cHANGE mANAGEMENT
Why is change so hard? On this page you'll find some of what I've learned about managing change, based on industry standard texts and practices.
What happens when we face change
We know from neuro-science how facing change impacts the brain. Often the 'thinking' part of our brain gets tired during times of change, and our more basic, automatic responses kick in.
The social sciences tell us that our evolution as a social species has impacted how we react to change. Change can affect our feelings of mastery and our social standing can feel threatened, sometimes leading to a flight or fight response.
So when change happens there are things going on in the brain that we might not be aware of. In times of change you might feel…. tired, flat, fearful, angry, or unmotivated.
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A model for understanding change
This is my model for understanding the impact of change on people and helping them to navigate change.
- Actions will be needed to address the head (rational thinking),
- the heart (emotions, social standing and stability), and
- the habitat (making the journey and the external environment conducive to successful change).
A framework for managing change
We also need models for managing change in an organisational sense, so that we have some structure around the process, as opposed to understanding the impacts and responding appropriately to them. This is my model, based on a range of other models, but also my experience in change over more than 30 years. In fact, this model was what I worked on for the last 9 months or so of my APS career and is based on heaps of research and real life experience.
This journey doesn’t have to be linear. You may have a project or program that works in stages, for example, and so different stages are at different points in the journey. Or, you may get to a point and find something has changed or isn’t working, so you go back to a previous stage. It’s just a model and models are to help us make sense, not to be rigidly applied.
This journey doesn’t have to be linear. You may have a project or program that works in stages, for example, and so different stages are at different points in the journey. Or, you may get to a point and find something has changed or isn’t working, so you go back to a previous stage. It’s just a model and models are to help us make sense, not to be rigidly applied.
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