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"Unwritten" Rules Can Block Change

9/23/2014

About 70% of changes in all organizations fail, says research from McKinsey and Company (http://bit.ly/1woQGIJ). Rick Maurer, author of Beyond the Wall of Resistance, cites one of the key reasons: Many organizational cultures function with two opposing sets of rules.

The “official” rules—often appearing on company websites and employee handbooks—are the ones where the organization claims to value innovation, teamwork, inclusiveness, and open communication. The “unofficial” rules—often learned the hard way by those who follow the first set and find themselves in the proverbial doghouse—are change-blockers. They reward conformity, competitiveness, even secrecy. (http://bit.ly/1BS1ijE)

We have, unfortunately, witnessed this too many times. Successful change is enabled by a climate of engagement and dialogue in which new ideas and creative collaboration are encouraged—and not just espoused. Leaders who genuinely want to facilitate change in a world where change is critical to survival must courageously assess whether counter-productive rules exist, and do all in their power to align their organization’s aspirational goals with its real ones.

We want to hear. Can you give us an example of any unwritten rules you have run up against, and how those rules had an impact on organizational change? Join the conversation and click "comments" on our Community of Practice Forum.

4 Comments

Dr. David Illig link

9/23/2014 02:40:16 am

One of the main things I have done over the past years is to practice learning what various groups "say" they believe, say they practice, say they value, say they prioritize, say they dislike, etc. etc. but which their behavior is often far different, even the opposite.

But more interestingly, they have no CONSCIOUS awareness that their behavior does not match. They can simultaneously maintain beliefs and perceptions, while behaviors and actions do not match. It is caused by subconscious/unconscious processes they prefer to believe don't exist and don't influence.

Furthermore, groups or organizations can have immense "blind spots" that are totally apparent to naive outsiders, but are almost totally invisible to insiders. Again, this is unintentional and is a "brain" thing. Our individual brains have layers and layers of operations, sometimes in total contradiction. Groups of these layered brains can create even more amazing phenomena that the group is unaware of at the conscious level.

I know one prominent occupation that is hugely blocked to the common concept of "audience." Occupations that regularly work with audiences are amazed that such a prominent occupation can be so unaware and distorted about something that is totally obvious in their own fields. I call this concept of blindness; "The Magic Word."

The concept of The Magic Word refers to what a group or organization is unable to "see" "understand" "process" "make use of", compared to how most others CAN see it and make use of it.

It's like an entire organization unconsciously blocks out that there is a 16 foot tall purple dragon living in the organization. And everybody in the organization is consciously unaware that its there. Outsiders can see it immediately, and are shocked. Insiders say: "What are you talking about? You must be crazy." Their conscious minds can't/don't see it. They aren't intentionally hiding anything… its a brain thing.

What "magic words" or purple dragons exist in your organization or the organizations you work with? What's going on here that we can't see or notice… What is going on at their place that they can't consciously see/notice/sense/ believe…. etc?
All this brought up by the Glasers who make us all more insightful...

susan

9/24/2014 12:02:56 am

Thank you, Dr. Illig, for so generously sharing the insights you have gathered from your lifetime studying and teaching about what you call the "subconscious brain thing." It is fascinating -- and important -- to ponder what the "purple dragons" are in our organizations that prevent positive change from happening.

ann

9/23/2014 03:59:50 am

I'm not sure if others can relate to my particular culture or not, so putting this out to see. :) It seems that no matter what ideas are put forth, the idea matters less than who it comes from. (This relates a bit to the excellent bully discussion recently here.)

I think that any time any official rules are written, thee will have to be departures from them because they can't predict every exigence that occurs in 'real time.' My organization has actually changed quite a bit during the past few years; however, whatever changes that occur seem to be the result of a few at the 'top.'

Thanks for putting out such interesting and relevant topics.

9/24/2014 12:11:23 am

Thanks Ann. You have definitely identified what appears to be a deep influence dynamic: People are persuaded by people -- more than information. Sometimes this is quite helpful: We learn to trust a person's character, intellect, and good will and so are more likely to believe what comes from that person. However there is also a toxic element where stereotypes have an undue impact on who people believe. And once we create a negative belief system about a person, it becomes unlikely that the content of what they say will be persuasive to us. We need to be vigilant on both sides of this dynamic.

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"Unwritten" Rules Can Block Change

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