First of all, I must provide a disclaimer on the topic. I am rather young (I hope), innovative minded and usually an early adaptor who has worked with changes through my entire career. So change is natural to me. And I tend to react with enthusiasm when something new is presented to me. And before reading the text, I want to give you a task. When reading through it, stop every now and them and see how you are reacting to the things that are mentioned. How do those make you feel and why is that?
Change is not hard; it is a transaction. Something changes form. Maybe a task, a role. Organisation. Change can affect anything really, but still change as such is always just a change. Change is also not either good, or bad. Usually, it is both. So, if change is only a transaction. Then why would it be difficult? That all, in my eyes, comes down to being a human, trusting your routines and not being willing to try new things. Of course, then we start looking into the differences in people and that takes us far into the interesting world of psychology, but we don’t have to go there in this text. Let’s stay in the topic of Change. Why would change, a transaction, be difficult? … I tried to think so hard of something incredible, something new. But there are no miracles in change or change management. It all comes down to people and the role of the one initiating and implementing the change. Change manager.
Change Management
So what is change management. According to the Oxford Dictionary of organizational behaviour (2019) it is “The Activities and processes employed to take an organisation from one state to another.” Simple enough, right. Again, it only looks like a simple transaction. However, they do continue that “this includes how individuals are informed about, incentivized by, involved in, and supported though the change process of designing and planning the change and its implementation.” Ok. So you can’t do it in a vacuum. You have to consider others as well, but people like to work together right, at least they always try and make their best in order to help you get the changes done, right? Please? The Dictionary continues “There is typically resistance to change”. C’mon now. Why, tell me. The dictionary continues further “for reasons such as fear of uncertainty, vested interest in status quo, lack of understanding, and a natural propensity for inertia, which change management has to address.”
Change management – First it sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Just a series of activities and processes aimed at transitioning an organisation from one state to another. Yet, as start looking deeper into the challenges we uncover a multitude of challenges, emotions (Blah!?), and complexities that define the very essence of the challenge we phase when we change. It seems that the change management involves a delicate navigation of human emotions, finding individual motivations and utilizing those, as well as supporting the individuals through the change. But who has time for that? Who wants to do all that? Do you?
Everyone’s responsibility?
But here’s the catch – change doesn’t happen in isolation. And maybe it is not just a transaction. Instead, would it be more of a journey? One where individuals, teams, and departments must align their efforts towards a common goal. While collaboration may sounds like a natural thing, the reality is always far from it. People, with their unique perspectives and interests, may not always see eye to eye with each other. Sometimes that past might play a role. And there lies the challenge. Change management isn’t just about implementing new, the change. It’s about the culture of agility and resilience in organisations and in individuals. Empowering people to embrace the change, not always seeing it as a negative. But trying to be open and seeing the possibilities.
While change is not easy. It can be a great catalyst for growth and innovations. But in your mind. Who should start the transformation in your organisation’s mindset? Does it always have to come from the top, or what is the individual’s responsibility? Could we embrace the journey ahead, navigate the complexities, and be the ones that drive the change in a new era of business and in life? Or would you rather stay as is? That is a question for you to think and based on that, you’ve got a decision to make.
