement. Indicate how often each item is true of your company’s top management.
Please use the following scale in answering each item.
1 2 3 4 5
Never Occasionally Sometimes Often Always
The results will be more helpful if you think about each item and distinguish the things that top management really does all the time from the things that they do seldom or never.
He or she…
1. Thinks very clearly and logically.
2. Shows high levels of support and concern for others.
3. Shows exceptional ability to mobilize people and resources to get things done
4. Inspires others to do their best.
5. Strongly emphasizes careful planning and clear time lines.
6. Builds trust through open and collaborative relationships.
7. Is very skilled and shrewd in negotiation.
8. Is highly charismatic.
9. Approaches problems through logical analysis and careful thinking.
10. Shows high sensitivity and concern for others' needs and feelings.
11. Is unusually persuasive and influential.
12. Is an inspiration to others.
13. Develops and implements clear, logical policies and procedures.
14. Fosters high levels of participation and involvement in decisions.
15. Anticipates and deals effectively and efficiently with organizational conflict.
16. Is highly imaginative and creative.
17. Approaches problems with facts and logic.
18. Is consistently helpful and responsive to others.
19. Is very effective in getting support from people with influence and power.
20. Communicates a strong and challenging vision and sense of mission.
21. Sets specific, measurable goals and hold people accountable for results.
22. Listens well and are unusually receptive to other people's ideas and input.
23. Is politically very sensitive and skillful.
24. Sees beyond current realities to create exciting new opportunities.
25. Exhibits extraordinary attention to detail.
26. Gives personal recognition for work well done.
27. Develops alliances to build a strong base of support.
28. Generates loyalty and enthusiasm.
29. Strongly believes in clear structure and a chain of command.
30. Is a highly participative management person.
31. Succeeds in the face of conflict and opposition.
32. Serves as an influential model of organizational aspirations and values.
Leadership Skills and Traits
In this third section, key leadership skills and traits are listed. Please rate your supervisor or manager on each item by entering a ranking for each skill or trait.
Please use the following rating scale for this section.
1 2 3 4
Least describes Second least Second best/most Best/most describes
For each item, enter the number "1" before the phrase that least describes your company’s top management, "2" before the item that is next least, and on down to "4" for the item that is most like top management.
You will use all four numbers once, but only once, on each item given. Please enter each number only once—no ties between two choices please.
1. My supervisor or manager’s strongest skill is:
_____ a. Analytic skills
_____ b. Interpersonal skills
_____ c. Political skills
_____ d. Ability to excite and motivate
2. The best way to describe him or her is:
_____ a. Technical expert
_____ b. Good listener
_____ c. Skilled negotiator
_____ d. Inspirational leader
3. What he or she does best is:
_____ a. Make good decisions
_____ b. Coach and develop people
_____ c. Build strong alliances and a power base
_____ d. Energize and inspire others
4. What people are most likely to notice about him or her is:
_____ a. Attention to detail
_____ b. Concern for people
_____ c. Ability to succeed, in the face of conflict and opposition
_____ d. Charisma.
5. My supervisor or manager's most important leadership trait is:
_____ a. Clear, logical thinking
_____ b. Caring and support for others
_____ c. Toughness and aggressiveness
_____ d. Imagination and creativity
6. He or she is best described as:
_____ a. Analyst
_____ b. Humanist
_____ c. Politician
_____ d. Visionary
Change in the Workplace
Below you will find a list of activities or events, each representing something that could change within a business organization. Please indicate how much change you have noticed in each of the items over the last year by circling the appropriate number from the following scale:
1 2 3 4 5
Almost none A Little Some Quite a bit A great deal
Over the last year or so, I have noticed changes in…
1. the backgrounds of people being hired
2. the use of systems for monitoring and controlling purposes
3. how people’s activities are monitored
4. the make-up or background of our executive leadership team
5. the nature of the products/services we deliver
6. the number of management layers
7. the likelihood that top executives will be brought in from the outside
8. reporting relationships affecting large groups of people
9. the power or influence certain jobs or people seem to have
10. the power or function of one department relative to another
11. our mission statement
12. the amount of rules and procedures
13. what is considered to be important around here
14. our organization chart
15. methods used to reward people
16. the nature of the markets or customers we serve
17. the power or influence of certain departments or functions
18. where or how decisions are authorized
19. the number of staff positions
20. the freedom to act on one’s own authority
21. the exercise of budgetary control
22. business strategy
23. the types of people being hired
24. the company’s emphasis on growth
Thanks for your participation.
Wendell
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