NHRD Journal - National HRD Network

We have referred to the leadership role for this
key task as cognitive tuning because it is largely
a process of reflection, analysis and thinking.
Cognitive tuning occurs through the medium
of dialogue and conversations. Change leaders
must, therefore be skilled in initiating dialogue
to both understand prevailing mindsets and
make people aware of their mindsets. They also
need to pay attention to the evolving
environment. While cognitive tuning is all
about paying attention to mental models both
inside and outside the organization, one cannot
understand the mental models of others unless
one is aware of one's own mental model.
Therefore, as cognitive tuners, change leaders
need to be able to reflect on their own ways of
thinking. This very act of cognitive tuning
initiates change in an organization.
Mobilizing Support
When Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)
undertook the massive project in the Nation's
Capital, the leadership realized that among
other challenges, it had to generate external
support from Delhi's residents, politicians,
bureaucrats, contractors and several other
groups. The project owes its success to effectively
managing the dependencies on a wide array of
these external stakeholders. To illustrate the
leadership's approach, let us examine how the
public support was mobilized.
The leadership saw the challenge not merely in
terms of communication, but as winning people
over to the corporation's philosophy and
approaches. For example, a number of procedures
were instituted at work sites to minimize
disturbances. The procedures even specified that
the vehicles should not be allowed to leave the
work sites without their tyres being cleaned. As
the other public utilities were notorious for their
inefficiency, the interface with those agencies was
handled by taking additional responsibilities to
ensure that there was no public discontent. For
instance, when traffic diversions had to be made,
DMRC appointed additional personnel at
important signals to help traffic police in
maintaining smooth flow of traffic. Though it was
clearly not its responsibility, DMRC also
undertook road widening and road repairs
where necessary to ensure that no road was
closed at any time and people were not
inconvenienced in any way. In the same way,
power, water supply, sewerage and other issues
were also pro-actively addressed.
Right through the process, there were regular
community interaction programs. People were
provided advance intimation and regular
updates by using several media. Help lines
were available to report difficulties. As a result,
the project consistently enjoyed a great image
in the eyes of the Delhi residents and received
their support whenever required.
When change leaders emphasize the content
of change at the expense of process, they may
wrongly perceive the process from a limited
perspective of education and exhortation.
Change involves a long and difficult journey,
and managers need to listen to diverse views,
keep making changes in a variety of settings,
and keep up the momentum of the change
campaign. An important set of leadership
challenges pertain to: building supportive
coalitions; evaluating the interests of people
whose support is needed; altering people's
incentives for change; framing and crafting the
message in a way that evokes support;
instituting a process that is open, transparent
and inclusive; consulting as widely as possible
before making a decision; attend to the timing
issue; and sustaining the momentum as
mobilizing is not a one-time activity. This
requires a blend of logic, emotions and values.
That's the reason why we have termed the
change leader's role as one of 'people catalyzer'.
Executing Change
In the celebrated case of Nissan's turnaround,
the new leader found that the organization had
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November 2007 NHRD Journal