Change. This is a subject that is near and dear to me for many reasons. I think the primary reason I’m so attracted to this subject is that I became fascinated by change and embraced it the moment I realized it is natural and inevitable. This was a stark contrast to how I approached it in my younger years battling change and in a sense treating it as my enemy. My philosophy was more closely related to some of the reasons found in the 50 Reasons Not to Change graphic. Some of my reasons not to change were because I thought it was contrary to policy, it was too much trouble, and everything was working OK. Looking back, I think I spent more energy fighting change when I could have expended less energy by accepting it and therefore both produce and receive benefits as a result. This is not to say I am immune to resisting some change. I still find myself not wanting to change certain things in my organization, especially processes, because of time sensitivity and complexity. It’s not that I don’t want to tackle making such changes, but the challenge lies within simply not having enough time in the day. I think one of my strengths is my ability to analyze processes, find the weak areas, and make improvements to them. Yet, I tend to have a “let’s not reinvent the wheel” approach if something works. Maybe that is something I need to examine further. Maybe reinventing the wheel is necessary every so often.
Embracing change is a mindset and requires conscious effort to remind one’s self that change can be a very good thing. This helps in facing change with open arms and giving it a chance. It does no good to consider change a failure and dismissing it before giving it an opportunity to succeed. I remember a few years ago when my team and I were on a call together and our supervisor announced a major change to how we would do business going forward. Everyone seemed devastated, angry, and certain this would create more harm than good. I quickly thought about the impacts and I actually thought the change was needed and beneficial. Sure, there would be more work initially, but it would help all of us in the long run. I addressed the team and told them why I thought this was a positive and asked all of them to embrace it, especially since it wasn’t going away. My supervisor called me after our team call and thanked me for getting everyone on board. That moment changed the way I approached changes and convinced me that positivity was a key element to any change. However, I still cringe when I see change initiatives that offer no value and seem implemented just for the sake of change itself. I get it, change is necessary and can provide immense benefits to an organization, that is as long as the change is well orchestrated and feedback from others in the organization was sought out beforehand. Too many times have I seen a plan implemented without leadership fully understanding the impact the plan had on processes and people. Brown (2011) suggests that “the single biggest reason organizational changes fail is that no one thought about endings or planned to manage their impact on people” (p. 145).
Seth Godin discusses people becoming leaders to bring about changes and how tribes are key to such changes in his 2009 TED Conference aptly called “The Tribes We Lead”. While I agree with his concept I do not think this is anything revolutionary, but just Godin putting a label on something that has existed for thousands of years. He even admits tribes “are a very simple concept that goes back 50,000 years” (2009). I couldn’t agree more that someone who stands up against the status quo, has a unique idea, and brings people together who support and share in the belief of this idea is the epitome of a leader. However, while I don’t think it is common for people to challenge the status quo, I do believe the process that occurs after is natural. People are always looking for others with common interests and beliefs and if this comes in the form of connecting with someone trying to make a change, it will of course happen. So, the real change process begins when that individual becomes a leader by taking a stand against the norm. Granted, the opportunity for change grows stronger as people come together in numbers, and if we want to label these people as tribes, then yes, change is driven by tribes. What this exercise has taught me is that I need to continue to embrace the inevitability of change and to not be afraid to challenge the status quo.
References
Brown, D. R. (2011). An experiential approach to organization development (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Godin, S. (2009, February). TEDTalk: The tribes we lead. [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead?language=en
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