Comments on: Leading Change When There Is No Sense of Urgency: The Women of Tibet http://riverforkconsulting.com/2010/01/03/leading-change-when-there-is-no-sense-of-urgency-the-women-of-tibet/ Change by Design: Insight at the intersection of work+life Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:32:46 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: @RiverFork http://riverforkconsulting.com/2010/01/03/leading-change-when-there-is-no-sense-of-urgency-the-women-of-tibet/comment-page-1/#comment-983 @RiverFork Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:53:17 +0000 http://riverforkconsulting.com/?p=1597#comment-983 Thanks for the comments and welcome! Establishing a sense of urgency is absolutely a good strategy and important when those you're trying to influence perceive a sense of urgency. And, there are plenty of examples where creating a sense of urgency either doesn't work and takes a painfully long time. E.g. Climate change. Through the unwavering passion and dedication of people like Al Gore and others, climate change is NOW seen as urgent. Not all that long ago, however, it was not. So the question is - how do you create a sense of urgency when there isn't one? Is it just a matter of time and perserverance? There are other ways to lead change and influence people other than a sense of urgency. For example, create a sense of purpose - something people are emotionally and spiritually drawn to. Not every case for change has a sense of urgency. Kotter's model, and most change management programs today, skim the surface of change management. I'm looking to explore at a deeper level. Thanks again for the insightful comments! Melissa Thanks for the comments and welcome! Establishing a sense of urgency is absolutely a good strategy and important when those you're trying to influence perceive a sense of urgency. And, there are plenty of examples where creating a sense of urgency either doesn't work and takes a painfully long time. E.g. Climate change. Through the unwavering passion and dedication of people like Al Gore and others, climate change is NOW seen as urgent. Not all that long ago, however, it was not. So the question is – how do you create a sense of urgency when there isn't one? Is it just a matter of time and perserverance? There are other ways to lead change and influence people other than a sense of urgency. For example, create a sense of purpose – something people are emotionally and spiritually drawn to. Not every case for change has a sense of urgency. Kotter's model, and most change management programs today, skim the surface of change management. I'm looking to explore at a deeper level. Thanks again for the insightful comments!
Melissa

]]> By: @clastennet http://riverforkconsulting.com/2010/01/03/leading-change-when-there-is-no-sense-of-urgency-the-women-of-tibet/comment-page-1/#comment-980 @clastennet Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:38:42 +0000 http://riverforkconsulting.com/?p=1597#comment-980 Hi Melissa, many thanks for this post and generally for your blog, which I've recently come across. You can consider that you have a new reader from France, where I am based! I'd like to bring a slightly different perspective on Kotter and the sense of urgency. I couldn't agree with you more when you say that change is really hard when stakeholders don't see the need for it; and I think this is precisely why establishing a sense of urgency is so important! The climate change issue has indeed gone on top of the world political agenda because facts and messages have been relayed by people, like Al Gore, that have helped establishing the sense of urgency: the need to act now before it's too late. As you say not all changes start with a sense of urgency but I think it definately helps the process. Looking forward to more conversations! Hi Melissa, many thanks for this post and generally for your blog, which I've recently come across. You can consider that you have a new reader from France, where I am based! I'd like to bring a slightly different perspective on Kotter and the sense of urgency. I couldn't agree with you more when you say that change is really hard when stakeholders don't see the need for it; and I think this is precisely why establishing a sense of urgency is so important! The climate change issue has indeed gone on top of the world political agenda because facts and messages have been relayed by people, like Al Gore, that have helped establishing the sense of urgency: the need to act now before it's too late. As you say not all changes start with a sense of urgency but I think it definately helps the process. Looking forward to more conversations!

]]> By: RiverFork http://riverforkconsulting.com/2010/01/03/leading-change-when-there-is-no-sense-of-urgency-the-women-of-tibet/comment-page-1/#comment-852 RiverFork Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:28:56 +0000 http://riverforkconsulting.com/?p=1597#comment-852 Awesome John! Keep me in the loop. Melissa Awesome John! Keep me in the loop.
Melissa

]]> By: RiverFork http://riverforkconsulting.com/2010/01/03/leading-change-when-there-is-no-sense-of-urgency-the-women-of-tibet/comment-page-1/#comment-851 RiverFork Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:28:35 +0000 http://riverforkconsulting.com/?p=1597#comment-851 Awesome John! Keep in the loop! ~Melissa Awesome John! Keep in the loop!
~Melissa

]]> By: John Roberts http://riverforkconsulting.com/2010/01/03/leading-change-when-there-is-no-sense-of-urgency-the-women-of-tibet/comment-page-1/#comment-850 John Roberts Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:08:22 +0000 http://riverforkconsulting.com/?p=1597#comment-850 Your suggestions are intriguing. We do have some contacts, particularly with Lodi Gyari of the International Campaign for Tibet, which might be able to serve as a catalyst for this kind of meeting. In late 2008, the Dalai Lama convened a special meeting of Tibetan exile community leaders from around the world in Dharamsala to debate the approach to India. They split into working groups to assess what works and what doesn't and then delivered a communique on their results. A core problem is that so long as the Dalai Lama and exile community advocate talks with China, it is hard for them to endorse an approach that might use economic pressure on China's regime. Anything that could be construed as hurting the Chinese government could also be counterproductive to their aim of engaging China's leadership in a meaningful dialogue about the future. The kind of conference you suggest would have to be organized by friends of Tibet outside of the exile community, with the exile organizations perhaps invited to send observers. This is definitely an idea worth pursuing, and I'm grateful to you for the suggestion. Thanks, Melissa. Your suggestions are intriguing. We do have some contacts, particularly with Lodi Gyari of the International Campaign for Tibet, which might be able to serve as a catalyst for this kind of meeting. In late 2008, the Dalai Lama convened a special meeting of Tibetan exile community leaders from around the world in Dharamsala to debate the approach to India. They split into working groups to assess what works and what doesn't and then delivered a communique on their results. A core problem is that so long as the Dalai Lama and exile community advocate talks with China, it is hard for them to endorse an approach that might use economic pressure on China's regime. Anything that could be construed as hurting the Chinese government could also be counterproductive to their aim of engaging China's leadership in a meaningful dialogue about the future. The kind of conference you suggest would have to be organized by friends of Tibet outside of the exile community, with the exile organizations perhaps invited to send observers. This is definitely an idea worth pursuing, and I'm grateful to you for the suggestion.
Thanks, Melissa.

]]> By: Lucie Newcomb http://riverforkconsulting.com/2010/01/03/leading-change-when-there-is-no-sense-of-urgency-the-women-of-tibet/comment-page-1/#comment-722 Lucie Newcomb Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:28:40 +0000 http://riverforkconsulting.com/?p=1597#comment-722 DItto on both counts, Melissa! Many thanks, indeed. Nice follow-on post, BTW, but I'll leave room for others to come forward at this time. See you on the stars for now! DItto on both counts, Melissa! Many thanks, indeed.
Nice follow-on post, BTW, but I'll leave room for others to come forward at this time. See you on the stars for now!

]]> By: RiverFork http://riverforkconsulting.com/2010/01/03/leading-change-when-there-is-no-sense-of-urgency-the-women-of-tibet/comment-page-1/#comment-717 RiverFork Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:03:53 +0000 http://riverforkconsulting.com/?p=1597#comment-717 May it be so! Thanks Lucie. You are bright light in my days. I hope we get to meet in person some day! Namaste ~Melissa May it be so! Thanks Lucie. You are bright light in my days. I hope we get to meet in person some day!
Namaste
~Melissa

]]> By: Lucie http://riverforkconsulting.com/2010/01/03/leading-change-when-there-is-no-sense-of-urgency-the-women-of-tibet/comment-page-1/#comment-716 Lucie Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:58:57 +0000 http://riverforkconsulting.com/?p=1597#comment-716 Don't forget "sincere", Melissa! ; ) Seriously, thank you, and thank you for offering bold initiatives like the above meeting - Your comment about the need to unify factions and focus messaging and efforts is so accurate; perhaps a Design/Systems approach will also reveal levels of complexity/issues that are affecting the scenario but generally unseen. So often in these complex conflicts, it seems like there's a poisonous gas invisibly snuffing out the best of intentions and sincere negotiations because surface-level issues only tell parts of the story. While I'm still reading Tim's book, I have a sense that Design, like the Appreciative Inquiry and Systems Thinking methodologies, would reveal the full complement of issues in a non-abrasive way for a total solution to be devised and implemented. Your plan sounds like a great first step towards opening up this space, even just at the discussion level. May it be so! Namaste. - Lucie Don't forget "sincere", Melissa! ; ) Seriously, thank you, and thank you for offering bold initiatives like the above meeting – Your comment about the need to unify factions and focus messaging and efforts is so accurate; perhaps a Design/Systems approach will also reveal levels of complexity/issues that are affecting the scenario but generally unseen.

So often in these complex conflicts, it seems like there's a poisonous gas invisibly snuffing out the best of intentions and sincere negotiations because surface-level issues only tell parts of the story. While I'm still reading Tim's book, I have a sense that Design, like the Appreciative Inquiry and Systems Thinking methodologies, would reveal the full complement of issues in a non-abrasive way for a total solution to be devised and implemented. Your plan sounds like a great first step towards opening up this space, even just at the discussion level. May it be so!

Namaste. – Lucie

]]> By: The Eightfold Path of Leading Change by Design :: RiverFork Consulting | Change by Design http://riverforkconsulting.com/2010/01/03/leading-change-when-there-is-no-sense-of-urgency-the-women-of-tibet/comment-page-1/#comment-714 The Eightfold Path of Leading Change by Design :: RiverFork Consulting | Change by Design Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:29:28 +0000 http://riverforkconsulting.com/?p=1597#comment-714 [...] A few days back, I wrote about the Tibetan Women’s Uprising in 1959 in my post titled “Leading Change When There Is No Sense of Urgency: The Women of Tibet.” In this post, I made a commitment to dedicate my next article in honor of the these women [...] [...] A few days back, I wrote about the Tibetan Women’s Uprising in 1959 in my post titled “Leading Change When There Is No Sense of Urgency: The Women of Tibet.” In this post, I made a commitment to dedicate my next article in honor of the these women [...]

]]> By: RiverFork http://riverforkconsulting.com/2010/01/03/leading-change-when-there-is-no-sense-of-urgency-the-women-of-tibet/comment-page-1/#comment-712 RiverFork Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:17:16 +0000 http://riverforkconsulting.com/?p=1597#comment-712 John, Thank you for your insightful comments and the pointers to your web site <a href="http://www.freeingtibet.com" target="_blank">www.freeingtibet.com</a> and your book, "Freeing Tibet: 50 Years of Struggle, Resilience, and Hope." One question I think is worth exploring is "How might we better organize to Free Tibet?" There are so many different organizations with a focus on freeing Tibet. As a result, the impact, the message, the focus is diluted. I would love to see a meeting with the Dalai Lama, Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO.com (a design thinking company that focuses on social issues as well), an expert in the thinking and views of the Chinese government, and a few other key stakeholders. I would love to see a retrospective about what's working and what's not working? Are the goals the same? Who can help really make a difference? We need some innovation around the campaign to free Tibet. Do you have any connections to make a meeting like that happen? Again, thanks for your comments! Namaste ~ Melissa John,
Thank you for your insightful comments and the pointers to your web site http://www.freeingtibet.com
and your book, "Freeing Tibet: 50 Years of Struggle, Resilience, and Hope." One question I think is worth exploring is "How might we better organize to Free Tibet?" There are so many different organizations with a focus on freeing Tibet. As a result, the impact, the message, the focus is diluted. I would love to see a meeting with the Dalai Lama, Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO.com (a design thinking company that focuses on social issues as well), an expert in the thinking and views of the Chinese government, and a few other key stakeholders. I would love to see a retrospective about what's working and what's not working? Are the goals the same? Who can help really make a difference? We need some innovation around the campaign to free Tibet. Do you have any connections to make a meeting like that happen?

Again, thanks for your comments!
Namaste ~
Melissa

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