Understanding Change

by Marta Brockmeyer, Ph.D.

Change may result from a desire to improve or from a need to avoid a big problem. Our work lives are filled with change, change affected by management demands and individual work styles as well as outside forces. With the increase in technology, the rate of change is faster than it was even a decade ago. Quality, efficiency, and effectiveness are expected; they are also difficult to attain in the midst of what is often chaos. In nonprofits and local governments, constant change is both exciting and very stressful. Budgets are reduced or eliminated. Staffs are too small. Politics affect everything. And so often, our community members do not understand our jobs. So we do not have the choice of ignoring change – it is a necessary job requirement.

It’s always easier to work when we choose change. Sometimes we make this choice as an individual employee and sometimes we work in an organization that decides to change. But very often we are reacting to change. This may be individual or it may be organizational. Even if the change if mandatory, we can choose how we respond to it.

This article will address some of the issues related to change, so your reading time should help you approach the inevitable.

Change

First, let’s look at what change is. The word has many definitions, but we’ll use the following definition: the modification or transformation that allows a person or organization to become different, passing from one state to another.

This definition covers a wide range of examples, including:

• Installing a new computer system
• Reorganizing your office spaces
• Acquiring new professional skills
• Merging two departments
• Learning new ways to cope with conflict

All of these share some common potential qualities – opportunity, excitement, stress, disaster, confusion, growth, fun, and others. But they also can be approached with similar strategies.

Reactions to Change

Let’s talk about how you feel when you hear the word change. The word itself evokes many strong reactions, both positive and negative. Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left side, list your positive reactions to change; on the right, list negative ones.

Now…what did your lists looks like? They may reflect some of the common reactions that are listed below:

Notice how some themes appear on both sides of the list? Most of what we do has both a positive and negative quality. This is often reflected in our work style as well. Our personality traits have these – a strength may be a weakness if carried too far.

Always stop and take a minute to assess your feelings about a change. Emotions have a tremendous impact on both the work product and on your performance and may be the most important predictor of success.

Types of Change

We are confronted with many types of change and our reactions are both personal and institutional. We usually are responding to one of three types of change:

• Developmental change improves the existing status. Technical upgrades or public relations pieces are examples of this type. Developmental change is the easiest type to manage and it is least threatening. People respond positively because it is viewed as an improvement and they are often involved in the planning.
• Transitional change involves breaking down a current state and building a new one. Examples include designing an emergency call response system or implementing a new employee evaluation process. Transitional changes usually move along a timeline known in advance; they are specific, with an end product in mind. They require patience and a lot of time, so it’s important to set milestones and communicate regularly.
• Transformational change creates a totally new state. It requires ongoing revisions and the constant application of energy and creative thinking. The merging of two townships or a nonprofit’s moving to self-directed teams are two examples of transformational change. This type of change is the most threatening and difficult, as the end product is usually unknown. Things are hard to predict or control and require great skills, usually from an outsider. Transformational change can be nerve wracking because of the levels of ambiguity.

In terms of your comfort level, how do you think you’d react to these three? Think about your sense of control, need for predictability, creativity, love of adventure, and desire to see an immediate work product. This is a good time to think about your personal style and what excites or frustrates you.

Change Cycle

All changes go through similar cycles. While we’d like to think it’s a straight line from Point A to Point B, the process more typically looks like this:

• Review current state
• Develop change concept
• Receive feedback
• Plan
• Create resistance strategies
• Develop key components
• Diminish current state
• Increase participation
• Accelerate creation process
• Build key components
• Resolve old and new
• Implement new state

It’s important to remember that change is cyclical in nature. And even the above process can be a challenge when we want an instant fix on things.

Resistance to Change

In any new endeavor, resistance should be expected. Resistance may be personal or it may be organizational. We all have it. We all do it. We all have seen what happens in an office when major resistance sabotages a project. Often, the proposed change itself may not be the real target of people's negative feelings. Discussion may set off memories of projects that failed or force staff members to work with people they don't know. Sometimes the process itself is what upsets people – the final product may in fact excite them once they can see beyond the disruptive work. So it’s important to anticipate the possible negative behaviors before beginning.

People resist change for many reasons, including:

• It adds work.
• They lose control over the way they do things.
• They may not know how to do the new work required.
• There is not enough information about the process.
• They may not believe the organization can complete it successfully.
• The leadership is not effective.
• The organization lacks resources.
• There is not enough time to complete the project.

Given the above issues, here are some simple steps to counter resistance:

• Communicate frequently, clearly and in a variety of methods.
• Be a cheerleader – show your commitment and management skills.
• Encourage participation at all steps.
• Use resources effectively.
• Give others credit for their work.
• Remain patient and try not to personalize things.

With a greater understanding of change, you can now focus on the actual work instead of the negatives that may be surrounding it. It’s important to recognize the existing challenges and gifts that exist in the environment, then roll toward success.

Marta Brockmeyer, Ph.D., provides planning and organizational development consulting for nonprofits. She can be reached at 859.581.7089 or marta@martabrockmeyer.com.

Article PDF

You may need the Adobe Acrobat Reader™ to view and print this document.  You can download the FREE Reader at www.adobe.com.

Copyright 2006 Marta Brockmeyer. All rights reserved. While you may copy this publication, its content may not be modified. You may, and are encouraged to, share the publication with others who may benefit from receiving it.

Top of Page

Article PDF

Close Window

Category

Organizations

Check out my easy to read eWorkbooks about a variety of topics.

Buy Now!!