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UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING CHANGE

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• Change is unavoidable. It can be a driving force that perpetuates success and growth, but all too often it fails, leaving employees feeling unsettled and threatened

• In order to handle change we need to understand what happens to us when we are faced with change

• John Fisher’s model of personal change demonstrates the different phases individuals go through when faced with personal change.

Anxiety

Happiness

Fear

Threat

Guilt

Depression

Hostility

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Denial

Gradual Acceptance

Moving Forward

The Process of Transition

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ANXIETY

• Anxiety that events lie outside our range of understanding or control

• We cannot ‘picture’ the future

• At this stage we do not have enough information to allow us to anticipate behaving differently.

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HAPPINESS

• We are aware that our viewpoint is recognised and shared by others

• There is a general feeling of relief that something is going to change

• There is a feeling of anticipation

• Some satisfaction – knowing that some thoughts about the ‘old’ system were correct

• We expect the best outcome.

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FEAR

• We become aware of an imminent change required in our core behaviour

• This can impact on our self-perception and how others view us

• We begin to have concerns – what will this really mean?

• Can we cope?

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THREAT

• We are increasingly aware of the imminent change

• We are unsure how to react

• Old rules no longer apply

• But new rules have not yet been established.

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GUILT

• We start to explore our self perception

• We start to wonder if the change was caused by our own actions

• We focus on our core beliefs.

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DEPRESSION

• There is a general lack of motivation and confusion

• We are uncertain as to what the future holds and how we fit in

• Our core sense of self is undermined

• We have no sense of identity and no clear vision of how to operate.

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At this stage we have two choices:

We can move upwards, where we have a gradual acceptance of the change and we are able to move forward.

“I can see myself in the future”

“This can work and it could be for the best”

Or…we move downwards where we demonstrate…

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HOSTILITY

• We continue to operate processes that have failed

• We are no longer part of the new process

• The new processes are ignored or undermined.

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DENIAL

• There is a lack of acceptance of the change

• We act as if the change never happened

• We continue to use old practices and processes

• We ignore information contrary to our beliefs.

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Understanding the transition curve helps us cope with change, whether we are on the receiving end of the change or the person implementing the change

Any change, no matter how small, has the potential to impact and may generate conflict between existing values and beliefs and anticipated altered ones.

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Principle One

If people do not own the problem/challenge then they are less likely to accept the solution.

Ensure people own the need for change

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Principle Two

It is not the change in itself that causes the problems but the mismanagement of that change

Managing change means reducing the disruptive elements of the process, not

aggravating them

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Principle Three

Change can cause high levels of stress

The management of change involves helping people cope with stress

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Principle Four

People who feel in charge of their lives can tolerate uncertainty and often see change as a good thing

Work with these people as the allies of change

IMPLEMENTING CHANGEUNFREEZING

• Get people in the right frame of mind to adopt and implement change

• Remove misunderstandings• Build trust in the initiators of the change• ‘Win the hearts and minds’ of those affected• Cope with potential stress• Identify new skills and knowledge required• Give assurance that resources and support will be available

SELL THE OPPORTUNITIES OVER THE THREATS

IMPLEMENTING CHANGECHANGING

• At this stage, it is the manner in which the change is managed, rather than the change itself, that will make the biggest impact

The level of success will be affected by:

• Management and leadership style• Levels of communication and information• Availability of resources, including training• The quality of planning, co-ordination and control.

IMPLEMENTING CHANGERE-FREEZING

• At this stage the innovation will be most at risk

• People can slip back into old ways

• During re-freezing new ways must be hardened into the new accepted system.

THE PRODUCER

• A driver who aims to succeed and be admired for that success

• Take pride in their work

• Motivated by targets, results and recognition

Response to change:

They will resist unless it produces immediate results

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THE ADMINISTRATOR

• Likes to manage by the book

• Needs everything to be neat, organised and in its place

• Prefers to analyse data before making a decision

Response to change:

They will resist as it goes against the system.

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THE ENTREPRENEUR

• Creative and enjoys taking risks

• Rarely constrained by the limitations of reality!

• Driving force of a team, department or organisation

Response to change:

They will love it!

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THE INTEGRATOR

• Focuses on communication and facilitation

• Encourages participation, consensus and teambuilding

• Gathers input from others

• Eyes and ears of the organisation

Response to change:

They will resist unless there is agreement and consensus

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The importance of motivation and morale

• Not easy when people are losing work colleagues and feeling vulnerable

• There are measures that can be taken to minimise the impact of change and increase motivation and morale.

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Use effective communication

• Review and build upon the internal communication network

• Ensure it can deal with good and bad news

• Use face to face communication as much as possible

• Avoid giving bad news via email.

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Motivating employees• Maintain a sense of stability and hope for the

future– Communicate plans for the next year

– Involve people, brainstorming new ideas

– Lead by example – hope and honesty

– Too often there is hope without an honest reflection or an honest account with no hope

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Motivating employees

• Rebuild the employee’s trust and engagement

• The main drivers for engagement are:– Having the opportunity to feed views upwards

– Feeling well informed about what is happening in the organisation

– Believing that your manager is committed to the organisation

Source: CIPD research