Change for Good > The Value of Embracing Change
The Value of Embracing Change
High-purpose environments don't descend on groups from on high; they are dug out of the ground, over and over, as a group navigates its problems together and evolves to meet the challenges of a fast-changing world.
-Daniel Coyle, The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
Change is before us and we each have a choice to make, embrace it or resist it. It seems so simple, but it isn’t. Uncertainty can be easily managed when it’s in bite-sized pieces; your offices are moving, or your organization hired a new CEO. However, the uncertainty we are facing is unprecedented and the emotions emerging are unfamiliar. Scott Berinato wrote a helpful piece in Harvard Business Review about the collective grief that many of us are experiencing as a result of this major shift. It is important to make space for this range of emotions in order to help each other accept it. Only then can we move forward. We hope to help you address the discomfort and also counsel movement toward acceptance. Balancing your thoughts enables you to move into the present and adapt to this major change proactively and thoughtfully.
A new normal will emerge out of this temporary but disruptive time. Let’s not waste this pause. Examine the core values of your organization. What is your purpose? How can you preserve and emphasize your mission during this time? Your organization’s activities are an expression of its mission, and while many businesses are adapting their activities and revenue streams, it’s important to maintain the core purpose of your organization. Remind your team that the mission is the same. Preserving your organization’s missional identity at the core is the most effective path through uncertainty.
The path through change for an organization is an opportunity for growth for all who embrace it, especially its leaders. A team that goes through uncertainty and adversity together will forge tight bonds. When leaders model sacrifice to join in their organization’s struggle, they will gain more than what they give up. We are seeing evidence of this taking place with a number of corporate leaders giving up their salaries to prevent layoffs. One example is Dan Price of Gravity Payments. Price was faced with the choice of bankruptcy in 4 to 6 months or a 20% layoff. Both choices were grim so he went to his employees and asked for ideas. He met with them individually and arrived at a creative solution. The company will be taking a pay cut but the amount will be based on need. Each employee privately expressed how much they can give up for a season. No layoffs were necessary. While it is still too early to see the gains today, history points to many examples of shared sacrifice keeping companies in business through economic turmoil and building loyalty within the company. Author Sebastian Junger, in his book about the challenges of returning war veterans Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging asserts, “Humans don’t mind hardship, in fact they thrive on it; what they mind is not feeling necessary. Junger cites many examples illustrating that a shared suffering and need for each other builds strong communities.
Shaping the new iteration of the organization will take many hands. The stories that will emerge will let you see your colleagues in a new light. If the roles within your organization were previously siloed to specific functions, uncertainty can bring opportunity for people to challenge themselves to rise within their own roles or try something else internally. Challenges will also rise on a personal level where colleagues can step in and help each other. There will be many stories of empathy and courage. Change can help you tell a new story.
Tips for Embracing Change
People over Process
Having processes in place can help you deal with change, but ultimately, it’s the people behind these processes that matter most. Having strong relationships with people you can trust where you can together use your collective knowledge, experience, and creativity to tackle new issues. Prioritize people over processes and you’ll be better off almost every time.
- Powerful Ways to Confront Change in the Workplace, Forbes. Larry Alton
Pay Attention to Fear
The limbic system responds to uncertainty with a knee-jerk fear reaction, and fear inhibits good decision-making. Once you’re able to deal with the fear, decision making will become more rational and calculated.
- “Powerful Ways to Confront Change in the Workplace” Forbes. Larry Alton
Engage with Transparency
Whether you’re the change leader or just the ride-along, engagement is a shared responsibility. Employees are more likely to trust their employers during times of change when they feel involved in decision-making and when there is effective communication and transparency.
-American Psychological Association’s (APA) 2017 Work and Well-Being Survey
Don’t just Go with the Flow, See the Big Picture
The common wisdom of simply moving with the change makes sense as long as the flow doesn’t end at a towering waterfall. Try to develop a sense for seeing the big picture.
-Embracing Change in the Workplace. Health Journal
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Resources
We have bookmarked, tagged and saved hundreds of resources from our favorite sources. Here are a few that are resonating and inspiring us right now:
Books:
Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, Sebastian Junger
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups, Daniel Coyle
Podcasts:
Unlocking Us, Brene Brown
Articles:
Research: To Get People to Embrace Change, Emphasize What Will Stay the Same
Harvard Business Review
A root cause of resistance to change is that employees identify with and care for their organizations. People fear that after the change, the organization will no longer be the organization they value and identify with — and the higher the uncertainty surrounding the change, the more they anticipate such threats to the organizational identity they hold dear. Effective change leadership has to emphasize continuity — how will what is central to “who we are” as an organization be preserved, despite the uncertainty and changes on the horizon. Read the Article
Does Embracing Change in the Workplace Reduce Stress?
Health Journal
Americans are cynical when it comes to change in the workplace. The American Psychological Association did a study and found that a third of U.S. workers believed management had a hidden agenda when it came to changes, that their motives and intentions were different from what they said and that they tried to cover up the real reasons for the changes. The study found that adults who have been affected by changes at work are more likely to report chronic work stress, are less likely to trust their employers and are more likely to say they plan to leave their organization within the next year. Given the negative impact of change, it’s no wonder that multiple studies over the years have shown that the majority of change programs in the workplace fail to achieve their goals. It’s also no surprise that, in many companies, wary workers feel that the more things change, the more they stay insane. Read the Article
How to Thrive Through Major Changes at Work
Thrive Global
Employees experiencing recent or current change were more than twice as likely to report chronic work stress compared with employees who reported no recent, current, or anticipated change (55 percent vs. 22 percent) — and more than four times as likely to report experiencing physical health symptoms at work (34 percent vs. 8 percent), according to results from the American Psychological Association’s (APA) 2017 Work and Well-Being Survey. Read the Article
5 Tips for Staying Productive and Mentally Healthy While You're Working From Home
Time
1. Location Find yourself a dedicated and comfortable spot to work that you can associate with your job and leave when you’re off the clock — that means get off the couch, and definitely out of bed. 2. Find a Buddy Be productive without your most chatty coworkers constantly buzzing in your ear. But social interactions — even with coworkers — can alleviate feelings of isolation and loneliness. 3. Have a Plan When working alone, keep a more structured daily schedule than usual. 4. Think About How You're Communicating Go beyond email and use other digital tools to replicate the in-person office experience and provide for clear communication. 5. Remember Everyone Works Differently Not everyone actually wants to work from home. As companies increasingly mandate that many employees work from home, it’s key they communicate as much as possible and help employees struggling with the change.
Advanced Lessons on Driving Big Change at Large Organizations
Culture Summit
1. Ambiguity is what makes change hard. 2. Small changes can actually be more difficult to implement. 3. The most powerful change is changing how people spend their time. 4. You can’t “Do it right and be done.” 5. Successful change is always top down.
How To Help Your Team Embrace Change
Forbes
Developing influence and learning to persuade is definitely an art, but it’s one that can be learned. First, it is important to recognize that human beings don’t naturally gravitate toward or embrace change. Most people would prefer stasis if left on their own. It’s not that people won’t change; it’s just that in many cases they are fearful of the unknown. There are four key ways you can develop your influence and persuasion skills: 1. Provide Information 2. Learn the Process of Reframing 3. Tell a Story 4. Let Them Have Their Obstacles, But Organize Them