Helping People See The Light

Posted on December 31, 2009 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.

People resist change
People resist being changed

Therefore… as a leader, when facilitating a needed change, expect resistance.

How much resistance a leader will receive depends on

:
• The nature and scope of the proposed change.
• The existing organizational culture and history – how change has been embraced in the past.
• The experiences and value systems of each employee or volunteer.
• The “perceived need” for change.

When faced with a situation that requires people to change, they will

:
1. Experience anxiety and discomfort.
2. Tend to equate change with loss.  (Loss of control, security, comfort zone…)
3. May experience the feeling of being “alone” in the change process.  (Creating support groups can help combat this.)
4. Will have different “levels of readiness” to change. (One size does not fit everyone.)
5. Tend to claim they lack the needed resources to enact the change.
6. Have personal limits on how much change they can handle.
7. TEND TO REVERT BACK TO THE FORMER STATE WHEN THE PRESSURE IS LET OFF.

** So… How can a leader moderate, or minimize, these dynamics of change?

Well, there are many things a leader can (and should) do.  But one needs to start by taking the time answer these 6 critical questions:
1. What is changing?
2. Why is it changing?
3. What’s in it for me?
4. How will I be impacted?
5. What do you specifically need from me in this change process?
6. How will I get the knowledge, skills, information, and support that I need to implement the change?