Many senior executives know this and worry about it. When asked what keeps them up at night, CEOs involved in change often say they are concerned about how the work force will react, how they can get their team to work together, and how they will be able to lead their people. They also worry about retaining their company’s unique values and sense of identity and about creating a culture of commitment and performance. Leadership teams that fail to plan for the human side of change often find themselves wondering why their best-laid plans have gone awry. Yet companies will reap the rewards only when change occurs at the level of the individual employee. No single methodology fits every company, but there is a set of practices, tools, and techniques that can be adapted to a variety of situations.
The saying “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is something everyone hears when change is on horizon. When Shein’s (1980) planned theory arouse, it derived from this very idea that people are resist to change. His theory encompasses three main stages to enact change, in essence teaching an old dog new tricks. Stage 1 – becoming motivated to change, known as the “unfreezing” (Penn State, Planned Change, 2017), the learning phase. This phase of change is built on the theory that human behavior is established by past observational learning and cultural influences (Penn State, Planned Change, 2017) and utilizes three essential mechanisms. The first mechanism is “Disconfirmation is the process of showing organizational members that their current behaviors or attitudes are incorrect, and that continuing to behave in those ways will not only harm the organization, but themselves as well” (Penn State, Planned Change, 2017). People will react to what they see and hear around them, and need to be involved in the change process. Highly visible rewards, such as promotion, recognition, and bonuses, should be provided as dramatic reinforcement for embracing change just as dogs react to the barrage of treats when they learn a new trick. Now that previous beliefs now being seen as invalid, “anxiety or guilt in organizational members will motivate them to change their behavior” (Penn State, Planned Change, 2017) the second mechanism to this stage. And the final mechanism is “creating psychological safety” (Penn State, Planned Change, 2017). This safety net is utilized in order for those in the process of change, to see the new behaviors as those that will cause less anxiety therefore viewed as positive solutions to their old behavior.
Stage 2 of Schein planned change theory is that change what needs to be changed, unfreeze into a new state. “Once that positive end goal has been established, change is possible” (Penn State, Planned Change, 2017). Once there is sufficient dissatisfaction with the current conditions and a real desire to make some change exists, it is necessary to identify exactly what needs to be changed. Three possible impacts from processing new information are: words take on new or expanded meaning, concepts are interpreted within a broader context, and there is an adjustment in the scale used in evaluating new input. “The official message from the organization is only one source of information. That is why going back to stage one and creating the motivation to change is so crucial; it becomes easier to control the message if everyone sees the need for change in the first place” (Penn State, Planned Change, 2017).
Stage 3 – making the change permanent, “refreezing” (Penn State, Planned Change, 2017) or the maintenance phase. Refreezing is the final stage where new behavior becomes habitual, (no treats necessary). However, “It is important to note that just because people show the changed behavior once or even a few times, that does not necessarily mean that it is a permanent behavior. They can regress to the old ways if that supportive environment is not present” (Penn State, Planned Change, 2017). So keep the treats and clicker handy!
“Change process involves learning something new” (Penn State, Planned Change, 2017) while “unlearning something that is already present and well integrated” (Penn State, Planned Change, 2017). Company culture is an amalgam of shared history, explicit values and beliefs, and common attitudes and behaviors. Change programs can involve creating a culture (in new companies or those built through multiple acquisitions), combining cultures (in mergers or acquisitions of large companies), or reinforcing cultures (in, say, long-established consumer goods or manufacturing companies). Understanding that all companies have a cultural center — the locus of thought, activity, influence, or personal identification — is often an effective way to jump-start culture change. No change program goes completely according to plan. People react in unexpected ways; areas of anticipated resistance fall away; and the external environment shifts. Effectively managing change requires continual reassessment of its impact and the organization’s willingness and ability to adopt the next wave of transformation. “The leader must motivate people in the organization to want to change (by overcoming the perception of threat and pain). Help them unlearn old behaviors, help them learn new behaviors, as well as make sure that there are support system (infrastructure, training, people, etc.) to make sure the change actually goes beyond lip service” (Penn State, Planned Change, 2017).
References
Pennsylvania State University (2017). Leadership in a Global Context –Learning and Change in a Global Setting, Organizational Change. OLEAD 410. Online course lesson, Penn State World Campus, The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved February 11, 2017, from
https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654115
Pennsylvania State University (2017). Leadership in a Global Context –Learning and Change in a Global Setting, Planned Change. OLEAD 410. Online course lesson, Penn State World Campus, The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved February 11, 2017, from
https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654116
Exceptional entry on your blog.
I see so many older people who are actually living such youthful lives and it is because they are eternally curious and willing to learn something.
I see the same with companies. Google, is just such a curious company, it explores new technologies, it is always learning and moving forward in ways that I never expect.
I recently got involved with Virtual Reality and discovered something really sad, in order for me to be able to develop VR projects and have the most effective fun with VR. I had to switch from Apple Iphones to Samsung. Samsung is now becoming one of the leaders in Virtual Reality and this VR stuff is going to change the world.
Apple itself has not been a very innovative company since the death of Steve Jobs. He was the model of self-efficacy and one has to wonder if he was the atomic center of the culture at Apple, and once removed, the company got less curious, became more product driven but not innovation driven and well, it seems to me like it’s already on a slow decline.
What I am enjoying, truly relishing in, is that I am learning the mechanics by which things succeed or fail. This knowledge shall not be lost in the way I plan not only my business ventures but my life.