***Continued from Chapter 01 (Emotional (Cognitive) Changes, Cognitive Reappraisal, The Emotional Cycle Of Change, Five Stages Of The Emotional Cycle, The Kubler Ross Change Curve)
Link to Chapter 01:
https://conceptsnest.blogspot.com/2024/07/emotional-cycle-of-change-navigating.html
Embarking On Organizational
Change
Organizational change is a huge undertaking. Too often, organizations focus on the expense of the project in terms of logistics and targets, and ignore the significant loss of revenue that will occur if its people never fully embrace the new way of working. Those initiating the change may expect colleagues to buy in and share their enthusiasm.
But changes – even those designed to benefit the individual and the organization – can be traumatic, engendering feelings of loss of control, disempowerment and fear. A positive change for one person might mean a loss of status or security for another. Some might simply not be sold on the benefits, and may be reluctant to part with old ways, so they simply ignore the communications and the training and continue with the status quo.
Also, if the changes do not have buy-in from our teams, business improvement and ROI is unlikely to follow. The disruption of changing things over gives way to unease and murmurs – or outpourings – of discontent. The easier it is for people to make their transition through the change curve, the greater the organization’s likelihood of success in the new venture.
Change Curve Leadership: Managing Emotions Via the Change Curve
No
matter how resilient someone may be, we all progress through the change curve
when faced with significant changes to the way we work. Having an awareness of the stages
and assessing where we are is a great place to start. It is not enough
to understand or explain the various stages of the change curve. Individuals
will need to be helped through each stage.
Team leaders can coach their teams through the change curve. The objective is to minimize the negative impact of the change by making the curve shallower and narrower. Leading through the change curve is complex. Some points that may help are:-
A)-> Not Treating Everyone
The Same:
It’s
really easy to look at the change curve and see it as a linear process, with
each team member plotted neatly on it, but this doesn’t reflect reality.
It’s important not to make assumptions about where people may be on the curve, or that everyone will have the same worries. One person may be concerned about mastering the technical challenges of a new procedure whilst another is worried about their job security, as the procedure will eliminate the need for part of their role.
B)-> Advocating The Benefits
Of Change:
Foster a sense of ownership and inclusion by talking about the positives that the change will bring about. Identify the obstacles that it will help overcome and relate them to people’s workday. Where possible, involve people in the rationale behind it.
C)-> Finding The Right
Communication Style:
Resource Investigators are likely to respond enthusiastically to new prospects and possibilities, creating buzz around the change. By contrast, Monitor Evaluators will need time to reflect and may come back later with searching questions. Once we know the Team Role make-up of everyone (Belbin Team Roles), we will be well placed to provide the right communications at the right time.
D)-> Ensuring That Training
Is In Place:
In order to embrace a new way of working, people will need to feel confident that they understand what is expected of them, and can fulfil their role. It’s crucial to ensure that training is thorough, timely and allows time for questions and practice, so that people feel comfortable with the new order.
E)-> Celebrating Success:
It is not just a case of acknowledging everyone’s hard work in bringing changes about and navigating the curve. It is also a way of embedding hard-won successes in corporate memory, so that adaptability is accepted as part of the organization’s DNA. With this outlook, people will be even more ready for the change the next time it comes around.
Belbin Team Roles and the
Change Curve
Everyone
has a different baseline when it comes to accepting change. In Belbin Team Role
terms, Plants are likely to be on board if the change stems from their own
idea. Resource Investigators and Shapers are likely to be the most
comfortable with change, because they find it exciting and enjoy the
prospect of new opportunities and visible progress.
On the other hand, conservative, process-oriented Implementers are likely to struggle most with changes, which will threaten their efficient ways of working, at least in the short term. Monitor Evaluators are unlikely to respond with high emotion, but may be skeptical if they are yet to be convinced of the benefits of the change. Having the tools to communicate with, and support others, can help managers and leaders who are coaching people through the change curve. If we understand someone’s Team Roles -- their approach and priorities – and our own, we are better able to tailor our leadership style or coaching style to help coach them through the curve.
Leading and Managing Change: Reflections Along the Curve
First Reflection: People sometimes get stuck in one stage, or oscillate between two – often around ‘blame’. Sometimes people regress through this process. However, the stages it describes – where people progress through them – are normal human responses to change.
Second Reflection: The
length, as well as the depth of the personal change curve, can be anything from
a brief and minor ‘wobble’ (fluctuation) to a major ‘roller-coaster’ lasting
for months. Some factors that tend to
affect this length and depth – and the probability of emerging successfully on
the upside – include: –
This may go a long way towards explaining the relatively small disturbance that follows ‘positive changes’; in many cases, these are changes that we have initiated ourselves and feel more in control of.
Third Reflection: The change curve is a function of time. Some apparent ‘resistance’ simply reflects a difference between the position of those announcing a change and those receiving it. Those announcing the change have had greater involvement in the process to this point, so their personal change curve is shallower and shorter. They have also had more time to process the impact of change on themselves. So are typically further through the curve. So, at the point of the announcement, those receiving the change are right at the start of their curve. Judging their early reactions too harshly as ‘inappropriate resistance’ simply fails to recognize the natural process of human change.
Fourth Reflection: When people become angry
about the change in general, or about particular aspects of it, and when they
blame those announcing the change, they are (at least in part) expressing
their own process of adjustment to the change. Of course, all
feedback should be listened to and taken seriously. However, anger and blame
from the recipients of change do not necessarily evidence that change is being
managed badly.
Fifth Reflection: It is important to note that this characteristic pattern of human response to change remains true for the positive changes in life as well as for unwelcome ones. Of course, not everyone will experience these things in exactly the same way, but many will recognize – from their own experience – elements of these descriptions.
Alternative Models for the Emotional Cycle of Change
Personal Change Cycle
The
"personal change cycle" refers to the series of stages or phases that
individuals go through when they undergo personal transformation or change. It
encapsulates the psychological, emotional, and behavioral shifts that occur as
people navigate changes in their lives, whether they are intentional, imposed,
or circumstantial. This cycle typically involves stages such as awareness and recognition
of the need for change, exploration and experimentation to make a conscious
choice, adaptation, and ultimately conscious integration of the new changes
into one's identity and lifestyle. Understanding the personal change cycle can
help individuals manage transitions more effectively and adapt to new
circumstances with greater resilience and self-awareness.
The 5 Stage Emotional Cycle of Change
This
is a framework that speaks specifically to voluntary change–change that
we seek out for ourselves. It's this kind of change that often begins
with incredible optimism. As we start building the narrative of what is to come
once change happens, we focus mostly on the upside. It makes sense–the upside
is likely why we are making the change in the first place.
But,
as anyone who has seen change through would know, optimism is often poked with
bits of pessimism and realism along the way, as the act of change requires a
fundamental shift in something that was once deeply rooted and familiar.
This can be hard. It is so hard that sometimes we turn around and say
"maybe later" to our dreams of a changed future and stick with how
things have always been. The framework has five stages:
1. Uninformed optimism: Here, we imagine the benefits but have not
experienced any of the costs. Uninformed optimism sits above the line
the land of positive emotion. We brainstorm and strategize for the future.
2. Informed pessimism: Uninformed optimism does not usually last long. As
we learn the reality of what it takes to change, positive emotions quickly sour
with pessimism starting to set in. Here, the benefits do not seem as real,
important, or immediate, and the costs of the change is apparent.
3. Valley of despair: This is when many people give up. The pain of change
is felt and the benefits seem far away and unimportant. The quickest way to end
the discomfort is to quit and go back to the way we did things before the
change was introduced. We will be able to persevere if we know why we
are making the change and have a compelling future vision of what we
want to achieve.
4. Informed optimism: The possibility of success increases and we are back
in the positive emotional zone. The benefits of our actions are starting to bear
fruit and the cost of change is feeling worth it. The key here is not
to stop but keep going.
5. Success and fulfillment: Here, the benefits of our new behaviors are fully experienced and the cost of change is perceived now as worth it. The actions that were once difficult and uncomfortable are now routine.
The 12 Emotional Stages Of
Change
John
Fisher’s Process of Transition curve explains how people respond to change
through defined phases that are followed in succession until they
accept the change. This change theory is based on earlier studies by Elisabeth
Kübler-Ross who identified various stages of grief. Fisher’s model is more
focused on business. Much of the
actual transition through the phases is completed subconsciously. The key to
understanding the phases is not to feel like we must go through every one of
them, in precise order.
Implementing Change
When
implementing change, organizations often focus on the systems, processes, and
outcomes, but fail to understand or consider the emotional impact it
will have on people. Equipping people both physically and emotionally to deal
with change effectively will significantly develop the resilience of
the individual, the team and the organization. The 7-Stage Change Model below is
a fluid model to manage change. Each stage may be revisited as changes are
implemented, depending on the needs of the organization. The stages include:
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