Change.
It’s one of those things that can certainly get people talking and it seems that the majority hate doing it despite it being an inevitable part of life.
A typical change process
People become aware that a change exists. This can be through self acknowledgement of something currently not working or as a result of being told. The change needs to be understood to make it effective. People then engage with the change and start to form a negative or positive attitude about the change. A positive attitude during the change being tested is more likely to result in action and eventual commitment. A negative attitude resulting in reactions and potential to require reinforcement to enable compliance.
For an Organisation
When changing people, processes and/or technology, it’s important to understand that the people factor can make or break a project outcome for change. Processes and technology are typically changed first while people lag slightly behind as they adopt the new way of doing things. From an organisations perspective, the organisation overall lags further behind in adoption of change until the changes are embedded and eventually internalised as the usual way of doing things. This diagram summarises that adoption of change.
Organisations need to deal with the reality of resistance to change and common change reactions that can include anxiety, anger, denial, sadness or depression. There is also the reality that a small proportion rarely change and may need support to find alternative employment. People can move from shock, to retreating before accepting and adapting to a change.
