I have always been a fan of making changes. The busier and more unpredictable circumstances become, the more I love watching the process unfold.
I also love seeing the progress and the end result of a large-scale change when all the cumulative decisions and communications are over. It’s like watching a real-life version of a home renovation drama on HGTV where one homeowner wants to move to a new location and the other is stuck on staying in the current space. An hour later, the before and after pictures show two gloriously different versions of the same house with two happy homeowners. “Reality” TV … really? Change events and pleasing all people as they work through a contentious issue are never that simple.
But believe it or not, people’s reactions and change readiness can be predictable, even when change comes as a surprise.
Human reactions to change are predictable
Reactions can be similar to the well-known grief cycle where people vacillate through the various emotional stages of shock, denial, blame and bargaining. Then the “living out of a suitcase with no home” phase arrives, with questioning and confusion amid a time of not enough answers. But this messy state is inevitable. It means change, even in small degrees, is occurring. Finally, people typically move on to acceptance and problem solving.
Nature and nurture are key factors in change resiliency
How a person handles change is based on both personality factors and environmental experiences.
On the personality side of things, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MTBI) factors are highly influential to every individual’s ability to adapt and change. Of the 16 profile combinations, someone with a strong “introvert sensing” preference will display a thoughtful and down-to-earth approach that supports change only when it is carefully planned and incrementally executed. Their opposite cousin, the “extrovert intuitive” type, typically engages with others to embrace immediate change as the earliest of adopters. Any “introverted intuitive” person will favour ideas and future vision with trust of the process, and “extravert sensing” types will organize themselves into immediate action. For more details on this, I highly recommend the nonfiction read Type Talk At Work by Kroeger, Thuesen and Rutledge as an excellent reference.
On the environmental/nurture side, though, a major theory claims that when a real or perceived change or threat to the lower sections of the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs “pyramid” occurs, it will dramatically increase an individual’s resistance to change because the lower sections of the pyramid are home to safety and physiological needs, which are of paramount importance to every human being.
In a work environment, these needs can be translated into any perceived threat to a person’s autonomy to do their jobs independently and with desired freedom, mastery of their roles and understanding of theory to do work well, and/or a change in purpose. If the purpose for or methods by which someone is expected to work clearly do not match their values, they see no fulfillment or purpose in their work.
Obstacles to expect when creating organizational change
Challenges abound with large professional or organizational changes, even with the best plans in place. The factors of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) reign over all initiatives. People are called to stay agile and flexible so they can quickly adapt throughout implementation of change—not easy for a large group.
Project teams or stakeholders require consultation but will not easily agree. Meetings will never be as streamlined or productive as people would like.
Time lags and missed deadlines are typical barriers as well. Large-scale change and uncertainty can drag on with no end in sight. Long implementation timelines create change fatigue and discussions lose momentum. And these are just a few of many potential disruptors.
But don’t lose heart. While change will never go as planned, successes can occur.
Key steps to successful change management
- Create urgency and start honest discussions. Give convincing reasons to get people talking and thinking.
- Discuss that change is necessary by identifying the “why.” Identify leaders in your organization, key stakeholders and build up a change coalition.
- Create the vision. People will work on what makes sense to them. Determine the values that are central to the change and the key historical values that will remain.
- Communicate — and repeat. Address peoples’ concerns and anxieties openly and honestly.
- Remove the roadblocks. Understand what supports are needed to support change.
- Generate small “wins.” Without evidence, progress can slow or stop.
- Don’t quit. Real change takes patience. Build on what went right and identify what you can improve.