The global economy is affecting individuals, organizations and countries as we move from prosperity to austerity. From European citizens publicly protesting against government austerity programs to the U.S. Congress spinning its wheels and not reaching agreement on public priorities, the need for change has become the new constant.
Increasing problems posed by climate change, ecological disruptions, diminishing resources (like water and oil), population growth and poverty are rapidly reaching a point where dramatic worldwide changes in priorities are required to forestall global chaos.
In the last fifteen years, organizational change management has exploded. Yet, despite advances in the field, the vast majority of organizational change initiatives still fail. In fact, the failure rate has remained at or about 68% for the past fifteen years (Standish, 2009).
We all have an intense internal struggle in dealing with change.
Many experts believe one of the reasons behind this stubborn failure rate in organizations, communities and countries is "resistance to change." Most people don't respect their strong immunity to change and, therefore, don't develop the support systems necessary to overcome this powerful and dynamic equilibrium to stay the same. However, there is untapped energy to be found if we can become less embedded in our immune system that protects us from change.
Most people feel they need a change but have a difficult time articulating/envisioning what that change looks like and how to plan to make it real. Developing the ability to respond to unpredictable change is very hard for most people. Some people are afraid to develop approaches to move from their more comfortable status quo.
Yet, "resistance to change" isn't about resistance at all. The difficulty we have with change is instead a natural response that is grounded in human nature and provides us with a behavioral explanation. An explanation for the consistent reactions in individuals, who experience change in the workplace, seem to be exhibiting signs of attachment and the symptoms typical of losing access to significant attachment objects. An object can be a person, a technology, a system, a location, a process, familiar equipment, etc.---anything that serves as a habit to provide an individual with a sense of consistency and stability.
Whether unconsciously or consciously, we form attachments to objects unique to our environment that we "lean on" for support. When these attachment objects are removed or changed, we experience a negative reaction. Powerful countervailing forces appear when we attempt to engineer positive change. We discover our competing commitments pull us in opposite directions causing us to spend a great deal of energy attempting to satisfy each.
Organizational change causes a loss of stability that results in a predictable and measurable set of symptoms that closely resemble symptoms of loss. If we can't transition quickly enough to another transitional object, we'll become withdrawn, anxious and depressed.
Navigating through organizational change requires training, patience and encouragement. Most organizational changes fail because they don't zero in on the people and the specific "pivots" they need to make. Leadership just wishes the change to happen.
Sources: Victoria M. Grady: The Pivot Point: Success in Organizational Change
Robert Kegan: How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work: Seven Languages for Transformation
