Change Happens

Change happens - it's how you deal with it that counts. There's a saying that life is what happens when you are making plans. So how do we deal with change? First we need to remember that there are different types of change - big fat shocking events that can be life changing, slow creeping change that goes unnoticed for some time until you can perceive a real difference. For me there are two other very important factors - is the change imposed or self imposed? The level of imposition is, for me, critical in the ability of an individual or a team to adapt and commit to a new process, set of circumstances or behaviour. Before we look at the change process or change journey as it is often referred to, I want to talk a little about imposed and self imposed change.
If I decide I want to lose weight or get fit by starting a new exercise programme I am likely to embark on a new approach to eating and exercise that is focused on my goals and I am likely to stick to my plans so that I see some results. On the other hand, if after a visit to my Doctor I am told to drop a few pounds and get more active I am more likely to see this as an imposed change which I may resent. This resentment can prove to be the difference in adapting to the changes required to my lifestyle. This might be sounding familiar. You can look at change from many view points, but for me in helping teams and individuals to manage change it nearly always comes down to the level of imposition. Low ownership of change usually means low levels of consultation and staff engagement. In a workplace change can often be imposed by those higher up the management ladder and often the consequences of change are not fully understood until they have been imposed.
So what's the anatomy of change? The change process is well documented: it starts with Shock, Denial, Acceptance (search for meaning) and finally Integration. Alongside this change route are a complex set of emotional and behavioural responses which can determine the timescale for each of the different phases of change.
Shock - is the body's way of coping and giving the brain time to assimilate and process information - the bigger the shock the longer it may take to comprehend what is happening.
Denial - is the step where we challenge the need to make a change. This is where we ask ourselves (and others) why the change is needed; we may react with anger and are bound to be emotionally charged in some way. This step is all about wanting to hold onto the familiar an querying the thinking behind the change.
Acceptance - is where you begin to let go of the past and is only able to be achieved once the emotion surrounding the change has been managed. This might take lot of working through the emotional responses to the change and often physical activity can help release endorphins to calm you down. In accepting the change you have sought and found some meaning and hopefully some benefits to what is happening.
Integration - is the final step where the change is now a reality and part of your new existance.
So change comes in differnent shapes and impacts us differently for example when I work with people who are facing redundancy or early retirement, understanding change and their reaction to it, is crucial.
Next time I'll be blogging about the lonely leader!