It is often said, we are in working in an era of constant change and part of a managers role is to successfully lead and manage change within organisations. The introduction of new ways of working can be seen by some as very positive and particularly when change brings with it new innovations. However, for some people change is not a friend they welcome with open arms.
Those in management roles, and certainly those more senior managers, need to recognise that usually before change is announced to an organisation as a whole, the management team have had time to take it all in, to consider the impact on the organisation and to themselves personally. Change has more than often been considered from lots of different angles. By the time the announcement is made to staff, managers have usually almost become accustomed to the change and are thinking way ahead. One could say managers have made the transition.
For staff, and certainly for those who do not naturally embrace change, announcements of changing situations can bring to the surface a range of different emotions and reactions. These might include:
Shock – particularly if they hadn’t seen it coming
Denial – thinking it couldn’t happen here and that things will soon get back to normal
Anger – the thought of change can trigger anger in some which often leads to blaming others and trying to figure out where it all went wrong
Sadness and Apathy – sadness for what might be lost and in some, apathy – ‘ I can’t be bothered, what can I do to influence anything around here’ is the language they might use
These feelings and behaviours are triggered when people see the ending of something that they once had as a framework, a routine or a support within the structure of their working lives. Once people get through the ‘ending’ stage, there is a transitional period when people start to accept what is happening and even begin to understand the reasons behind it. The journey can open out into a period of new discovery and integration as new beginnings start to unfold. Some people will transgress back to the ‘endings’ phase however and may only look back in a nostalgic way at the old routines.
We like to think of change as something new, but it isn’t. As long ago as 1513, Machiavelli wrote:
‘There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all who have done well under old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This arises partly from fear of opponents, who have laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them’.
By Kasmin Cooney OBE | Righttrack’s Managing Director
PS read more about change management.