This Slideshare presentation is a partial preview of the full business document. To view and download the full document, please go here: http://flevy.com/browse/business-document/dealing-with-unfair-behaviours-336 This presentation shows you how inappropriate attitudes and unfair behaviours are destroying change programs. It not only limits the success of change, but usually leads to program failure. We also give you some food for thoughts on how to best manage difficult stakeholders and use behavior change models.

1. Dealing with unfair and
inappropriate behaviours
Yves Zieba
Version: 0.2
Jeudi 12 Avril 2012, 10:30

2. Why this topic matters to you ?
• It can radically change the
outcome of your program
– It can make you win/lose a coalition
– On the leading edge of relationship
and stakeholder management
– No black and white, there are many
shades of grey in the area
– Different people have different
tolerance / limit level

3. What is fair ? What is appropriate ?
•
•
•
•
Honest
Equitable
Balanced
Just
• Suitable to the social
situation, respect or
discreetness
• The right message,
the right wording, the
right time, the right
place, the right
situation, the right
tone, the right body
language

4. « There is no change
until there is a change
in behaviour »
« If you want to
change the behaviour,
change the beliefs »

5. « Unfair Behaviour » as a new risk
category ?
• Project execution risk
– Stakeholders not attending /
boycotting your meeting / not
approving / not authorising
• Reputation risk
– Should you let anyone speak
negatively about your project ?
• Team spirit risk
– Bad behaviour from stakeholders
can destroy the morale and the
motivation of your troops
• Risk Response: Issue Social
Media guidelines to define what
should be the acceptable
behaviours.

6. Each stakeholder has a different
attitude and behaviour
• How to identify behaviour issues ?
• Recognise when behaviours are
coming from diverging interests or
personal conflicts unrelated to the
project.
• How to interpret bad behaviours
• How to change behaviours ?
– How to enforce simple rules like
respect, honesty ?
– How to confront recidivists ?
– How to deal with more serious cases ?

7. Illustrations: Behavior Change
Techniques (BCTs) to mitigate risks
• Taxonomy of behavior change technics
• Some nice mindmap displays

8. Conflict Resolution and Escalation
Process
• Does your company have one ?
• What is the appropriate tolerance
level to assertiveness / agressivity ?
• If you feel opressed, speak up!
1. Talk with the individual openly and firmly
2. If the situation continues, talk to your manager and
HR, ask for internal mediation
3. If the situation continues, write a formal letter to HR
4. HR may or may not intervene as they may be
reluctant to decide, may disagree with the
interpretation with management

9. Feedback
• Each team to present
1. Please describe the issue from the different
viewpoints, using adjectives (sexist, insulting,
pressurising, offensive, ambiguous…)
2. Explain the situation precisely in terms of behaviours,
feelings and beliefs, the exact words used, the place,
the time, the reaction.
3. What happened in reality ?
4. How could you prevent this from happening ?
5. How to adress the issue if it has already happened ?

10. Final quote (my favorite)
• A poor leader is despised for tyranny
• A good leader is praised for community
• But a truly great leader, they will say « we
did it ourselves ».