Canadian Government Executive - Volume 22 - Issue 2

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20 / Canadian Government Executive // February 2016
Middle Management John Wilkins
• Work on attitude by choosing every day to take command of
keeping it positive; and
• Plough through by counting your blessings and remaining resil-
ient.
What middle managers can do
The pressure on government to secure better choices, results,
and accountability is intensifying. Leaders struggle with rapidly
evolving technology, open data, and horizontal integration. Man-
aging change while the work keeps changing requires public in-
stitutions to master change management to be change-effective.
Middle managers must embrace change as a constant. Think-
ing ‘this is our policy’ or ‘this is the way we do things around here’
only works for so long. They know how to manage expectations
upward when leaders feel threatened by change, focus too much
on doing things their way, or fail to motivate others. They also
make room for mavericks to topple the status quo.
Middle managers need to model the fundamentals of achieving
successful change. They know what inhibits change and innova-
tion, how to effectively lead new initiatives, how to engage teams
in new strategies, and how to get staff to drive sustainable innova-
tions.
When the organization or its people get in a rut, middle manag-
ers can help everyone be honest about where things are going by
rekindling passion and purpose. The trick is to change what can
be changed, starting with your own attitude. Middle managers
must persist in not allowing the ruts of life and work to keep them
down.
NEXT ISSUE: Complexity
John Wilkins is Associate Director, Public Management with
the Schulich School of Business, York University (jwilkins@
). He was a career public service manager in
Canada and a Commonwealth Diplomat.
C hange is necessary and inevitable. While it may pro-
duce conflict, without change there will almost certainly
be conflict. Change is also hard, especially when ten-
sions mount, people object, and leadership is tested. It
is hardest to accept and implement when there is:
1. No recent change. Change becomes comfortable when it oc-
curs regularly. When nothing has changed in a long time, peo-
ple get uncomfortable and resist. Easing into small changes
and quick wins stretches the comfort level and spurs the hun-
ger for more change.
2. No culture of change. Sometimes people are conditioned
against change. Regardless of policy intentions, it springs up as
culture that takes years to change. Rooting out conformity and
complacency is a precondition of change.
3. No vision for change. Some people never agree with change of
any kind, no matter how clear. Opposition is likely when there
is no compelling reason for change. Persistent communication
helps explain why change is needed.
4. No obvious change leader. People follow leaders they trust.
When no one capable owns the vision of change, people back
off. It is vital when implementing change that leaders are in
place to carry the charge for change.
5. No guaranteed benefits of change. Change moves us into the
unknown. Anything worthwhile usually comes with risk. Peo-
ple object when the return on risk cannot be discerned. Lead-
ership bridges the tension between the comfort of where we
are and the potential of where we could be.
Stuck in a rut?
None of these scenarios is reason not to change. Understanding
them can help navigate through change. American author Hel-
en Keller said: “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.
Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” The flip side
is that many find themselves stuck in a rut, feeling unable to man-
age or cope with change.
A Forbes Magazine article revealed the results of recent Right
Management and Mercer surveys:
• Only 35% of North American workers are satisfied with their
jobs;
• Nearly two-thirds (65%) are not happy at work; and
• Between 28% and 56% of employees in 17 places around the
world want to leave their jobs.
There is a good chance that someone you know is among the sta-
tistics of those who would bolt if given the chance. For economic
reasons, many choose to stay, although their heart is just not in it.
Antidotes to being stuck in a rut include:
• Come clean about feelings to create space to think about where
you want to go;
• Renew purpose and passion by taking time to recharge your bat-
teries and gain fresh perspective;
• Become an agent of change by initiating constructive first steps
to shake things up;
The only constant … Change
And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
— T.S. ELIOT (1942): LITTLE GIDDING