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How to Manage Change: A Balancing Act

Confianza: For Educators of Language Learners

Image 125 by Alexander Calder, 1957

By Maria Lee

Introduction

It is never easy to deal with change of any kind - your personal life or your work life. But it is how we manage the change that counts. Here, we will explore some helpful frameworks for dealing with change and leading for change. Both articles cited here, "The Change Curve - How do we react to Change," and "Managing Change: The Art of Balancing", emphasize that leaders need to effectively communicate and tailor their approaches to people in the organization dealing with change. I will discuss how each article and corresponding framework shows the importance of communication and their advice on tailoring approaches to people in the organization dealing with change.

The Change Curve

Originally created to show how people dealt with the news that they have a terminal illness by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in 1969, the Change Curve Model is now used for any crisis that individuals go through.

The model of the change curve can gauge change and the effect it has on all of us in organizational change management.

The General Phases of the Change Curve

The Change Curve model describes the 4 stages most people go through to adjust to change, and they are:

Stage 1: When a change is introduced, people's initial reaction is denial, as they react to the challenge of the status quo, including shock and denial.

Stage 2: When reality sets in, people tend to react negatively due to fear, anger, and resistance to change leading to frustration and even depression.

Stage 3: People stop focusing on what they have lost and start to let go. People accept the changes and begin to explore what changes mean, and learn the reality of what is good and what is not. At this point, people learn to adapt by experimentation.

Stage 4: People not only accept change, but also start to embrace them. They rebuild their way of working. The organization can reap the reward of change only when people reach this stage of integrating, and, ultimately, accepting change.

For  individuals dealing with change, the length of time it takes to successfully go through this curve depends on that person. Some can go through quickly, and others can take up to two years and more. It’s not a one-size-fits all model but, instead, a framework to understand how change occurs through a developmental process.

The article (2016) mentions "The challenge is to help bring people through their own change curve, by understanding which phase they are in and also what support tools they need to transition through and embrace the new change." 

"The Change Curve Accelerating Change, and Increasing its Likelihood of Success" article suggests that actions at each stage are:

Stage 1 Action: Communicate Clearly

When the reality of the change hits, even if it is well planned, we need to let people have time to adjust. This is the time people need information, understand what is happening, and know how to get help.

At Stage 1 it is critical for communication. We need to communicate often, but also ensure that people are not overwhelmed. They will only be able to take in a limited amount of information at a time. Make sure people know where to go for more information if they need it. Also, ensure that we take the time to answer any questions that come up.

Stage 2 Action: Listen and observe

In Stage 2, this stage is the "danger zone" because people begin to react to change, they start to feel concern, anger, resentment, or fear. They may feel the need to express their feelings and concern, and vent their anger. If Stage 2 is not  managed effectively, the organization may descend into crisis or chaos.

This stage needs careful planning and preparation. Leaders should prepare for Stage 2 by considering the impacts and objections that people may have.

We need to  ensure we address these concerns early with clear communication and support and by taking action to minimize and mitigate the problems that people will likely experience. As leaders, we  need to listen and watch carefully, so that we can respond to the unexpected.

Stage 3 Action: Offer Training and Opportunities

The organization starts to come out of the danger zone once we turn this corner.

We are on the way to success.

At this juncture, individuals want to test and explore what the change means, as people's acceptance grows. At this stage, we ensure people are trained, supported, and we give early opportunities to experience what the changes will bring. It is vital for learning and acceptance to take place. We can’t expect people to be 100 percent productive during Stage 3. Build in contingence time, so that people can learn and explore without too much pressure.

Stage 4 Action: Celebrate and Share in Success

This is where the changes start to become "second nature," and people embrace the improvements to the way they work.

You can finally see the benefits we worked so hard for, and our teams and organizations start to become productive and efficient, and the positive effects of change become apparent.

Celebrate success!

Balancing Act

"Managing Change: The Art of Balancing" article by Jeanie D. Duck gives some important points on how to manage change from a corporation's point of view. Duck points out that with change, the task is to manage the dynamic of the workplace and innovate mental work, not replicate physical work. Duck (1993) emphasizes that "the goal is to teach thousands of people how to think strategically, recognize patterns, and anticipate problems and opportunities before they occur." Executives or managers of corporations need to communicate clearly, listen and observe, as it was pointed out in Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Change Curve.

Another point Duck pointed out, which I thought was important, is that managing change is not about operating a machine. It involves working with a fixed set of relationships. Duck gives a metaphor for managing change and how it is like "balancing a mobile". Duck (1993) suggests "the key to the change effort is not to attend to each piece in isolation; it's connecting and balancing all the pieces.". Duck also emphasizes that "the critical task is understanding how pieces balance off one another, how changing one element changes the rest, how sequencing and pace affect the whole structure."

A tool that provides critical balance is the Transition Management Team suggested by Duck (1993). Transition Management Team is a group of company leaders reporting to the CEO, who commit all their time and energy to managing the change process. When the process stabilizes, the team disbands. But Duck points out that most companies take the approach to announce the change, and the task force comes up with a new design. But there is a problem, "the task force goes to work, closeting itself away in a meeting room, putting in long hours to meet the deadline. The members don't talk with anyone else in the organization…" You get the drift. What happens is that there is no communication between the people leading the change effort and those who are expected to implement the new strategies. People who handle the organizational context and emotional connection are left in the dark. Duck points out this sends a message that may not truly bring along all people experiencing the change.

So, when it comes time to make the decision, the company will pay the price for its communication mistakes. Managers and workers feel alienated and devalued. Their opinions had never been sought, and their concerns and feelings had never been considered. What is the lesson here? "Management is the message." Duck (1993) points out that "everything managers say - or don't say - delivers a message. --- Communications must be a priority for every manager at every level of the company." 

If the top management requires a behavior change, the first change in behavior should be the top executives, as Duck (1993) points out. "If we were managing the way we say we want to manage, how would we act? How would we attack our problems? What kind of meetings and conversations would we have? Who would be involved? How would we define, recognize, compensate, and reward appropriate behavior?" (pg. 8) Definitely something to think about. Putting ourselves in the shoes, so to speak, of those we are asking to change requires empathy-building and perspective taking, most importantly, mutual respect and trust.

5 Components Of Organisational Change — The Knoster Model is another tool Saahil Sood, author of a 5 Components article, suggests The Knoster Model is helpful in dealing with change.

Final Thought

Another critical factor in time of change is trust. Duck (1993) mentions that trust is based on two things: predictability and capability. Predictability means people want to know what to expect. It consists of intention and ground rules: what are our general goals and how we will make our decisions. “The more leaders clarify the ground rules and intention, the more people will be able to predict what happens to them and their influence.”Another critical factor is capability which means managers must know if the process is aligned and in control. Through this way of transparent communication and consensus, the desired results will follow.

As previously stated, Duck noted, “managing change means balancing the mobile; the question is how to do it?”

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References

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