Navigating Change And Addressing Uncertainty

Who has ever faced a significant change in the workplace and had to lead not only yourself, but your team through it? It can be a daunting task, especially when people do not understand why the change is occurring or how it impacts them.

In a previous life, I worked for one of the largest healthcare systems in the US and we transitioned from a siloed approach to HR to a centralized, service-based model. The change itself was well planned for and we put in the work to ensure the change was not only meticulously planned for but implemented well. We knew the change was going to have positive impacts on the organization and our people, but the journey would be one that required some of the best minds and a level of collaboration that the company had never before seen.

Let’s face it, if you want to be a High performing organization, change is not only necessary - it’s essential

Which is why it’s vital that leaders have the skills to effectively manage through it. So, how do you do that? We must first understand that any change, whether perceived as good or bad, will come with an array of emotions. It’s easy to get comfortable with what’s familiar, and as leaders we must understand that change requires: 

• New skills

• Different behavior

• Meaningful interactions

Typically, the most common areas in business where change occurs include:

• Strategy

• Organization

• Operations

All of which impact our people, and it’s why

we must look at any change through the eyes of our people.

William Bridges created a transition model based off Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’ work which focuses not on the process, but the emotions involved when humans experience a loss.

As we move from the current state to the future state we go through different emotions with each stage of change.

By understanding the emotions, leaders can focus on supporting their team and accelerate the speed in which individuals adopt the change and move from being laggers to promoters who help your organization fully implement any change.

As we move from the current state to the future state over a period of time – which can be very short or over years -  we go through several stages of change.

When we become aware of a change we begin looking inward to attempt to understand what it means for us personally. During this stage, which Bridges calls the awareness stage that we may see emotions such as denial, shock, anxiety, and fear. 

Once we realize the change train isn’t stopping, we begin to move into acceptance, but trust and believe that acceptance does not equal excitement. Often as we begin to accept that change is coming, whether we like it or not, a typical response is to resist. Maybe, if I resist long enough I’ll be able to slow things down. Signs of resistance can range from bad attitudes to anger to gossip.

It’s truly during this phase that leaders have the greatest opportunity. Rather than viewing resistance as a negative, approach it from a place of learning and understanding. Create opportunities for your team to safely share what’s causing the greatest pain. Invite feedback and make sure you’re proactively communicating what you can when you can. Be open, be honest, and be forthcoming. After all, we know that in the absence of information, people tend to make up their own.

By doing so, you’ll ease the fear and you’ll help your team move to the adoption stage, where they not only get excited about the change, they help you move it forward!

If your organization is facing significant change, or challenges with a current change, reach out and learn how I can help you navigate it well.