Manage Change Well and Reap the Rewards

Part of our challenge in working with individuals, comes from witnessing how different people react to the same event.  Frequently we see more than one employee from the same workplace.  These employees may have come from a similar group, do similar work, and may have worked with the employer for the same amount of time.

Obviously there are a range of issues that can impact on how well people react to significant changes in their lives.  Personality type, personal situation and availability of support networks (such as close family and friends outside of work) can all combine so that one person handles a difficult situation better than another. 

Some of these elements are within our personal control and others less so.  Trevor-Roberts coaches use a range of strategies to help our customers focus on the issues that are within their control, such as understanding how and why they react to change. Some people have a more naturally positive outlook and choose to view life-changing events, such as a retrenchment, as an opportunity.  These individuals may be more comfortable with change and risk. 

Others see change as more of a threat.  The way we react to change can be a result of our individual circumstances, upbringing and past experiences.  However, changing our internal dialogue and focusing on the positives instead of the negatives, can make a major transition less stressful.

How do you do this? The strategies are different for each person. Some people find it’s good to use little reminders in their home or work environment, like post it notes, screen savers and alerts on their mobile phone.  Others practice pausing and reflecting before they react.  Some customers we work with find it helpful to meditate, exercise more or simply spend time with positive people.

At the end of the day, whatever works for you, works for you.  There is a mine of information available and theories abound about how to increase your positivity.  We focus on telling our customers to brainstorm and then actively seek out activities and people that make them feel better and simply actively avoid things that bring them down.  Sometimes it helps to write a list.

Improving the way you deal with change can help you to become more adaptable, more resilient and better able to take advantage of new circumstances in your team and workplace.  It’s a key skill to develop.  And the time to practice is now, so you can be ready to handle change well when it occurs.

Paradox: Complexity VS Simplicity

This week's blog was written by Edwin Trevor-Roberts, PhD.

I was recently discussing with the CEO of an NGO in the human services sector about their organisational structure which had been implemented two years previously.  As with any restructure, some parts were working well while other parts were not. The people the organisation serve - clients in need - were receiving fantastic service as seen in the increased growth of the organisation, however, internally there is a lot of noise.

We had facilitated a session with the broader management team to gather their feedback about what was working well and what was not. The themes that emerged were not dissimilar to what other organisations struggle with: systems and processes; volume of work; lack of capability in some leaders; lack of clarity on strategy; and decision making.

Viewed together, the challenges facing the organisation are complex. Throw in a shared services model and issues of accountability and responsibility become blurred.  Our conversation was far reaching and intense, as we fluidly used our systems approach to restructures to guide our thinking. The more we discussed the complexity, a fascinating paradox emerged:

The greater the complexity, the simpler the solution.

In this case the simple solution was to focus on the key goals that connect the purpose of the organisation with the operational strategies. Managers and staff knew what to do, knew the mission and values but lacked understanding of the connecting piece so that they could prioritise, and make, decisions.

I'm not suggesting that there won't be complications in implementing the solution, however, the focus is simple.

In viewing the next period of transition for your organisation, division or team, work hard to identify and create a simple focus. Creating complexity is easy. Crafting eloquent simplicity is not. As Mark Twain said: “Sorry I wrote you a long letter, I didn't have time to write a short one".