Michelle

The language we use as leaders shapes workplace culture. It plays a critical role in psychological safety. Our words (& the way we communicate) can encourage the experimentation & risk-taking we want our teams to demonstrate for innovation & improvement. It can also stifle initiative. @tom_geraghty sets out "seven deadly sins of psychological safety" - the most common/damaging things leaders say that crush psychological safety in the workplace: 1) “That’s a terrible idea.” 2) “You should know that by now.” 3) “Whose fault is this?” 4)“Everyone is replaceable.” 5)“Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions.” 6)“Just get it done.” 7) “Not now, I’m too busy.” psychsafety.co.uk/the-seven-…. @tnvora has translated them into a brilliant graphic: qaspire.com/7-deadly-sins-of….

What should we do to influence large groups of people to change their behaviour? The most comprehensive synthesis of studies on behaviour change ever undertaken has been published & offers some clear steers: 1) For behaviour change at an individual level: - giving accurate information or trying to change beliefs is less effective - providing social support, tapping into individuals’ behavioural skills/habits & removing practical obstacles to behaviour is more effective 2) For behaviour change at a social/structural level: - interventions seeking to increase trustworthiness or targeting knowledge, general attitudes, beliefs, or mandates or other administrative/legal sanctions have negligible effect - access to resources that facilitate behaviour change & social support have the greatest impact asc.upenn.edu/news-events/ne…. Via @AnnenbergPenn Karen Lord

Making change happen across a system of different organisations & groups is different to managing change within a single organisation. @CollaborateCIC is a great source for approaches to system change. They use the term "system activist" rather than "system leader", as mobilising for change in a system doesn't always need formal power. They say that becoming a system activist requires a fundamental change in the way we think & feel about our work & our own role in it. They suggest seven shifts that system activists make: 1) From Organisations to Outcomes: They know that collaboration beyond the boundaries of their role/organisation is needed to improve outcomes. 2) From Management to Mobilisation: They recognise that they can't rely only on the formal authority of their role & need to build informal authority to influence & generate action by others. 3) From Me to We: They know that their perspective on the challenge & its possible solutions, is partial & limited. 4) From Expert to Explorer: They navigate through uncertainty & adopt a learning approach, guiding others through that. 5) From Delivery to Co-creation: They recognise that disagreement is inevitable & have the ability to harness it productively; they distribute power & put people with lived experience at the heart of decision-making. 6) From Expectations to Agency: They recognise that the patterns, rules & behaviours that have sustained the systems’ old ways of functioning may also need to change. 7) From Head to Heart: System activists recognise that they are a part of the system they are trying to change & they need to change as much as everyone else. collaboratecic.com/insights-…. Via @annarandle

"Building organisational culture from the middle out". Having a positive culture predicts high performance. People often think that it is senior leaders who should define/articulate/role model a healthy culture & mid level leaders who should enact/endorse it. However research newly published in @MITsmr shows the critical role mid level leaders play in developing/enriching the culture. It's through exchanges that support work teams to accomplish their tasks & the practice of daily behaviours, in line with values. It's great to see research that spotlights the contribution of middle managers: sloanreview.mit.edu/article/…. I teamed this article with a graphic by @GapingvoidArt

Storytelling is a key skill in leadership for change. It enables us to connect with people at the level of values & inspire everyone to take action. Leaders of large scale change need to be able to: 1) Understand our story so well that we can describe it in simple terms 2) Honour the past, building on our existing strengths 3) Articulate a compelling mandate for change 4) Describe a rigorous & optimistic path forward hbr.org/2023/11/storytelling… By @FrancesFrei & @annemorriss. I have partnered the article with a compelling graphic from @tnvora