People. The most complex, challenging, fascinating and critical aspect of change. People are at the very heart of the change challenge.
Whether it is a manager, a consultant, or even newlyweds settling down to their life together, the ability of all humans to cope with, respond positively to, and even thrive on change is a remarkable, dynamic characteristic.
This article provides one small but critical perspective on the subject of people’s reaction to change—that of being able to step outside of oneself and peer into the world and minds of others, to see things from the other’s perspective. This is a simple, yet at times difficult, task to accomplish effectively in interactions where change is involved. Change is often a very stressful event for people.
There is a story about a man who was on a train and saw three young, unruly children with their mother, who did nothing to control them. The man became very cross and said something to the mother. The mother then explained that her husband had died recently and she was struggling to cope with life, let alone the three children. Can you imagine the paradigm shift that the man had when he heard her story? Hearing her circumstances must’ve drastically changed his perspective of the situation.
On an individual level, people’s reaction to change can vary greatly, but humans examined as a whole share many of the same feelings. Typically we all have different perspectives, which are often hidden from the view of others. People’s reactions to a proposed change can at times be interesting and unexpected. People rationalize things in their own way, and the corresponding behavior can sometimes be tricky to understand or explain. The common iceberg principle is useful here, meaning that behavior is only the tip of the iceberg. The challenge is to interpret what is below the water line. What is it that lies beneath that motivates people and has molded them to act and think the way they do? Hence the saying ‘walk in the shoes of others’ is an important one.
Out of this comes the point that communication is probably the most significant factor in determining how an individual interprets change, and therefore responds or reacts to change.
The communication challenge cartoon offers a fantastic illustration of the challenge of people and their perceptions, in a project context. Communication is evidently a critical part of understanding and behavior. One of the conclusions from this illustration is that communication, understanding, and interpretation are key elements in the journey and goal of perfect change. We need to see the other’s perspective in order to be able to help them with a change and more importantly position it in the best way to them.
There is a nice model that articulates the essence of this human process through change. It is abbreviated to DREC (Denial – Resistance – Exploration and Commitment, see Figure 1, right). This explains the basic journey that people make when faced with something new, different or potentially frightening. Although generic, this model has proven to be accurate and useful.
One aspect of this is that the typical first reaction to any change is an emotional one rather than a logical or analytical one, which may explain some of the behavior. This is a critical consideration in the planning, management and communication of any change.
In summary, remember that effective and successful change begins with attempting to walk in the shoes of others, to attempt to see things
from their perspective. Then, to define an effective positioning and communication plan that will ease the change receiver’s emotional response, and facilitate an effective transition over time to one of full commitment and support for the change.
So now I ask you, how do you differentiate between leading & following? Also, as the walk seems to turn more into a dance, that moves work for you?
About the author: Pete Floyd is the Global Client Transformation Director for RWD’s Energy Division. Every project has a component of organizational change to achieve the project goals. RWD helps clients by providing an organizational and stakeholder perspective, helping first to understand the project goals and their impact on the organization, and then to identify and overcome the potential barriers or challenges to the change.
What a helpful article to remind us of something we’ve experienced so many times, and that hapens so automatically and fast, that we often neglect to remember “what’s really going on.” Thats for reminding us of some basic things we can do to have a better understanding of what’s really going on with the people we interact with …
Great Post!! Thank you very much!