How do you feel about change in organizational settings? Why do you feel that way?
I Love this question! I feel that I have heard it several times over the last few months. My response has always been the same, I embrace change, especially if it is for the better. However, with that said, not all changes are good. It is important to understand that if an organization doesn’t change or attempt to re-work a process, then they will never know if there is a better way of doing something, or a better technology that is out there that may help move the organization forward.
My mindset has always been, don’t judge until you see the results. It is important to give change a chance and in order to do that, you need to have the right system in place, the right protocol to role the change out. This is where the Change Champions come into play, those who get the employee buy-in, who help share the vision of the change and get people on board.
If an Organization refuses the change, they may stay stagnant, while their competitors pass them by. I feel that without change we’d be the same and people get tired of being the same, doing the same thing. It’s healthy to shake it up a bit, roll the dice and take a chance, most importantly, learn from it. What went well? What didn’t? What can we do better? I also feel that change within an organizational setting can be scary. People are so hesitant to change and dislike the unknown. Some feel intimidated and as a manager of an organization it is my job to ensure a better understanding of the changes, to be that resource and sounding board of the employee.
To better understand change and remind myself how difficult change can be I always do the crossing of the arms technique. So, cross your arms, now cross them the other way. Feels weird right? Feels different and maybe uncomfortable. That’s how change feels for some, and I feel that it is god to remind myself that not everyone is comfortable with change. I want to create an environment and or be a part of an environment that can help alleviate that stress and ensure success in any change within an organization.
Jeffrey L. Spearly, Ph.D. says
Hi Kevin, thanks for the post. You said you embrace change when it’s “for the better.” Do we change “for the worse?” Better is a relative term — better for whom? You wrote, “Not all change is good . . . ” Perhaps it depends where you sit within the organization. Understanding the corporate strategy helps us to understand the need for change.
sbp5307 says
Hi Kevin,
I can relate to – companies refusing to change may stay stagnant, while their competitors pass them by. I agree that change is good and from an organizational perspective I think its the way the change is brought about rather than the actual change…
Best wishes for this semester!!
Michelle Yaple says
Kevin I love your post. And I gotta say the arm crossing felt weird. If you really want to feel a weird change try stepping into pants with your non-dominant leg first. Talk about strange.