Have you ever tried to get someone to make changes? How successful were you? How successful has anyone been in getting you to make changes?
In today’s uncertain world, there is only one thing that’s certain; change. Have you noticed that even when the status quo is less than satisfactory, many people are reluctant to make changes? Maybe its because the the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. Making change work in a small business can be especially difficult.
Most people would agree that the frequency and speed of change in society is accelerating. A 1965 paper written by Intel’s founder, Gordon E Moore, described a driving force of technological and social changes as a trend that would continue for at least ten years. He had observed the number of integrated circuits doubling every year between invention in 1958 and 1965. Moore’s prediction was correct as the trend has continued for at least 50 years. Thus, it became known as Moore’s law.
The internet has accelerated the exponential expansion and dissemination of information. Change is often necessary in the wake of new information. So, if change is inevitable, why do people resist it so much?
When people feel pressured to make changes their natural reaction is to resist. Is it because they are stubborn? Most of the time, this is not the reason. In fact, they may not even realize that they are resisting.
Allow me to use an example that’s pretty close to home. My husband is quite a bit more computer savvy than me. So, he’s always trying to teach me shortcuts. This is a good thing. However, oftentimes it creates tension because either consciously or unconsciously, I resist. He doesn’t understand my resistance because, as he says, he’s just trying to help me become more efficient and effective.
What my husband doesn’t realize is that when someone is encouraged to make changes, even if the change is for their own good, it creates a stress reaction. When a person feels pressure to make changes, their brain perceives it as a threat, which it is. It’s a threat to their current status quo or comfort zone. When an individual perceives a threat, their brain doesn’t distinguish between a physical or psychological threat. It responds immediately by sending signals through the body to get ready for “fight” or “flight”. As adrenaline rushes through the body, the senses become heightened and the muscles become tense. When a person is in such a high state of alert, they are anything but relaxed and receptive, which inhibits learning and adapting to change.
What this means is that even if you are trying to get people to make changes that will help them be more efficient and effective, they can, and often will resist. What can you do to minimize resistance and get people to embrace positive change? The first step is to understand some fundamental truths about how people respond to change.
First, people don’t resist change if it is their idea. People don’t argue with their own data. This is why engaging people in the process of problem solving is so effective. When it comes time to implement any of the solutions identified by these people resistance will not be an issue. The solutions are their ideas.
Second, people will make changes if they feel it is in their best interest to do so. Therefore, you must help them see the benefits of making changes. Here is another example that is close to home. When my son in law was in high school, he was not interested in studying. Consequently, his grades suffered. My husband tried everything to motivate him, including helping him get a loan for a new car. But, nothing worked.
Eventually, he flunked out of school. Then, instead of completing the exam for his GED, he continued to procrastinate. Finally, my husband told him, “You know, it’s too bad that you haven’t gotten your GED yet because I was going to pay off your car loan as a graduation present.” The next day, my son in law got his GED.
Third, you can’t intimidate, threaten or push people to change. I know because I tried one or more of these techniques with all three of my children when they were growing up and it never worked. I am always surprised when a manager holds the belief that employees will work harder if they think there’s a chance they might lose their jobs.
While employees may refrain from goofing off if they think there’s a chance they might lose their jobs, they do not necessarily work harder. For one thing, they immediately start using quite a bit of their mental and physical capacity in a “fight or flight” reaction to the threat of losing their job. Remember, the brain doesn’t distinguish between real or perceived threats before it sends signals to the body to start releasing adrenaline.
As I mentioned earlier, when people are in a high state of alert, they don’t think as clearly, which interferes with job performance. They are also less likely to adhere to socially acceptable behavior, which also interferes with performance. Their brains are too busy to monitor workplace behavioral norms such as courtesy and respect. Contrary to the belief that people will work harder if they feel their jobs are in jeopardy, there’s a good chance they will perform worse.
It is important to note that if people perceive repeated or prolonged threats, eventually, they can begin to exhibit symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress syndrome. In fact, in organizations where there have been multiple lay-offs, productivity drops while incidents of absenteeism, illness, conflicts and even workplace violence increase.
Fourth, the best way I know of to get people to make changes is to lead them. I learned this many years ago when the consulting company I worked for helped Arizona Public Service company (APS) restructure. The CEO at that time, Mark DeMichael, demonstrated how people can be led to make changes if they are led. Mark kicked off the restructuring initiative with the slogan “Top five in 95”. At first, employees just rolled their eyes because, at that time, the company had some of the highest rates in the industry and was not performing well in a number of areas.
In spite of the palpable disbelief in the organization, Mark stuck to his guns and executed the restructuring initiative. The company needed to make significant changes in its business processes. Some employees did not like the changes. Some left the company. But, Mark pressed forward, obtaining a critical mass of buy-in for the changes he wanted employees to make by involving them in the reorganization. People from every department served on re-engineering and process improvement teams. Was there resistance to the sweeping changes these teams recommended? Not among team members. Why? Because the newly restructured organization was their idea-their baby. And, what happened to Mark’s prediction, “Top five in 95?” They were top five in 93.
If you want people to make changes, don’t waste your time pushing, threatening or begging. It won’t work. In any change effort, there will be those who are leading it. There will be those who passively resist. There will also be those who actively resist. Your best strategy is to involve as many people as possible in the process of identifying any changes that need to be made. This way, their brains will be brainstorming and problem solving instead of getting ready to “fight” or “flight”. And they could become change agents.
What are your thoughts about making change work? What experiences have you had where people resisted change? What experiences have you had where people bought into change and became change agents? I would love to hear from you!
If you would like to contact me, you can do so by visiting my LinkedIn page or emailing me at susan.fronk@bestbizpractices.org.
Posted by: Susan Fronk
