Guest Editorial by:
Dana M. Gallagher
Dean and Academic Director of The JHRS
Academy
We live and work in an environment of unprecedented change.
Compared
to just a generation ago, technology is almost mind-boggling, both in its
application and potential. People
from all over the world are working on the same teams, sometimes in a
centralized locale, other times telecommuting from their home countries. Many of us are working in a 24/7
environment that requires high energy and focus, flexibility (and caffeine!) Our economy has forced many of us to do
more with less. Today’s work world
is not only exciting and challenging, but also temperamental and uncertain.
This is the face of change.
Big or small, change calls on each of us to adapt. However, knowing that adaptation is
called for does not make it so.
Each of us individually, and within teams and organizations, goes
through a process of adjustment to accept and maybe even appreciate workplace
change.
One of the difficulties of change is that it is inherently disorienting. We don’t necessarily see our final
destination, or the guideposts along the way. On any trip to the Unknown, it is always helpful to have a
map, and in the case of change, it is useful to understand the Change
Curve.
The Change Curve
The Change Curve model describes the four stages most
people go through as they adjust to change.
Source: http://www.thechangecurve.com/what-is-the-change-curve.phpStage
1 (Shock & Denial): Change either unexpectedly occurs, or, it is introduced or
announced. Obviously, planned
change is a bit less stunning, but often, people's initial reaction to change
is shock or disbelief. (It is useful to note that there are usually a few
people who think the change is positive, long overdue, or both.)
Stage
2 (Anger & Resignation): Once the initial shock recedes and it becomes clear that
change is here to stay, people often become negative. It is too
simplistic to say, “People hate change”; change tends to stir our fears about
how the change upsets life as we know it.
Not all change is bad, but it is not all good either. Change is an opportunity for growth and
improvement AND change usually brings some sort of loss. This can cause people to feel angry and
afraid, and therefore, to resist the change. Because of the difficult emotions involved, Stage 2 is the
most stressful stage of the Change Curve.
Stage
3 (Acceptance & Letting Go): Once people have reacted negatively to the change, many of
them will begin to look forward.
They will begin to explore the opportunities and possibilities that the
change brings. As they test what
the change means to them, they can get down to the business of accepting what
is good about the change, and dealing with its challenges too.
Stage
4 (Understanding & Looking Forward):
In this stage, people now accept the change, and become
energized and excited about what good has or will come from it. Once the majority of a team or business
is in Stage 4, the positive benefits of the change can now be harvested.
Following are some “DO’s and DON'Ts” related to the Change
Curve:
DOs:
•Educate
your colleagues about the Change Curve. It can provide a bit of orientation and a common language
during a time of uncertainty.
•Learn
more about the topic of Change Management. This is a big topic, and one that will never grow old.
•Communicate
frequently and clearly about change as it is happening. Devise ways to control rumors, and to
give your colleagues the most accurate information you have, in a timely way.
DON’Ts:
•Don’t
squash people’s reactions to change. People need to have and voice their feelings in order to
come to grips with change.
•Don’t
assume that people accept change on the same timeline. Every workplace has its early adopters
and its laggards.
•Don’t
stop here! The more you
learn about change, the easier it is to lead it, to implement it, to thrive
within it.
The only certainty in life is change. And since adapting to change is perhaps
the most critical skill for the 21st century, it behooves us as HR
professionals to expand our own change management capacity. Let’s accept the challenge to become
more open to and easy with change, by identifying our own learning edges and
resistance, and by thinking, reading and talking about change with each
other. We welcome your comments.--DG
Suggested Readings:
Change
Management: Making organization
change happen effectively, Mind Tools 2010. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_87.htm
Kotter’s 8 Step Change
Model; Mind Tools 2010. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_82.htm
Immunity to
Change: How to Overcome It and
Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization, Robert Kegan and
Lisa Lahey. Harvard Business
School Press, 2009.
Beyond the Wall of
Resistance, Rick Maurer. Bard
Press, 2nd Edition, 2010.
Building the Bridge
as You Walk On It, Robert E. Quinn.
Jossey-Bass, 2004.
