…words

As 2009 comes to a close I have been doing some thinking about change. My little family has seen a lot of change this year, in jobs, homes, incomes, and health. The levels of change that I have witnessed in the past few years seems to be increasing in both the amount and the rate.

Change is coming faster and faster and it needs to be acknowledged, accepted, managed, and adapted to. Right on cue, a couple of very smart people from “The Future of Work” put out a thought-provoking article:

Compass: Back to Basics: Change Management 101

by: Jim Ware and Charlie Grantham

“No one likes change except a wet baby” (unknown)

That is one of the dumbest, and most incorrect statements we’ve ever heard. And we hear it all too often—usually from someone who is advocating careful attention to change management. But, as well-intentioned as they may be, people who believe that change is universally resisted simply don’t know what they are talking about.

In every single organization we’ve ever worked with there are people who are incredibly frustrated with the status quo, and who actively—often desperately—want change.

Let’s be very clear: people don’t universally resist change; what they resist, and resent, is being changed, with no control over where, when, or how that change is imposed on them. People don’t demand stability—what most of us want is predictability, or at least a reasonable level of personal control over whatever changes they are subjected to.

Fear of change typically means fear of loss of control. Staff who are told their jobs are changing, or the business process they are part of is being redesigned, are usually afraid they won’t have the knowledge or skill to succeed in the new conditions. They fear not being able to perform well, or they resent the extra effort it will take to learn the new routines.