Informal Coalitions in Practice (2/2)

Those who lead from this perspective set out to work with these underlying dynamics, to build coalitions of support for desired changes. In essence, they adopt a radically different change-leadership agenda, which seeks to engage with and shift the patterns of day-to-day conversations and interactions through which outcomes emerge.

In summary, the informal coalitions approach calls on leaders - throughout the organisation - to:

• reframe communication - value sensemaking talk and interaction as their primary action tools
• think culturally - recognise that culture is an active process of shared sensemaking, in which their words and actions (including silence and inaction) are critical
• act politically - understand their power and use this in organisationally enhancing ways to deal with the unavoidable tensions and conflicts
• build coalitions - work with the natural dynamics of coalition formation to build support for beneficial changes
• embrace paradox - see paradox and contradictions as ever-present, and work to make the inevitable tensions that these generate liveable
• provide vision - see "providing vision" as an act of everyday engagement more than the provision of an end-state view of the organisation.

Where appropriate, a number of practical frameworks can be drawn upon to facilitate sensemaking conversations, enhance understanding and provoke new perspectives.

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