| Thriving in the age of change
- A practical guide for Managers
No longer are downsizing, re-engineering and outsourcing
the alien terms to us after the tough economic times that we have
been through over the recent years. We are living in a world where
challenges of change are omnipresent. Despite the growing acceptance
of the fact that change is constant, its psychological impact
inflicted on people could put organizations in peril if they are
left ignored and mishandled.
Joe is a manager in a renowned business firm who has been leading
a sales team over the past 3 years. Due to the restructuring of
his organization, his workload has tripled; not only does he have
to lead 2 more sales teams, he is also in charge of the research
and marketing department, which to Joe, is a complete novice.
Despite of Joe's commitment to facing the new challenges, his
productivity and competency suffered because of his distress triggered
by sleep deprivation, agitated mood and strained relationship
with others. Joe's team members also suffered because of the increased
workload and resulted in shaken team morale.
Joe and his team's situation is a common phenomenon when we are
in the transition of change. Change often shatters our sense of
security and floods our mind with fear and anxiety. The impact
of change on our psychological health, however, can be minimized
if appropriate action and continuous effort is to be taken in
the process of change. The most important steps in mastering change
are to be aware of the psychological reactions and respond to
those reactions with care and support. Indeed, most people eventually
adapt and are reconciled to change after having passed through
the various psychological stages, they are:
- Disbelief & Feeling of loss
Imagine how you would feel if you were asked to work in another
office located much farther away from your home and the people
you will work with are all strangers to you. Disbelief, anxiety
and fear of the unknown are some of the common reactions when
a change occurs. People feel threatened that their comfort zone
is being intruded and the status quo is now at risk. At this
stage, people feel loss of control and therefore they are less
likely to take risks. Energy level, concentration and productivity
also drop during this stage.
- Defensive retreat
Resistance is the most common reaction at this stage of change.
People may hold on to accustomed ways of doing things while
denying the fact that it has changed. Some people even get angry
and lash out at others, particularly the management. This emotion
and behavior reduce their productivity as well as the team morale.
However, what usually makes the change fail is not people's
resistance but the reaction to resistance that creates the problem.
When managers resist the resistance, staff will only accelerate
their opposition and a war ensued.
Dos'
- Prepare for change long before the shock hits.
- Be calm, open, candid and supportive when dealing with
staff.
- Be a good listener.
- Show understanding and empathy to the feelings expressed.
- Provide channel and opportunities for staff to express
their concerns.
- Respond nondefensively when others disagree with you.
- Be willing to adjust priorities to changing conditions.
- Help staff manage stress and develop sense of control.
- Seek professional support when handling staff with strong
emotions.
Don'ts
- Avoid discussing the change.
- Ignore and under-estimate the psychological impact of change.
- Overly hype the benefit of change - they are not yet ready
to hear this.
- Resist the resistance.
- Argue with your staff.
- Neglect your own emotional needs.
- Acknowledge
With the appropriate actions taken in the previous stages, most
people, eventually, begin to explore the pros and cons of the
new situation objectively. People will continue to grief for
what has been lost but at the same time, recognize the gains
and benefits of the new situation.
- Acceptance and adaptation
At this stage, most people start to internalize the change,
adapt to it and move on. In some cases, people even actively
advocate for what they had previously opposed if enough support
and care had been provided to them during the previous stages.
Do's
- Empower staff who has positive attitude to influence others.
- Give sense of accomplishment to your staff.
- Help them regain and reinforce their sense of control.
- Keep staff stayed connected to their teams.
- Move the focus from feelings to actions.
- Encourage staff to take small risk as each risk that succeeds
will help them build confidence.
- Be prepared to make clear-cut decision when dealing with
staff who cannot fit into the new situation.
Don'ts
- Stop providing your care and support.
- Leave staff's contribution in the change process unrecognized.
- Overload staff by trying to speed up the change process.
Many managers devote their energy to addressing straightforward
and technical issues in the implementation of change. However,
change itself is a multi-layered task in which the management
of its psychological impact on the affected staff is the linchpin
to success. Continuous care and support to staff can facilitate
them to surf the waves of change and move them from a focus on
personal emotions to a focus on productive activities. |
