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Riding the Sea of Change – are you Surviving or Drowning?
Author: Jan Springthorpe  | Posted: 31-05-2007 | Comments: 0 | Views: 22 | Rating: (57)  (?) 
Is your business riding the sea of change?
Are your people surviving or drowning?
How do your leaders manage in these turbulent times?
Do organisations ever find dry land these days?
There are so many things driving change in business:
• fierce competition
• sophisticated technology
• demanding customers
• endless choice
• stakeholder interest
• the quest for value for money
No sooner has your organisation sailed the stormy seas through one change, along comes another to knock you right off course again.
It takes courage, careful planning and first class communication to make sure that change is successfully implemented without affecting employee attitudes and levels of performance.
We are creatures of habit and we like consistency and routine, we get used to doing things in a certain way.
Managers actively encourage their staff to comply, to conform, to follow the norm, to maintain standards and the status quo.
Then – all of a sudden – it’s ALL CHANGE– we’re doing it differently now!
No wonder people get confused, anxious and stressed out by change!
The thing that most managers forget is that people react differently to change. Some are excited and challenged, others feel totally bereft and threatened.
The Chinese symbol for change can be interpreted as danger - giving up something we know is safe and replacing it with uncertainty - or opportunity -
the chance to try something new and different.
How do your employees react to change? The one size fits all approach to managing and implementing change doesn’t work so what will you do to stay afloat in the sea of change?
If we were to ask your workforce to describe how they feel about the way you manage change, what would they say?
• no one cares what we think
• they keep changing things for no reason
• if only they would listen to us
• they spring it on us with no warning
• they keep us in the dark
• it all happens so quickly
Or, if you’re very lucky, maybe they would say something different, like:
• managers care about us
• they let us know what’s going on
• it’s well thought out and planned
• we are involved from start to finish
• our feelings are respected
• they help us to adjust to the changes
The reality is that you would probably get a mixed response.
Remember, every time you alienate your employees, every time you instigate fear and suspicion, every time you lose an opportunity to get your employees on board you slice away confidence in your ability to manage the business and lose bottom line effectiveness and profits!
Is it worth it? The answer is NO!
So how do people tend to react when change is announced? There is usually shock – at first - followed by denial (this cannot be happening!), then resentment and anger set in.
Once the reality of change hits people they can feel loss, despair, lose confidence and become very low. Over time, they come to terms with the change and accept that it is happening, sometimes feeling that the new way is better.
People develop positive and negative beliefs about change. On a positive note they might think:
• It’s exciting
• This change is needed
• It will succeed
• I will benefit from this
On the negative side they might believe:
• it is something to fear
• it isn’t necessary
• it won’t work
• I can’t cope
If managers fail to take account of and prepare for human reactions and the
emotional impact of change, the results can be disastrous.
We think that’s a good enough reason for your managers to adopt a smart and simple approach to becoming expert champions and agents of change.
The best way we can illustrate this is to suggest how NOT to manage the process of change!
The 7 deadly sins of change management!
1. don’t tell them what is changing
2. don’t tell them why
3. don’t tell them when
4. don’t ask their opinion
5. don’t discuss their concerns
6. don’t invite their ideas
7. don’t re-train them
The sad truth is that this is what happens in many organisations.
How is change managed in your organisation? Are you guilty of these sins? How many valuable employees, customers, clients or bottom line profits have you lost as a result of change being badly managed? Well maybe it’s time to change all that!
You can set your leaders and managers on the right road to managing change efficiently and with positive impact. With careful planning and understanding the forces that drive change and the forces that resist it, you can make a success of essential change in your organisation.
It begins with an assessment of the essential strengths and qualities that managers need to call into play when managing change. Things like good communication skills, the ability to build rapport, showing empathy, listening.
And, if assessment shows that some of these things are lacking, the next step is to put in place a learning and development strategy that will give them the skills they need to successfully manage people in the change process.
Individual development and coaching can set your managers on the path to successful change management with great results for people and the business.
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