The Nature of Change
As well as noticing a very welcome season change, spring flowers emerging and lighter mornings, we draw parallels to the myriad of change teams, relationships and organisations are presented with. Mergers and acquisitions, role changes, strategy pivots, cultural transformation, reorgs and process improvements are happening concurrently and consecutively in many organisations. So how to teams successfully navigate an ever changing landscape?
Not in his goals but in his transitions man is great.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Here are a couple of insights from our work with teams in transition recently:
- Recognise the difference between change and transition. Change is the situational external process that happens that we may or may not be able to influence. Transition is the internal human experience that is unique to all of us. Every team member needs to navigate an internal transition to support the change.
- Team members adapt to change differently; leapers are change enthusiasts and early adopters, bridge builders work to understand the rationale and the road map for change and tradition holders are protective of standards and traditions and value the status quo. Each role has a value in change. Our position will vary depending on the context of change. For example; with a product change I might adopt the role of leaper but with a move to hybrid working I might notice my stance is more rooted towards tradition holder.
- We have to say goodbye before we can say hello. There is loss with every change, in order to fully embrace what is to be gained with change we need to acknowledge who is going to lose what. Consider these questions..
“Transition does not require that you reject or deny the importance of your old life, just that you let go of it.”
William Bridges
What is changing for you now?
Who is going to lose what?
What’s your position on the change? Leaper, bridge builder, tradition holder?
What needs to be acknowledged for you to make the transition?
Image credit
Jessica Johnston on Unsplash
