I have recently spoken to several corporations on the topic of Change Management. Those are big buzz words these days: change management. I’m not sure why this has become such a trend lately. In reality, the only constant in life is (and has always been) change.
Sure, economic trials bring about change… for organizations and for individuals. Culture shifts, tightened belts, trimmed benefits, additional responsibilities, new bosses, job losses. We have likely all experienced these changes in our lives, and we have likely all learned to accept them as part of life. So why the emphasis now on Change Management? Here’s my theory. I believe that there is a heightened awareness of Change Management now because more and more organizations are realizing that just because people make the decision to accept change doesn’t mean they have any intention of implementing or embracing that change.
Read that sentence again. Now consider this: Where do you fit on that scale? Do you simply accept change, or do you embrace it and make it work for you?
Resistance to change is as common and far-reaching as change itself. “That’s not how we’ve done it in the past” is a phrase so commonly spoken (and so commonly met with eye rolls from those who consider themselves progressive) that it is cliché. While most of us are smart enough not to utter those words aloud in the workplace, we all are guilty of thinking them. And perhaps just as many of us are guilty of thinking, “Yes, yes, I hear what you’re saying, but I don’t have to like this.”
Employers realize that a good attitude is as hard to enforce as initiative; it comes from within. The most an employer can do is create an environment where positive attitudes and healthy perspectives on change are encouraged and rewarded. Those who resist change, who dig their heels into the old ways, who utter the mantra “That’s not my job,” who resent new technologies and new processes and new ideas and new talent… those are the people who should fear change. Those who say, “Bring it on!” and recognize that change can bring about a brighter future, new opportunities for personal and professional growth… those are the people who will benefit by change in the long-term.
So I ask you this: Which camp are you in? You may not know what just happened. You may not fully understand the changes that are taking place around you. But if you seek the best in the changes ahead, those changes could very likely bring out the best in you.
Clifford A. Bailey