Understanding Change

This content has been adapted from UC Berkeley’s Change Management Toolkit and other sources as cited.

Change is hard! But if we are of the mindset that change is an opportunity for growth we can make it much easier for ourselves. Our minds are very powerful and understanding how our brain reacts to change can allow us to reframe the change and recognize that change is opportunity! We have created this page to empower our Owners with tools and resources to understand change, identify your current stage in the change process, and confidently move forward.

Understanding Change

These days, things are constantly changing at work - new tech, new ideas, & being more connected than ever to a global network. It can feel like things are always shifting, but lots of helpful tools are out there to make it easier to keep up. This page is filled with info to help you navigate change.

Two Primary Types of Change

Incremental change is based on the current state to improve the existing way of doing our work. It typically involves fewer changes & affects a small number of people.

Transformational change is a fundamental shift in an organizations's culture, strategy, or opersations that leads to a significant & lasting impact.

(Taking Stock Suvey by The Change Management Toolbook, February 2005)

The Common Denominator = People

There are many reasons that people resist change. Some reasons are loss of control & excess uncertainty. 'Fear of the unknown'

According to Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Switch, peoples’ brains have two independent systems at work at all times: the rational side (is reflective, it deliberates, analyzes, and looks to the future), and the emotional side (is instinctive, feels pleasure and pain).

Think of the rational side of the brain as the Rider and the emotional side as an Elephant. The Rider’s strength is to think and to plan. Without a plan, there is no path to get things done. The Elephant’s strength is emotion. Without emotion, there is no motivation (no energy) to get things done.

The summary below is a four-page (6-minute read) to help you understand how people process change.

When information is mimimal, each of us should approach change with optimism

To change behavior (our own or someone else's), we must do three things...

Direct the Rider

The Rider has its issues. A Rider likes to contemplate and analyze information before deciding on a direction. When a Rider isn’t sure exactly which direction to go, they lead the Elephant in circles. Often, what looks like resistance is actually lack of clarity.

Motivate the Elephant

When an individual’s six-ton Elephant disagrees with their Rider's direction, the Rider will lose. The Rider may get their way temporarily through close monitoring and exerting self-control, but the Elephant will ALWAYS overpower the Rider in the long term. Why? Self-control is an exhaustible resource. Often, what looks like resistance is exhaustion. Motivation provides the energy the Rider needs to maintain self-control; lacking motivation may doom a change effort.

Shape the Path

To direct the Rider and motivate the Elephant, we need to shape the Path by focusing on the situation, including the surrounding environment, to make the change more likely. Being specific narrows the focus, so the Elephant and the Rider are more likely to stay traveling together toward the goal. Often, what looks like resistance is actually a lack of direction.

What Happens if a Necessary Change Management Component is Missing?

Industry statistics show that only 30% of organizational change initiatives are successful. For a change initiative to be successful, the desired objectives of the effort must be fully realized. 70% of change initiatives fail because organizations do not manage effectively. There are seven necessary components of change management. If any element is neglected, the result will be a less-than-optimal achievement of the initiative goals. The graphic below illustrates the seven components required for successful change management and indicates specific consequences for missing components.

To Change Behavior: Direct the Rider

Make the Destination Crystal Clear & Find the Bright Spots

In situations requiring change, the Rider sees problems everywhere which may result in “analysis paralysis”. To make progress, direct the Rider toward workable solutions by finding and analyzing exceptions to the current problem. These “bright spots” point directly to solutions that will work in the current environment. These solutions can then be implemented as quick wins, providing direction to the Rider and hope/motivation to the Elephant.

Script Critical Moves

Decisions fall under the purview of the Rider—the more choices available to the Rider, the more ambiguous the path. An ambiguous path creates uncertainty, which makes the Elephant anxious. An anxious Elephant wants to stay on the path of the “status quo” rather than change to an uncertain path. The “status quo” is comfortable and reduces the Elephant’s anxiety.

This means the Rider must constantly x self-control to keep the Elephant on the uncertain path. To create successful change, ambiguous goals must be translated into concrete behavioral goals. Over time, these defined behaviors become instinctive, requiring less self-control from the Rider.

Point to An All or Nothing Destination

It is necessary to provide the Rider with a near-term vivid picture of an all-or-nothing goal that shows what could be possible. Describing a compelling destination prevents the Rider from getting lost in analysis. Instead, the Rider starts figuring out how to get to the goal. This also shows the Elephant why the journey is worthwhile without giving the Elephant any wiggle room to rationalize failure.

Tools & Templates to help 'Direct the Rider'

The templates below can help you ask the right questions to understand our change initiatives. For more information on asking great questions, check out our Tools & Resource board from our Asking Great Questions workshop.

How Stress Impacts Change

Did you know that stress reduces the ability to process information by up to 80%?

(Communicating Organizational Change: Information Technology meets the Carbon-Based Employee Unit, Joseph G. Wojtecki, Jr., and Richard G. Peters, Center for Risk Communication, 2000)

People Under Stress:

Have difficulty hearing, understanding, & remembering information
Understand information at four grades below their education level
React to perceived threats rather than to reality

Brain imaging research shows that we can’t think cognitively very well when emotional. The deductive reasoning area of our brain shrinks! When anxiety and fear are cumulative, our ability to function becomes a challenge.

Manager Tip: As people leaders, not only do we need to take steps back to understand our emotions about the change, but we need to provide resources, be available to our people, & role model self-care.

Communication consistently & clearly during the change ensure everyone hears the same message, understands the direction, & understands how it will impact their work & environment.

Manager Tool: Team Communication Plan

Manager Tool: Best Practices for Communication

Kübler-Ross Change Curve

The Kübler-Ross Change Curve isn’t a clear-cut path; it doesn’t always go in a straight line. The emotional ride can feel like a cycle, where stages overlap or repeat as things change. This back-and-forth process shows that handling change and adjusting to it can be challenging & unpredictable.

To Change Behavior: Motivate the Elephant

Think of the emotional side of an individual's brain as the Elephant. The Elephant's strength is emotion. Without emotion, there's no motivation (no energy) to get things done.

How people think successful change happens: analyze - think - change.

How it really happens: see - feel - change.

Why? Self-control is an exhaustible resource. Often, what looks like resistance is exhaustion.

Make People Feel the Need for Change

Know the Feeling

Knowing something is not enough to cause change. When people fail to change, it is usually NOT due to a lack of understanding. Analytical arguments don’t motivate; emotions motivate. Eliciting negative emotions can motivate quick/specific actions, but eliciting positive emotions is a better approach when building actions needed for the change effort.

Shrink the Change

One way to make the change less overwhelming is to help the Elephant create an impact by proactively planning for & celebrating milestones & wins along the way.

Quick wins and easy-to-reach milestones create a sense of progress and accomplishment and make the change effort seem less daunting. These create hope and increase confidence that the change can succeed, and they’ve made that happen.

Manager Tip: Grow Your People | To keep the Elephant Motivated, lean into learning. Create conditions for lasting change.
Believe that while the overall mission with NOT fail, challenges & moments of learning are expected along the way. Most people are resilient & driven. Most will rise to the occasion.

Why People Resist Change

Check out Commcoterie.com for more change brilliance!

Normal, Human Change Resistance

Aversion to disruption
Suspicion of new things
Fear of elevated workload
Hesitancy to take on the unknown
Memories of past failed initiatives
Caution
Observation
Curiosity
Careful assessment of the situation

Resistance to a Poor Strategy

Surpise announcements
Designing disruptive change processes
Not planning for capacity
Trying to convince people that a change is great
Actions & words do not align
Requesting, but not acting on, feedback
Sending out endless reminders
Creating needless extra work

The Cycle of Acceptance

The Cycle of Acceptance is a natural process that many individuals & organizations experience with faced with challenging news or differing opinions. While it may seem daunting at first, this journey often leads to greater understanding, resilience, & growth. Embracing this cycle can ultimately foster collaboration & innovative solutions.

Be On the Lookout For...

Stages of Transition | Transition Model

As a leader of change (which we all are), it is essential to recognize how change will impact an employee's emotional experience. One way to understand change is in terms of situation and transition:

Change is situational. It disrupts expectations (e.g., new worksite, manager, roles, policy, processes, technology). Every change, even the most longed-for, requires leaving something behind and letting go.

Transition is psychological. It is the process people must go through to come to terms with the new situation. It requires letting go of something, grieving in some way, experiencing feelings of loss, and processing those effectively to move forward. This requires time, and since it is experienced internally, it may be invisible or hard to observe/detect in others

Best Practices for Leading Change (People Leaders)

Manager Tip: Practice the 4 Vs

Visibility - During this time, Be visible, available, & genuinely interested in your people. Regular 1:1s will help your people feel seen, heard, and valued.
Variability - Allow for varying personal reactions and understand that people may have different frames of mind (see the Kubler-Ross model above). Give people flexibility at work for self-care and a safe space to ask questions and share concerns.
Venting - Allow opportunities for people to share their stories, compare their reactions, & express their feelings. Sometimes, change is just plain weird. Productivity may decrease initially; however, allowing people to vent can expedite getting back to a focus on the work.
Validation - Say thank you and recognize people for their accomplishments & contributions. Kindness goes a long way in challenging times.

What NOT To Do

Don’t censor information or hold back until everything is known.

People need all available information to make realistic assessments & effective plans. Share what information you do have when you have it - even if it isn’t complete.

Don’t express cynicism.

People look to their leaders as role models & need your support & guidance.

Don’t be unrealistically optimistic.

Be a kind human and acknowledge when things are challenging.

Don’t isolate yourself.

People need access to you to feel seen & heard. Use their verbal & nonverbal cues to identify when to be involved and when to back off.

Don’t expect people to all react the same way simultaneously.

You’ve seen the Kubler-Ross cycle and the Cycle of Acceptance - expect people to be in different places. People respond to change differently. If in doubt, ask.

Don’t enable resistance.

Enabling resistance protects people from the consequences of their actions and helps them avoid moving through the change process.

Managing Change Well

Tools & Resources

Lastly (And Arguably Most Important)...

This site & all content (unless otherwise noted) were created by Beth Boyd. If you want to use any of the content or have anything customized to your organization, please email me at beth@talentlab.live or put time on my calendar. You can learn more here.

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