BULDING THE FUTURE

Chapter V. Dealing With Change

Understanding Change

Change is inevitable and we are required to adapt to it at an ever-increasing rate in our lives. It is better to plan for change than to let it happen spontaneously and without set direction.

"Risk and dangers dominate in unplanned change; challenge and
opportunity dominate in planned change" -- Harold Baker

How We React To Change

By accepting and expecting change as part of our everyday lives we learn to handle it differently but it is at times overwhelming. The fear of change is sometimes as scary as the change itself and brings on many emotions like: impatience, conflict, non-trust, anxiety, anger, or hope, optimism, and joy. Below is a list of suggestions for approaching change positively in your life:

accept change as inevitable
anticipate possible consequences
look for the positive aspects
view change as opportunity
get frustrations off your chest, often need a chance to "vent"
work proactively towards dealing with the change
take time to deal with the change in small steps
talk to someone close to you and rely on their support to get through this difficult time

When dealing with change there are four stages that individuals or groups commonly go through:

denying the change
resisting the change
exploring possibilities
committing to action

By recognizing this cycle and identifying what stage you or your group is in makes it easier to deal with the situation. You can then assist the group in moving into the next stage and channeling energy positively.

Organizations and Change

To help your organization work through the change, use the following framework as a guide:

  1. define the change
  2. what is the future desired state?
  3. describe what is presently happening?
  4. focus on the vision of your organization and how the change relates
  5. evaluate the readiness of the group and their capability for change
  6. brainstorm small steps that need to occur to adapt to the change?
  7. what are some barriers to reaching the goals?
  8. how can these barriers be removed?
  9. what is the first step?
  10. who will be responsible?
  11. what is your plan to get commitment from the membership?
  12. what communication processes would make the change more bearable?
  13. what are the timelines?
  14. Evaluation: how will you know if the change is worthwhile?
  15. Evaluation: how will you know if the outcome is the result of change efforts?
  16. Evaluation: how will you maintain the new state?

Getting Commitment

People adapt to change easier if they are involved in the planning and influenced the outcome in some way. By involving all parties in the change process you are able to get buy-in to the change in the early stages. Provide plenty of background information and details, the reasoning behind the change and the advantages of such a change. It might be necessary to give people a chance to voice frustrations and then redirect their energies towards committing to action. Also, keep in mind that the change will be resisted if it blocks personal goals.

Summary

Understanding change is the first step to dealing with it and it gets easier with practice. Organizations that do not respond to change become stagnant and are unable to meet emerging needs.

Not every change is going to be an improvement but every improvement is the result of some change. --Anonymous

© 2001 Metis Nation of the South
 

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