Change is inevitable. Nothing in our world
stays the same, least of all our work. Having
skills to cope with change are critical in this
globalizing world.
The ability to successfully handle change is
important enough that we are devoting three issues
to it. In this first issue, we want to calibrate
your expectations about change. Everyone has
limits. The key is finding out what yours are. In
the second issue, we discuss the symptoms people
exhibit when there is too much change in their
lives. And, in our third issue, we discuss methods
of increasing your ability to handle change. We
are borrowing from Daryl Connor’s book, Managing at the Speed of Change.
Adjusting to Change
According to
Connor, our ability to adjust to change depends
upon our level of "resilience." Connor
distinguishes the speed at which people "travel
through change" from the speed at which light
travels through space. The speed of light is
186,281 miles per second. Unlike light, however,
we have no established pace or speed and no
pre-determined level of resilience.
Why do people have difficulty dealing with
change? Change is difficult because it represents
a loss of control. Being able to predict what will
happen in the future provides people with a sense
of control. What we are resisting when we resist
change is the loss of control.
The good news is that resistance is a natural
part of the change process. It is also true that
we tend to accept our own resistance easily but we
are critical of others' resistance to change. For
example, when we decide to oppose something, we
believe our opposition is based on sound judgment
and rational thinking. Yet, when someone else
opposes something we advocate, we believe they are
"ignorant of the facts," "unreasonable,"
"troublemakers" or "not thinking clearly."
Accepting others' resistance to change is easier
if we remember that resistance is simply a natural
and expected response to any change.
Is There a Limit to How Much Change We Can
Handle?
One of the basic axioms of
organizational life is that we are most effective
and efficient when we are moving at our own unique
speed. What is your own unique speed of change and
how much change can you assimilate?
One way to think of our ability to assimilate
change is to assign that ability a number. Let us
say that we have 500 "dealing with change" or
"assimilation" points a year, and when that number
is "used up" we are deficient. Some events "cost"
more "assimilation" points than others. For
example, if your manager asks you to do one of
your tasks in a different way, this may "cost"
only a few assimilation points. But, if your
manager suddenly gives you a new job assignment,
this may "cost" a lot of assimilation points. It
could cost even more points if the change
profoundly affects the way you do your job.
In addition, your assimilation points have to
be available to you in your personal as well as
professional life. Things like divorce, death of a
family member, accidents and illness will consume
a great number of assimilation points. Even
seemingly "good" events like moving to a new home,
having a baby or adopting a child, adding a pet to
your family, or even going on a family vacation
can require assimilation points.
It is important to remember that disruptions
can come from others or from yourself. This is
important: You will consume points even when you
initiate the change. Sometimes, the strongest
resistance occurs when we get exactly what we
asked for. For example, we may think we are ready
for a new manager, or a new policy, or a new
procedure. We might have even participated in
planning for the change. But once that change
begins to occur, we find that we are not ready at
all. Another of the Connor's axioms is: "It is not
the surprises in life that are so debilitating.
The truly crushing force is being surprised that
you are surprised."
So what is your capacity for change? Take some
time to reflect. How much change are you
confronted with? What comes at you and what do you
create?
In our next issue, we'll discuss the symptoms
people exhibit when they experience more change
than they can handle. Perhaps you will recognize
some of these symptoms in yourself. Our third
article about dealing with change will address how
you can build up your reserves - your assimilation
points - to help you better handle change.
