From Change to Changed ~ 3 Stages of Transformation

Jeffrey S. Deckman, 

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11.28.12 

We all change all day, every day and so does everyone and everything else. Yet the mere thought of “Change” causes more disruption, fear and paralysis in people, and organizations, than almost anything I can think of, except perhaps death and public speaking. So, this article is going to focus on the subject of Change and what we can do to help our organizations, and the people in them, to go from fearing Change to enveloping it and becoming Changed or “Transformed”.

I am not going to talk about Change from the standpoint of how disruptive it can be. Instead I want to explore the subject and explain some of the dynamics that get activated when people are faced with changes to their environment. In addition, I will give some insights into how to assist people to productively move through Change.

First things First

I will start out by arguing against the myth that people fear change. Believing that people naturally fear change is not only a limiting presumption but it is simply not true.  And I can prove it.

If you decided to buy a new car today would the thought of changing your old car for a new car scare you? I think not. What if you just found out that you won the lottery?  Would the prospect of your life changing in such a way strike terror in you? Or, what about the change that comes from getting a sought after promotion or from being accepted at the college of your choice?

In each of these situations would your initial and primary response be one of  fear or excitement?

The point is that we don’t fear change. What we fear is that which we perceive will result in a decrease in stability or security. We also fear that which we don’t understand. At the core of all of this is the fact that we fear anything which threatens our sense of control.

On the other hand if a change occurs that we either quickly understand; feel as though we can control or is something we feel will result in our becoming better off, we greet that change with excitement and anticipation.

It then stands to reason that if you want to minimize the impact a change will have on your organization you must focus upon helping people to understand the reasons for the change as well as the probable impact, positive or negative, the change may have on them.

           

The Importance of Communication

With that being understood it is easy to see that effective Communication is a major component that determines how quickly people and organizations adapt to change. But it is important to remember that communication does not mean simply talking. Studies have shown that only 7% of our communication comes from the words we speak. Another 35% is in the tone we use and the remaining 57% is via body language. There is a lot which impacts how we communicate.

Effective communication is also not just communicating your side of the story, it is bi-directional. The way to achieve true communication is best described by Steven Covey, who is perhaps the world’s foremost expert on the subject. He tells us to “First seek to understand and then seek to be understood.”

What is required to understand someone is to first create a safe zone for them to express themselves and encourage them to do so. Understand that their concerns are valid to them, allow them to express these concerns and then LISTEN!

By the way, simply being quiet while the other person is talking is not listening. To really listen requires that you engage them in a dialogue to insure that you understand them. (This is called Active Listening) Even if you do not share their concerns seek to understand them as it is in that understanding which you will find the keys as to how to best address their concerns.

The Importance of Trust

If you are going to attempt to effectively communicate you must first understand that there is no Communication without Trust. If you are talking to someone and either of you don’t trust the other there is no effective communication taking place. There is only positioning and limited honesty. “Seeking to understand” quickly establishes that you care about the other person and that builds trust. As trust grows so too grows the level and quality of your communication. They are directly linked together.

Another way to build trust is by being tactful and respectful in your communications. If you are careful with your words and are considerate you will find that people will react much in the same way back to you.

However, never underestimate another person’s ability to detect when, and if, you are being disingenuous. We all have a sixth sense about that and while you may be saying all the right words if you aren’t being truthful either your tone or your body language will betray you.

As you can see gaining someone’s trust is complex. In fact I would argue that it is so complex that you shouldn’t even attempt it if you aren’t completely serious about earning it.

The 3 Stages that lead from “Change to Changed”

So far we have been setting the stage for change to occur. This next part will briefly describe the 3 stages that people, and organizations, go through as they evolve from being unsettled about a change to settling into it.

The 3 stages of this evolution are Change, Transition and Transformation.

Change:

This first step can be defined both as a situational phenomenon that may sometimes be temporary as well as what the person feels hey are being called upon to do; for instance, when a situation changes people are then called upon to change.

Situational change refers to any number of “newness” elements ranging from a departmental shift to the appointment of a new boss. Changing events are seen as external to us and are reflective of a shift in our environment.  Yet changes in people are always internal first and they challenge us to shift our consciousness if we are to adapt.

Change is the end result of an event or an intervention. People’s typical initial response to change is reactive, sporadic and unpredictable. It is a time of uncertainty of conditions and a period of unpredictability in people.

Transition:

This next step refers to people’s evolving response to Change. It refers to the psychological adaptation and early acceptance to a changed environment. This process pertains to the shifting “hearts and minds of employees. It is in this mental state of Transition where employees are deciding to “let go” of old ways and begin embracing a new way.

Since this process occurs on an individual level (implicitly also at each individual’s pace), it is arguably the single most unpredictable element in the management of change to transformation. It is at this critical point where people either “snap back to grid” and retain their original mindset or they begin to adapt to the existing conditions and evolve into the new environment. So care must be taken as you seek to assist them through this stage as it is in this area where it is determined who moves forward and who falls back.

Transformation:

This point marks the final stage in the Change process. Transformation is when acceptance, adaptation, assimilation and a settled adjustment occurs within the people as well as in the organization. This is when the mindset of the people is in alignment with the new conditions existing around the organization. The people and the organization have evolved to adapt to the same set of conditions and are once again working in synergy to move forward.

What was once considered Change is now considered the “norm”.

Then things settle down once again…..until the next round. And the system repeats itself.

Conclusion:

The thing to remember about the 3 Stages of Change is that in the first phase you and your employees feel disoriented and perhaps fearful. You must then establish Trust in order to establish effective Communications.

The level of Trust and Communication that you establish then becomes the single largest factor in determining how many, and who, make it through the precarious Transition stage.

Those who make it through that stage will be the ones who have not only Transformed themselves but who have also identified themselves as the ones who can be depended upon to help transform your organization into one that is adaptive, sustainable and very resilient.

And that is a powerful formula for success.

Jeffrey Deckman is the founder of Capability Accelerators and the creator of the Bigger Know Principles of Leadership. (www.TheBiggerKnow.com). He is an expert at building agile and resilient leadership teams and cultures that increase morale, productivity and profitability. He can be reached at JDeckman@CapabilityAccelerators.com