DISQUS

francois gossieaux · 1 year ago

Hi Chris - thank you for expanding on my post. I like the idea of encouraging agitators, but unlike you create a changed culture where everyone can speak up I do not believe that individual agitators will be able to change much by themselves.

LearningResilience · 1 year ago

I was fired for being an agitator -- just as you describe, I was considered intimidating and a whiner whose glass was half empty in a culture of mediocrity. I was also told to "lower my standards." Being an agitator is a very risky position to take unless you are able to do it in a charming enough way that no one is threatened. I learned the hard way that my people skills and support within the organization were not good enough to take on this role, no matter how desperately it was needed. I ended up isolated and ultimately villified although even the boss who fired me praised my work very highly. It didn't help that this was an organization where nearly every woman over 40 found it impossible to succeed.

Chris Bailey · 1 year ago

Hi Francois, thanks for adding that extra emphasis on the need for a culture where everyone feels the freedom to speak. And there is a certain truth to the idea that individuals may not be able to change much by themselves. It's certainly borne out by LearningResilience's comment.

I do believe, though, that each of us has the power and ability to bring some measure of change to our organizations. Or at least believe that we have the choice to agitate. Once we feel locked down and silenced, we lose a critical part of our soul.

Oh yeah...I should also have added that success is never assured. Again, I appreciate your insight and addition here.

Chris Bailey · 1 year ago

LearningResilience, it might seem like a pat response, but it sounds like who you are and that organization that sacked you were never going to be compatible. You felt a burning desire to challenge a system of mediocrity...I've been there and know what that feels like. I hope that you've managed to find your own greener pasture that is much more aligned with who you are and your purpose in life.

LearningResilience · 1 year ago

Thanks for your response. It hasn't turned out that way yet. I suffered considerable harm to my confidence, career, life and finances. The organization, not surprisingly, felt the need to make me look wrong, and the industry/community is a hotbed of gossip and I became a very easy target. Health insurance issues mean that self-employment is not a long-term option for me. If I am lucky enough to find another decent job, you can be sure I'll be locked down and silenced.
I think being an agitator can only work if that's what you're hired to do and given the authority to be, except in the most extraordinary of organizations.

Steve Bannister · 1 year ago

Hi Chris,

So very true. I'm working on a decision-making presentation and I mention how it is essential to have a radical (what you call an agitator) in your group of decision-makers. "Yes" people everywhere will get you nowhere.

That being said, I have to confess that I tend to be an agitator at times. Unfortunately, people sometimes take my opinion personally when it is only meant to encourage debate with the end result being intended to uncover all possible alternatives in an effort to make the most informed decision possible.

Corporate culture can be fickle. ;-)

Cheers,
Steve

Chris Bailey · 1 year ago

Yep, corporate culture can indeed be fickle...and hostile at times to agitation. LearningResilience and countless others have the scars to show for it.

We could also make an argument that agitators are a highly misunderstood breed of organizational characters.

LearningResilience · 1 year ago

I'd say that's true. I've given this a lot of thought the last few days, as your post gave me some real insights into why my entire career life has been difficult,and gave me a framework for the dynamic that I had never been able to articulate.
I think an agitator may do better in an organization that really is mission-driven, so that the agitation factor can be channeled into fixing a cause or changing the world with and through the organization instead of trying to fix a dysfunctional internal corporate culture.

fst · 1 year ago

Blog post for eSight class 2

http://baileyworkplay.com/2008/03/31/the-crucia...

When I was working on my M. Ed a few years back several fellow students said that my questions helped their learning. One of them, a Boeing employee, mentioned that Boeing hires contrarians. Not economists, but people who speak truth to power. The organization wanted people around who were not just yea-sayers. Perhaps another similar concept is value engineering or value analysis. Then there is also the term change agent.

I was a City Council member for a small city for three years. I left when I moved from town. I was definitely an agitator, and in retrospect I could have been more selective in choosing my battles, and a little more collaborative. But I was not a good old boy. When I left several city employees said they had appreciated my being on the council and regretted that I was leaving. That may have appreciated me, but they didn’t agree with or support me overtly or covertly.

Being an agitator, or contrarian, change agent, or one who does value analysis is fine in an environment where that is supported. But for the individual, it can be a very painful, lonely and even short existence in an organization that doesn't want to listen to the other side of the coin.

Can one only succeed if management openly supports differing opinions, or does the smart contrarian learn ways to present their arguments in such a way that managers want to take ownership of them? How does one speak truth to power without being bitter or negative? Why do so many bureaucracies begin programs that involve change by bringing in new people with no stature or credibility in the organization? I have been that person in three different positions. I was lucky to have counterparts in other offices, but it didn't make the experience any easier.

Doubledubs, the anonymous author of Systematic HR (http://systematichr.com/?p=817) writes:
"Change agents usually need to come from the end user community. It’s hard for end users to trust someone they don’t know who is outside their organization. Therefore, a well respected and senior person within the end user community is usually a good bet...Selecting high-performing people who are already well respected within the company sends a clear signal that management takes the program seriously. "

My experience with efforts at organizational change, or change in practices in the arena of environmental issues, is the direct opposite to the quote above.

How does an agitator or contrarian, become that person with organizational credibility without losing their independence to think for themselves.

Chris Bailey · 1 year ago

fst, thank you for this wealth of insight that touches on the agitator as change agent. And perhaps more to the point...agitator as a person of influence. What seems to separate successful agitators from their less-than-successful counterparts (I've been in both groups as I think about it) is the degree of influence they have within the organization's culture. I love the question you pose at the end:

How does an agitator or contrarian, become that person with organizational credibility without losing their independence to think for themselves.

That is one well worth pondering...I'll likely pull this one out and dedicate a separate post to continue the dialogue.

Thanks again for sharing your insight and experiences. I hope to hear more from you soon.