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From Resistance to Renewal 191
Norms range from those that affect how people work together and how power
and authority are used to those influencing how people are recognized and
rewarded. Norms can also include subtle behaviors such as communication
and signs of stress. Whether overt or subtle, understanding the undocu-
mented, or “shadow,” organization, as it is sometimes called, is a critical skill
for the leader who is assuming new responsibilities. If organizational renewal
and growth are to be maximized, the influence of norms on what, how, and
why behavior and events occur must be understood.
The best time to begin influencing the climate and culture is during your
first days, weeks, and months on the job. This must happen as you help peo-
ple learn about and understand what is important in their culture and the pos-
itive as well as negative impact it has on them.
When Andrew was assigned as department head in a medium-sized
accounting firm, he had been forewarned about the culture he would inherit.
This department had been marginally profitable for the preceding four years.
Management had been somewhat laissez-faire, more concerned with work-
force job satisfaction and autonomy than with productivity. It was a very nice
place to work. Predictably, the culture strongly resisted efforts to change:
■ Most professionals maintained an eight-hour workday, regardless of
impending customer deadlines or the workload. Members of the execu-
tive team typically were the only ones in the building after 5 p.m. Com-
pensatory time was taken liberally, especially for travel. Some would
travel only between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., even if the travel time extended
the trip by a day. If West Coast work required Saturday travel, they took
the following Monday off. If Chicago travel would get them home after
7 p.m., some would stay overnight in a Chicago hotel, or travel late and
take the next day off.
■ Managers did not assign work; rather, they offered work to employees,
who often felt free to reject it depending on their tastes, like or dislike of
travel, and matters of convenience. Managers had to ask workers
whether they would take on work, and they often had to practically beg
people to take on jobs that required travel. Frequently managers ended
up doing difficult or inconvenient jobs themselves.
■ By failing at or otherwise resisting work they did not enjoy, some work-
ers had carved out rather undemanding jobs for themselves. Since there
was not enough of what they liked to fill a workday, these people were