BEST PRACTICE
T
oday ’ s business owners need to be on constant alert to the impact of persistent and complex change .
Rapidly progressing technology , talent demand and innovative competitors are only a few of the many variables that make it impossible to establish a “ future proof ” business that can automatically accommodate all potential challenges .
As a result , leaders need to be agile , flexible and responsive in their approach to change . They need to constantly notice , adapt and respond in order to ensure their business practices meet the needs of the evolving commercial landscape .
Such change is constant . Such change is hard . So hard , in fact , that recent research ( McKinsey ’ s , 2016 ) suggests that 70 per cent of business change efforts fail to fully meet their original brief . To bring about change in oneself , or in others is really difficult . It is . But why is this ?
Each of us experiences change constantly . So why is it that we don ’ t seem to get really good at it ?
Typically , when we have done something enough times , we get better at it . Isn ’ t that what Gladwell says ? 10 , 000 of intentional practice will make us an expert ? But from toddler to adulthood , we have each experienced many hours of practice at change .
So why is it then that we don ’ t get any better ? In fact , the opposite seems to happen . The more we experience it , the more assured we are that the next change that comes our way , will feel familiarly disorientating , frustrating and confusing .
William Bridges ( 1991 ) got curious about this paradox . As he studied change , he realised that there are in fact , two components to any change , one of which challenges us more than the other . One he named the “ change ”, the other the “ transition ”.
The least challenging component is the “ change ”. Think of it as the “ thing ” ( eg . implementing the new payroll system , recruiting a new employee , securing a new customer ).
Bridges sees , “ change ” as situational , mechanistic , functional . The “ change ” has its own related and practical elements , including the end goal , key milestones , associated activities and resource requirements . It can therefore can be planned . All this takes effort . Agreed . But Bridges noticed that it ’ s not what causes us the most discomfort .
Change : it might be inevitable - but how do you cope with it ? asks Michelle Murtagh , Programme Director , William J Clinton Leadership Institute
He suggested that it was , in fact , our psychological and emotional response to the change , that we find most challenging . That emotional “ transition ” that occurs as we “ let go ” of what was , in order to move onto the “ new beginnings ”. He concluded that , “ it is not the change that does you in … it is the transition . They are not the same thing ”.
And it was this unsettling impact of transition that also drew the attention of Dr Elizabeth Kubler Ross .
She noticed that we humans did , in fact , all experience transition in a relatively predictable manner . Her work has since been adapted to reflect the following six stages of emotional transition :
• Shock ;
• Denial ;
• Frustration ;
• Anger / Depression ,
• Testing and
• Acceptance .
To bring the model to life , let me illustrate it with an incident that happened to me last week .
I was on my way home , after a busy day at work , sensing the very near possibility of collapsing on the sofa with a lovely cup of hot tea , when I got pulled back into reality with a call from my husband , explaining there was no milk .
Seeing the petrol station ahead , I decided I would pull in and get some petrol at the same time . Two birds with one stone ! So I filled the car up with petrol , wandered into the shop , bought the milk , queued , paid and went back out to the car .
I then reached into my coat pocket for my car keys but they weren ’ t there ! I froze momentarily … ( SHOCK ).
My internal selftalk then went along the lines of , “ NOOOOoooooo ! You have them ! They are here ! They must be ! Check all your pockets !” ( DENIAL )
Then I heard myself say , “ I can ’ t believe you have lost your car keys . They are your only set . How could you have ? Why did you do that ?” ( FRUSTRATION )
I then heard a harsher tone , “ It ’ s all his fault . If he hadn ’ t called me to get the milk , I would be at home already . And look at all those cars waiting to get petrol at this pump .
All late now because of him !” ( ANGER ) Then I heard my inner narrative soften , “ You are always loosing things . Last week , it was your purse . And you still can ’ t find that ring . You need to face it . You are getting really old . This is what happens .” ( DEPRESSION )
Then the pace changed to more of a challenge , “ Catch yourself on ! Think it through . The keys are either in your coat , in the bag or in the shop . Get a grip .” ( TESTING )
Then , “ All you have to do is check each one in turn and you will find the keys . It will be ok . Now , start with your coat pockets first ...” ( ACCEPTANCE )
We experience these six stage emotional responses to every change we encounter , large and small .
However , the duration and intensity of the associated emotions varies , depending on the change .
So for example , my misplaced car keys incident demanded that I go on a 30 second rollercoaster of emotional response , whereas it can take up to four years for an individual to transition through all six stages when coping with redundancy , death or divorce .
And it is worth bearing in mind that is not , necessarily , a linear process . Instead , we often slip back and forth between stages and sometimes , we even get stuck in a stage .
So what does this all mean ?
Change isn ' t optional , but inevitable . Therefore remaining cognisant of the fact that those at the receiving end of any organisational change are human beings and that it is , “ they who will ultimately cause the change to be a success or failure ” ( Scharmer , 2015 ), then it is essential to remain vigilant to the challenges that change brings .
The theories and models mentioned here are helpful in that they provide us with an understanding of the impact of both “ change ” and “ transition ”.
They then encourage us to spend more time gathering information , getting curious and listening attentively in order to notice more . Finally , they prompt us to purposefully create the right conditions for effective and successful change , at both a practical and an emotional level . ( Oh , and the car keys ? I ’ d left them at the till …!)
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