November 2, 2013
The Nature Conservancy
Maximizing Personal and Collective Performance

Part 1: Please describe the strengths of the change initiative that Steve McCormick implemented at The Nature Conservancy during his tenure.

Steve McCormick developed a concept called the “Change Team”. This team consisted of a group of leaders that were to assist him in his proposed plan of increased accountability, cohesiveness of the organization and uniformity of missions and core values on the global scale.
By choosing, assigning and eventually involving all key players throughout the organization, a strength of McCormick’s was his ability to be a facilitator during this broad scale change. A critical strength of Steve McCormick’s change initiative was his ability as Innovator and visionary. His ability to realign The Nature Conservancy with its stated mission of “protecting the diversity of life on Earth” lies in his capability to think creatively and create change. His assessment of the organizational state and the initiatives he undertook to bring the organization to the new global challenges were on target and appropriate for that time and situational position of the Conservancy. In the beginning of his tenure, Steve told staff that they needed to act on the global mission and that they could no longer fulfill that promise by spending 80 percent of our resources in the United States, where only 20 percent of the biodiversity was found. The ratio needed to switch and many at the Conservancy were not ready or prepared to move in this direction. The initiative was started with in intent to turn the percentages around by Steve eventually acquiesced to the pressure, regrouped and pushed back the timeline. McCormick’s change initiative was broad scale and more tangible than previous attempts at strategy revisions. What he delivered was a well thought out plan that delegated responsibilities to high power teams. Sawhill knew the need for change and attempted reconstruction; but McCormick systematically developed intricate processes to effect revolutionary change at the Conservancy. He outlined deliberate deliberated processes that were formulated from intensive assessments, thoughtful planning and intentional implementation utilizing a team management system that led to a sustainable change as opposed to a one time deal. His Change Team’s plan offered structured major responsibilities at each level of the organization and within each unit. Detailed description of the processes allowed for future implementation and sustainability. Although organizational communication initially was most undeniably strained (and continued to be strained), communication overall did improve through throughout the levels during the change initiative. The immediacy of the change initiative abruptly took people out of their comfort zone and forced communication. This ultimately resulted in the relations between biodiversity conservation and human well-being, along with the recognition of the need of the Conservancy to be a global institution (that was desperately needed) did occur. McCormick’s ability to Mentor during this profound period of organizational change was also a great strength. He had antipicpated apprehensions and uncertainty amongst staff and dealt with those anxieties with sensitivity and respect. His thoughtfulness, along with his contemplative nature was needed asset during that period of organization uncertainty.

Part 2: Please describe the weaknesses of the change initiative that McCormick implemented at The Nature Conservancy during his tenure.

Some of weaknesses of the change initiative headed under McCormick’s reign were in part due to the rapidity and dramatic changes that were being implemented. When Steve McCormick’s started as CEO, his role to the organization as a whole was not as obvious as it

should have been. The lack of organizational communication was evidenced by executive level staff demonstrating more support for the initiative, than lower level employees. The buy-in for the change initiative was high level surface, showing significant deficiency of communication from middle manager to staff employees. This lack of communication led to dissention among the ranks along with lowered morale and cultural unease. McCormick overestimated the degree of buy-in into the new global strategy of the Conservancy from a very critical group of the stakeholders in the organization, the local trustees of the state chapters. Generally the state chapters were founded by the local volunteers who were originally driven by the mission focused on the local conservation issues. Therefore their desire was originally about their immediate local needs. This approach was reflected in the nature of close relationship between the state boards of trustees and the state professional managers of the Conservancy, as well as in the fundraising and budgeting practices, where the states exercised incredible independence from the central office. Steve’s strengths when challenged also were his weaknesses. When the Conservancy pushed back on McCormick’s stopping of spending 80 percent of our resources in the United States, he pushed back the timeline but it eroded at his leadership status. He should have listened to the pulse of the organization, understood how to go about this change in a more strategic, methodical manner. In essence, McCormick took these groups of people and their role in TNC for granted. This was a critical oversight on the side of the CEO that ultimately led to the unnecessary friction and the unexpectedly high level of resistance to otherwise honorable objectives of the changes proposed by McCormick. Local governing boards should have been included in the development of the new strategy from the onset. Even though TNC’s original focus was on the local conservation problems, local governing boards should have been included in the development of the new strategy from the onset and that given the appropriate consideration and appreciation these people could be the agents of change instead of becoming the resistance force

3) Do you think this initiative will achieve McCormick's objectives? Time has the ability to ease tensions caused by big changes. Given the appropriate amount of time to reach his objectives, Steve would gain more and more buy-in and consequently more support. As evidenced through the quarterly reports, McCormick was able to garnish more buy-in and the organizational trust did improve. If McCormick were to stay the course and methodically trust the process he envisioned and designed, goals would be met, trust would ensue and the initiative would gain momentum. Overall organizational functionality would grow; Leadership trust would be achievedf and goals would be met. Trust achieved through results would take the change initiative to fruition. McCormick would need to utilize a more comprehensive communicative approach with his change initiatives for successful implementation. His objectives could be achieved with the change initiative model being utilized, but would have to done with the appropriate amount of attention, education and communication. Strategic alliances with the Conservancy headquarters will allow for more buy-in in the long run and will bring more effective and predictable results. With the appropriate amount of attention, education and communication from McCormick to the: Conservancy headquarters, Senior Executives, the Pacific Western Conservation Region, The Mid-Americas Conservations Region, the Atlantic Conservation Region and the Worldwide Office, the Board of Governers along with the Change Team Managers and their staff, would be needed to open up and maintain the needed regular and consistent channels of communications. The change initiative brought on under McCormick assurededly propelled the Conservancy closer towards realizing its full potential.
Reference cited
Grossman, W.-S. (2003). The Nature Conservancy. Harvard Business School.