People resist change.This statement can be a reassuring conversation starter for managers who have struggled with implementing change. However, the conversation does not have to end on the same note. In personal and professional decisions, people make bold and daring changes daily.
Experts suggest that one of the most difficult changes in life is for a family to be separated (Martin, James, et al, 2000; Bryceson and Vuorela, 2003). Yet in 2005 alone, 1.8 million high school graduates left parents and other family members to attend college (Bureau of Labor Statistics). About the same number of students will be admitted to colleges throughout the US this year. Most of these young adults have never lived by themselves before, and for those who have siblings, have never lived away from them. Parents who guide, support, and facilitate the enrollment of their children in college do so knowing full well they will be separated from a dear friend, helper, and confidant; and that their life’s savings will be depleted in the process. Many are not deterred by the prospect of an empty nest.
Another report released in August by BLS shows that the youngest baby boomers, those born between 1957 and 1964, held an average of 10.5 jobs from ages 18 to 40. This is a surprisingly significant number for a generation that is famed to relish stability. The number is expected to be higher for subsequent generations. In addition, some of these career moves involve relocating to new and unfamiliar territories.
Considering the disruption to the family, including the emotional toll and financial impact, why would a parent approve of and even invest in this separation from a child? Or why would people embrace the uncertainty of a different job or a new location? An insight into why people make these decisions is helpful in enabling them to embrace organizational change.
The power of a promise. The ultimate goal of attending college might be to earn a degree. However, the promise of higher education-access to specialized knowledge, foundation for a life dream, chance at a brighter future, etc.-is priceless! It’s powerful enough to cause parents and children to not only embrace change but to initiate it.
A promise is a powerful motivator to those for whom it holds meaning. The promise of every organization is its vision. An organization is unlikely to succeed if investors, employees, and customers do not share its vision. Employees who already believe in and espouse a vision have a strong reason to make changes to actualize the vision. Thus, beyond outlining the short- and long-term goals of a change initiative, organizations should demonstrate how the change reinforces a shared vision.
The draw of trust. Parents might be unwilling to pay for a college education if they do not trust their child to commit to earning a degree. They can come to this conclusion if the child has a history of truancy, failing to complete homework, and repeating grade levels.
Similarly, employees will be hesitant to embrace change if
they believe management has an ulterior motive; some stakeholders will benefit to the detriment of others; the organization appears unsure of its purpose or direction; or previous change initiatives did not yield desired results. Trust is an important lubricant for the change process. It minimizes the friction that would otherwise result from strong or persistent resistance. In a trusting environment, employees are likely to accept a clear, honest, and rational explanation from management for any of the above concerns. However, in an environment in which trust has been breached, such an explanation will have to be backed by a series of consistent actions to be credible.
The benefit of early warning. The personal examples being used may be criticized for representing predictable change. For instance, a person who desires to have a college-educated child can start planning even before the child is conceived. However, there are decipherable symptoms for change that are outside of one’s control. Organizations that carefully analyze consumer trends, economic indicators, government regulations, the actions of competitors, to name a few data sources, are able to effectively predict the locus and direction of change. The automobile industry had decades to address concerns about fuel efficiency and alternative energy sources. Toyota and Honda took the early warnings seriously and led the industry in responding. Both companies have profited greatly.
Information is power; therefore, promptly sharing trend analysis and possible implications with employees enables them to take necessary preparatory steps. Valuable time-to research trends, digest personal impact, upgrade skills, adjust psychologically, etc.-is lost if information is shared only at the eleventh hour. Moreover, willingness to share data that inform strategic decisions demonstrates trust in the workforce.
The reward of innovation. Change is a great force, and people who initiate it do so to accomplish their purposes. Others play by the change initiator’s rules. People can deal with change in three ways:
Wait and let change happen (reactionary approach) Prepare for change (proactive approach) Create change (innovative approach) Organizations that frequently react to change have a future in the annals of failed ventures. Proactive entities are not completely caught off guard. Sometimes an organization can only anticipate and prepare for change that’s outside its control. However, innovative and forward-thinking organizations have the ability to create change and set rules by which their industry conducts business. In the process, they gobble up market share and keep the competition in the rearview mirror. What’s more, they eliminate the uncertainty and resultant anxiety that often accompany change that’s initiated or driven by others.
Honda did just that when it created demand for fashionable motorcycles in the early 1980s. In an eighteen-month period, between 1981 and 1983, the company introduced or replaced 113 models, turning over its entire product line twice! Its goal was to make motorcycle design a matter of fashion. It succeeded at making style, newness, and freshness important attributes to customers. Next to a Honda, Yamaha’s bikes, the competition, looked bland and old. Consequently, Yamaha was left with twelve months of unsold inventory (Stalk and Hout, 1990).
The leverage of personal impact. Before an individual accepts a new job, he or she would, at a minimum, want to know the type of work, where it’s located, whether it’s full time or part time, if travel is required, whether weekend work is involved, what benefits are included, and how much it pays. The individual might decline the job if he or she resents traveling and the job requires it.
The job seeker cannot make any of these decisions if the prospective employer is not clear about the offer. More important, the employer can modify the offer to land the right candidate.
A question that management must anticipate and answer in advance is: How will a proposed change affect each employee? Will it require new skills, lead to increased or reduced responsibility, loss or increase in authority, or lower or higher pay? Ultimately, will it result in a job loss?
Identifying the impact of change in advance demonstrates that an organization values its employees enough to anticipate how they might be affected. What the organization does with this information, including how it delivers it, especially if the impact is adverse, is just as germane. By treating workers in a caring and respectful manner, an organization assists them in dealing with the impact of change. For instance, sincere appreciation and respect for employees to be laid off can be demonstrated by providing adequate advance notice, counseling, outplacement service, severance pay, and references. Through these actions, the organization invests in its reputation and ability to make difficult changes in the future.
The value of a facilitative environment. Just as succeeding at college might be difficult for a student encumbered with artificial barriers-parents assigning other work to the student during school hours, insisting on excellent grades but failing to purchase required books, or withholding financial support as discipline for action or behavior unrelated to schooling-embarking on a change initiative can be excruciating in an environment fraught with inconsistent messages.
To avoid the dilemma of having to implement change in a contradictory environment, employees put up walls of resistance. Resistance in this environment may surpass indifference and passive-aggressiveness to include subversive behavior and sabotage. Organizations can avoid this situation by carefully analyzing the work environment and eliminating or mitigating barriers. A force-field analysis, which identifies the forces that support and oppose change, is a good place to start.
People change. They often initiate and embrace change. While the above recommendations are not exhaustive, carefully implementing them will have a positive impact on the response of your workforce to change. Before you begin, take a moment to appreciate how much your organization has already changed. In fact, your organization didn’t really change; people did. And people changed your organization. Openly acknowledge their past efforts.
Endnotes
Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor. College Enrollment and Work Activity of 2005 High School Graduates. March 24, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2006.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor. Number of Jobs held, Labor Market Activity, and Earnings Growth among the Youngest Baby Boomers: Results from a Longitudinal Survey. August 25, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2006.
Deborah (EDT) Bryceson, Ulla (EDT) Vuorela. The Transnational Family: New European Frontiers and Global Networks. Oxford, UK: Berg Publishers, 2003.
George Stalk, Jr., Tom Hout. Competing Against Time: How Time-based Competition is Reshaping Global Markets. New York: The Free Press, 1990.
James A. Martin, et al. The Military Family: A Practice Guide for Human Service Providers. CT: Praeger/Greenwood, 2000.
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