Why Do I Hate This Change?

What do you do when management makes insane changes?

I've worked in companies which have undergone some fairly significant changes.  Often I've been pleased to embrace the change and the opportunities they bring.  But sometimes... well... the changes just seem insane:  the work of lunatics who don't know what they are doing.

As a manager, I've also learned about how to bring others through the change curve.  And if I'm responding negatively to a change being introduced, it's a pretty clear sign that my managers have failed to do the same for me.  But that isn't where things end.  If my manager has dropped the ball on getting me to buy into the change, it's my job to figure out why I don't buy in and gather the information needed to let me decide how I want to handle it.

This is easier said than done.  It's easy to hear about a change, have a negative emotional reaction to it and to start to find reasons why the change is bad. Before you know it you can instinctively push back without understanding if the change is needed.

Here is what I do instead: I take myself through the ADKAR change process and figure out where I'm failing:

A:  Awareness:  Do I think there is a need to change?  Do I understand why people think there is a problem with the status quo which needs to be addressed?  If not, that's what I need to approach my manager to find out.

D: Desire:  If I've decided there is a problem, do I think it needs to be addressed? Do I think I should be involved in addressing it?  Is it really the best thing to be addressing right now? Again, if I can't see why the problem needs fixing then I'm going to have a hard time buying into doing the change work.

K: Knowledge: Do I know how the change is meant to work?  Have I had things fully explained to me how and why the change under consideration is going to fix the problem?  If not, I've got to ask to find out.  And here, it is reasonable to challenge if the change will address the problem.  My part here is not to embrace change without thinking - but it's to ensure I understand why.

A: Ability: Am I happy I know what my part in the change involves?.  Do I know how to do it?  Do I feel that I'll be supported and guided through the new process?  (To figure out what I need here, I move into looking at Situational Leadership - figuring out where I am with respect to the tasks at hand... and determine what it is I'll need to ask from my managers)

R: Reinforcement:  So, I did it.  Did anyone care? Did I see other people doing it?  Am I seeing the results from what I'm doing?  Is it really worth my time keeping this change up?  In this case, it is up to me to look for evidence that the change is succeeding - but if I don't discover that things are working, it isn't up to me to embrace the change.

Ultimately, you're unlikely to be able to stop change - and change is often the situation where we are able to learn, grow and take advantage of new opportunities. It's worth spending the time to try to get on board with change as soon as possible - if for no other reason than the process you use to help yourself embrace the unknowns is the same as the process you'll need to use to help others navigate as they are thrown from their comfort zone and have to face an uncertain future.