How (Not) to Talk About Change
Always these changes!—As we all know, they aren't always easy to accept. Even when something is sold to us as a “positive” or “sensible” change, the uncertainty surrounding the unknown often feels uncomfortable—and we react with skepticism!
Reactions can range from passive resistance to aggressive attempts to undermine the changes, all the way to genuine acceptance. This is precisely why it is more important than ever for companies today to assess, before embarking on a major change process, the level of willingness to embrace this new direction.
The most effective lever for fostering this willingness—or, conversely, for stifling it in its infancy—is, unsurprisingly, communication. Communication is omnipresent, whether consciously initiated or unconsciously conveyed. Communication builds bridges and fosters connections. This makes it one of the most powerful and effective tools for our social interactions.
So what should we pay particular attention to when communicating during change?
Research on change identifies five key motivations that strongly influence individual reactions to and readiness for an upcoming change. These should be addressed early on:
- Discrepancy: Where is the problem? Why exactly is change necessary here?
- Appropriateness: Why is the planned change an appropriate measure in response to the problem?
- (Self-)efficacy: How can the planned change be achieved? What are the resources available to individual employees and the organization as a whole?
- Management support: How much momentum does the change have? Are both formal and informal leaders pulling in the same direction?
- Benefits: What’s in it for everyone? What specifically will improve?
For those who want to dive deeper: Talking about change is one thing—actually doing it is often quite another. So we also need to understand what happens when we simply fail to implement changes, even though we should—and have even committed to doing so. Developmental psychologists Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey conducted research on this at Harvard and developed an approach they call “Immunity to Change.” You can get a first impression directly from Robert Kegan in the linked video, in which he presents the topic with humor.
Source:
Armenakis, A. A., & Harris, S. G. (2002). Crafting a change message to create transformational readiness. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 15 (2).
