GreenSource America, Live!

Green-tings Everyone!

GreenSource America (www.greensourceamerica.com) is now “in production” and expanding in the Brandywine Valley.

The public section of our site includes:

• Home page (featured story, news, updates)
• About page (various bits of information on GSA and Contact Us function)
• Greens page (assorted articles on green topics of interest)

The subscriber section of our site includes:

• My Backyard page (local events, news, information and links)
• Green Directory (a directory for local businesses with green products and services)
• Discussion page (faq and forums)

We anticipate the site opening for new subscribers in the northern Delaware area and Chester and Delaware counties in Pennsylvania in about a week. Until then, the subscriber portion of the site will only be accessible to users who request access through ITSTRAGHTTALK.com (or happen to be the friend of a company founder).

If you are not currently a subscriber and wish to be one, please send me an email and I’ll take care of getting you access.

If you are interested in GreenSourceAmerica from a business perspective (i.e. you are interested in joining our team, advertising on the site or have questions on becoming an investor), please use the Contact Us form on the About page.

We anticipate expanding into the Chagrin Valley (southeast Cleveland suburbs) and Central Florida (secret location) by the end of March.

Look for more news here, or subscribe to the News or Updates RSS feeds on the web site.

Have a great time on the site and let me know what you think!

Happy New Year!

Well, better late than never – or perhaps I’m just early for Chinese New Year.

Thanks to all who emailed or called over the holiday season. It’s always great to catch up with old friends and colleagues.

Since my last post, I’ve been busy setting up a new beta site for GreenSource, working with our developers to make functional modifications to the site and with a graphic designer on a new icon/logo that will eventually morph into a new skin for the site. It’s all quite exciting. We should have the new site operational in about two weeks, so look for more news then.

As always, thanks for reading and be sure to shoot me an email if there are any new ITST topics you’d like to discuss (I’m working on an ITIL v.3 post right now and am always open to suggestions).

Update: GreenSource America, LLC and Relocation

It’s been quite a busy fourth quarter, so here is a quick update on GreenSource.

The GSA startup continues to take up the bulk of my time, primarily with site modifications based on subscriber and advertiser/sponsor feedback. Due to where we are in the Proof of Concept, the site that the public can access is very limited (with few updates) and will remain so until the first quarter of 2010.

Since my last post, I’ve relocated to Pepper Pike, OH (a southeast Cleveland suburb). This move will help me take a more hands-on role with the POC for this metro area, as well as lend some assistance to senior parents.

My IT and OCM consulting engagements also continue, as more companies are challenged by the economy to do more with fewer resources.

If you are in the Greater Cleveland Area and wish to learn more about GreenSource and how we’ll be expanding post-POC (or just wish to network with another IT Exec), drop me an email.

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions!

Introducing GreenSource America, LLC

A few posts ago, I alluded to a “Green” Program that I was working on with a few partners and investors.

The name of our new venture/company is GreenSource America, LLC. My role is that of Chief Operations Officer, and I have been working with service providers on setting up business processes and supporting web technology. We’ve now made the site public and are developing content for several metropolitan areas in the U.S. The web site is www.greensourceamerica.com.

The company mission is to be the premier source for local “Green” products and services. Members will be able to gain a perspective on “Green” topics across various categories (a framework for “going green”) and be able to search for locally supplied products and services (usually with some sort of GreenSource discount or freebie). They will also be able to leave feedback on the suppliers, so that their experiences can be shared with other members.

It will be pretty cool site, if I do say so myself. Right now we are compiling content for the first target areas (Chadds Ford, PA, Potomac, MD and Pepper Pike, OH) and finishing up housekeeping on the site. Over the next quarter, we’ll be refining the site based on feedback from members (free for now – registration will be opening soon!) and expanding our geographic footprint.

If you are interested in “going green” take a look at the site. If you are interested in helping us expand and become a GreenSource America Local Area Executive (LEX), drop me an email and we can discuss the opportunity.

As always, thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions!

OCM Revisited – Part 2: Organizational and Individual Change Management

Per my previous post, there are a number of frameworks that may be used to transition a change strategy to a useful plan. It would be difficult to do them all justice without writing a book (which will not be happening here).

Fortunately, there is a wealth of change management information on the web that you may peruse at your leisure. Most often, search engines will find these frameworks:

•    ADKAR: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Re-enforcement
•    Lewin: Unfreeze, Transition, Refreeze
•    Kotter: 8-Step (Urgency, Coalition, Vision, Communication, Empowerment, Short-term Wins, Consolidation, Anchoring)
•    Kubler Ross: Transition Stages
•    McKinsey: 7-S (Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Skills, Style, Staff)

All are worth understanding, however, as one of my mentors once told me, “Eric, all models are wrong, some models are useful.” The same wisdom applies here.

The change process cannot – and should not – be reduced to a simple formula. While each of these frameworks has its pros and cons, none is the magic silver bullet for change.

Each framework addresses the major transformational questions with a different perspective on the change process:

1.    Why do we need to change?
2.    What are we going to change?
3.    Where are we making the change?
4.    Who will be impacted by the change?
5.    When are we making the change?
6.    How are we making the change?

The Kotter model is closest to the method that I use. In practical application, I’ve found “Urgency” can be the most challenging for leadership to address, as the status quo may be well suited to current conditions and may well be one of the pillars of current business success. It takes particularly courageous, forward-looking leadership to sponsor or initiate change in a successful business environment.

These are my fundamentals of transformation:

•    Building a Vision (or Future State, if Vision seems too squishy) based on the needs of the business
•    Partnering with Stakeholders (to refine and describe the metrics and measures of success)
•    Communicating the Vision and Setting the Stage for Transformation (describing the plan and engaging change leadership)
•    Developing Communication and Feedback Mechanisms (setting expectations for regular dialogue and check-pointing progress)
•    Adapting Management Systems to Support the Transformation (rewarding new behaviors, enabling new capabilities)
•    Declaring Victories and Moving On (celebration and building on achievements)
•    Adaptation and Ongoing Continuous Improvement (the cycle of change really doesn’t end)

Hopefully, this post has shed some light on the process side of OCM and, along with the previous post, has successfully delineated between that and change strategy. The two are obviously related, but at the end of the day are both different, interdependent and both necessary for successful transformation.

OCM Revisited: Change Management Strategy

Whenever I’m consulting on IT Transformation, the topic of Organizational Change Management arises, either directly or indirectly. For folks who have read my blog for some time, it is a familiar topic, as it is a particular passion of mine.

In recent consulting engagements, some confusion has arisen between two elements of OCM:

•    Process of change at the individual level
•    Change strategy at the organizational level

This post will focus on the delineation between the two and briefly discuss change strategy.

For a transformation to be successful, it must have three characteristics, all of which require a robust OCM program. Let’s define success as follows:

1.    The Transformation has achieved the outcomes that it set out to accomplish. (ref. BCC #1).
2.    The Transformation has not done significant harm to the remaining transformed organization, to other functions, or to the business.
3.    The Transformation is sustainable and able to endure for a period of time that justifies the investment in the program.

The supporting OCM program deals with both the:

•    Needs of the individual in moving through the change process
•    Strategy that is used by leadership, which drive tactics at the organization level

There are four major change strategies defined in The Planning of Change by Bennis, Benne and Chin (Holt, 1969). They are quite useful in framing what different approaches look like and are very descriptive in their names:

1.    Rational-Empirical (people will act in their own self-interest, therefore key tactics are communication and incentive-based)
2.    Normative-Reeducative (people will follow the herd on redefined norms and values, therefore key tactics are participative and group-based)
3.    Power-Coercive (people will do what they are told to, therefore key tactics are authority and sanctions-based)
4.    Environmental-Adaptive (people will adjust to new situations, therefore land them in the new world and burn the ships)

It’s interesting information and I highly recommend reading the book. In real-life organizational transformations, however, it is not practical or advisable to use only one strategy. Each transformation will have a unique set of tactics from each strategy, depending on:

•    Scope and Scale
•    Degree of Resistance
•    Size of Organization
•    Degree of Risk
•    Time Frame
•    Internal Expertise
•    Current Staff Dependency

The “amount” of each of these considerations will drive the selection of strategies and tactics employed for the organizational transformation. There is no “one size fits all” strategy/solution set and getting it right will either position your transformation for success or doom it from the outset.

There are a number of change management frameworks that help transition the strategy to the tactical level. A discussion of these models will be the starting point for my next post on the process of change at the individual level.

Status Check II

As an FYI, progress on the new “Green” business continues apace. Our schedule has a planned launch of the web site at the end of July!

Look for an update of my personal information both here and on LinkedIn that reflects my role in the organization, along with a link to the web site. There will also be a few new posts that will provide more depth about my part in the creation of the business.

In addition, there will be new posts from recently received email questions on  organizational change management.

Thanks for reading!

Status Check

In response to those who have inquired about the lack of new posts (and those who haven’t and are curious), here’s a quick update.

As you know, I’m currently doing IT Strategy consulting work via the ITST web site, DeMatteo Monness, GLG Councils, and Primary Insight. Those engagements take me on short notice to client locations for indefinite periods of time. I also continue to look at new full-time IT executive opportunities, which entail preparation, travel and interviews.

Recently, an exciting new project has surfaced, working with a few partners and potential investors on a start-up business. We’re developing the business plan and a path forward for the proof-of-concept, so it is very time consuming (I haven’t started a new business since Fresh Approach, in the early ‘90’s and had forgotten how much work it is).

Given that it is a new venture, I’m bound by a non-disclosure agreement and really can’t discuss the initiative in detail. What I can say is that it is a “Green” business, utilizing a web presence that offers information, goods and services.

For the near future, ITST posts will continue to be sporadic and very much focused on topics that are either reader-inspired or new business-related, so be sure to email me with suggestions.

Thanks very much for your patience and understanding, and please stay tuned for more information on the new initiative.

Delay of Game, Part IV

I wanted to insert a note of explanation for not having put up a new post recently. My son Max had a soccer injury that required knee surgery (like father, like son), plus a welcome uptick in consulting and recruiting activity hasn’t left much free time for writing.

I’ll be getting to the next topic this weekend and should have something posted on Monday. Thanks for your patience!

Business-Centric Change #4 – Coda

After the last milestone of the transformation program, the IT Organization always has one question: “Are we done?”

The true and discomforting answer is “No.”

Despite the great effort expended in identifying “The Problem,” refining “The Solution,” and executing it with particular attention to Organizational Change Management and counsel, the change is not complete – simply because it never can be, as the transformed organization is always evolving.

The true and perhaps more comforting answer is “No, and here is why.”

•    “We will have Process, Technology and Organizational changes due to Service Delivery Failures and failing to meet Service Level Agreements brought about by Problem Management and Root Cause Analysis.”

•    “We will have improvements to our IT Services caused by the Continual Improvement Process led by our Service Managers.”

•    “We will have improvements to our IT Service Management Processes caused by the Continual Improvement Process led by our Process Managers.”

•    “We will have new IT Services demanded by the Customers of our Business and our Business Customers.”

•    “We will have changes to Technology as new technologies become available and other technologies mature.”

•    “We will change our Organization to reflect the changes in our Business Strategy, IT Services and Technology.”

These changes are on the surface smaller than the recent transformation, and can be every bit as full of impact on the organization, particularly if the change is in the sourcing of IT Services.

The Transformation Triangle can be used to assist in the explanation, as it has arrows indicating a cycle of impacts around the vectors of Process, Technology and Organization. None of them are static for long.

With all that said, do no forget to take the time to declare victory and celebrate the completion of a successful transformation with your organization. It’s been a tough road and you’ve all earned it. But you must also create an expectation that the process of change has not ended as the organization continues to evolve within the new paradigm.