Humans are naturally resistant to change.
Ironically, I believe that the reason for this resistance is because we are so adaptable.
Sound like a contradiction?
It works like this. What humans are good at doing is defining what is ‘normal’.
· A businessman living on the 48th floor – Normal · A woman making handbags in her conservatory – Normal · Someone walking 10 miles every day just to get water – Normal · Living in a space station miles above the Earth – Normal
We become accustomed to the pattern of our lives with astonishing ease; its why our species flourishes in such an incredibly wide set of climates, living conditions and geographies. No other species does that.
There is a ‘but’. You knew one was coming, right?
There is a switch in our brains. It gets flicked when our subconscious tells us that it is time for a new ‘normal’. If that switch does not get flicked, then we stick like glue to the current ‘normal’.
This is why someone comfortable in the pattern of their life will fight tooth and nail to avoid making even a small change. It is the bane of leaders everywhere trying to transform their organisations.
Who has heard the expression “Not-Invented-Here Syndrome”?
That’s another example of how this resistance manifests itself. Something from outside of our normal environment is treated as a threat. You’ll hear the phrase “That’s not how we do things!” said, often with significant emphasis.
So what will make the switch in our brains go ‘click’ and permit us to change to a new normal?
The answer is painfully simple:
Upheaval!
You have to change the conditions in which the people carve out the rut of their lives enough that they can no longer see it as their much loved ‘normal’.
· Move people to different offices. · Change their roles and tasks. · Mix up the teams. · Send them all on a trek in the Himalayas (budget depending!)
Don’t go too far. You have to leave enough of the previous normal that your staff don’t feel totally disconnected. The danger is that if that happens, they will psychologically disassociate from the enterprise. You want to make change happen, but within the context of your business. You want to bring the staff along with you as you make those changes.
When you see people coming in to work with a new alertness, a curiosity as to what will happen next, then you know that the switch has flicked in their heads. They are ready for a new normal.
Now is when you can engage them in the change process. Facilitate the discussions, feed in the right ideas, have group meetings with positive messages. You have to get across a series of messages while everyone is receptive to something new.
Your job is to get them engaged and enthusiastic with change.
· Explain why change is needed. · Explain the consequences of not changing. · Explain the benefits of making the changes. · Describe the options for change.
Most importantly, engage them in a dialogue. Make them a part of what is happening, not mere recipients of it.
Now the avalanche of change can roar.
Here comes the reverse danger. Change can get out of hand. People will come up with crazy ideas as well as great ones, will get carried away, will lose their focus. You have to steer the beast of change with assertiveness, foresight and with an iron grip on the original objectives of the change. Prune out the mad ideas, inject your own where necessary but at all times keep everyone engaged and supportive of what you are doing.
If you want change to be truly effective, don’t let the process take too long. As soon as the mental switch has flicked, each person will be subconsciously looking for the new normal. If it takes too long to arrive, you’ll hear the sound of anchors being dropped as one by one, your people decide for themselves that ‘now’ is ‘normal’, even if you’re not done with the changes yet.
You have a window of opportunity after the upheaval step to make it all happen. Run with it, don’t lose it.
Let me summarise:
Upheaval – Engagement – Change
…and get on with it!
