Tag Archives: change cycle

How to manage the 5 triggers of resistance to change

Posted on 9 November 2012 by | Leave a comment

How to manage the 5 triggers of resistance
to change

Published by Changefirst August 2011

The excerpt below was published online in 2009 by The Telegraph. Its message is still relevant today for dealing with resistance to change.
“The two men and a woman, plus a French manager, were held
captive for 18 hours at the Scapa adhesive factory in the south of the
country. Trade union members prevented them from leaving after
negotiations over the loss of 68 jobs collapsed on Tuesday. A trade
union representative said that the executives had been “free to wander
around the plant as they wish, but not to leave.” Police officers were
standing by so as not to inflame the situation by intimidating workers.”
Written by Peter Allen and Henry Samuel for The Telegraph 08 April 2009


It even has a name – “bossnapping,” which became quite a common occurrence. Whatever it‟s called, it certainly put a whole new spin on the word resistance. It made me think hard about resistance is the current climate. Did the layoffs, pay cuts and general economic downturn have an effect on people and their attitudes to change? It was further brought home to me when I ran a webinar on tactics to use in a cost reduction environment. When asked, “What is the biggest issue facing change agents?”  a large number talked about increased employee resistance. Despite fearing for job security people were still finding ways to resist change. This must be a big issue to all change agents working hard to try and implement business-critical changes…..

You can read the rest at this link http://www.changefirst.com/uploads/documents/How_to_manage_the_5_triggers_of_resistance_to_change.pdf

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Embedding Change – Making It Stick And Creating A Culture

Posted on 26 October 2012 by | Leave a comment

Embedding Change – Making It Stick And Creating A Culture

Here are some ways to make sure the change in your organization is successful

  1. Give them the evidence Show people over and over that the change is real. Provide them with a steady stream of evidence to prove that the change has happened and is successful.  Set out to deliver real results at regular intervals in your change process and then tell people about them – don’t just wait for the big bang at the end. Get people involved and then get them to talk about their involvement.  Make sure everyone hears the news.
  2. Financial reward When loyalty and the joy of the job are not enough to keep people, they may need some financial or other rewards.  The promise of future reward may be enough to keep them engaged but make sure it isn’t too far out to be enticing — usually reasonable reward needs to be within a twelve-month timeframe. This risk is that when the reward is gained, you may lose them. If you want them to stay, you may need to keep a rolling “golden handcuff “ system
  3. Build change into formal systems and structures After a while, institutionalized things become so entrenched, people forget to resist and just do what is required, even if they do not agree with them.  So you can make changes stick by building them into the formal fabric of the organization, for example, in standards and personal objectives.
  4. Give them a new challenge A challenge is a great motivator that can focus people on new and different things. Get people to keep up interest in a change by giving them new challenges related to the change.  Make sure the challenges really stimulate them and keep them looking to the future.
  5. Reward people for doing the right things. A surprisingly common trap in change is to ask (or even demand) that people change, yet the reward system that is driving their behavior is not changed. Asking for teamwork then rewarding people as individuals is a very common example.  So when you make a change, make sure that you align the reward system with the changes that you want to happen.
  6. Rites of passage Rituals are symbolic acts to which we attribute significant meaning. A celebration to mark a change is used in many cultures, ranging from rites of passage to manhood for aboriginal tribes to the wedding ceremonies of Christian and other religions. Such ritual passages are often remembered with great nostalgia, and even the remembrance of them becomes ritualized.  When a change is completed, celebrate with a party or some other ritualized recognition of the passing of a key milestone.  You can also start a change with a wake (which is a party that is held to celebrate the life of someone who has died) to symbolize letting go of the past.  Create new rituals to help shift the culture to a new form. Use these, if possible, to replace the rituals that already exist.
  7. Socializing Build your change into the social fabric. A change that is socialized becomes normal and the ‘way things are’.  When something becomes a social norm, people will be far more unlikely to oppose it as to do so is to oppose the group and its leaders. Seal changes by building them into the social structures.  Give social leaders prominent positions in the change. When they feel ownership for it, they will talk about it and sell it to others.

If you have other ideas for embedding change and making it successful, please share them here.
Wendy Mason is a career coach.  She helps people reach their goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life.  Before working as a coach, Wendy had a long career in both the public and private sectors in general management and consultancy as well as spells in HR.  She now divides her time between coaching and writing. You can contact Wendy at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com and find out more at http://wisewolfcoaching.com

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Managing Change – The Process Of Transition

Posted on 5 October 2012 by | 1 Comment

Managing Change – The Process Of Transition

I found the wonderful diagram below on an NHS website at this link.  Different types of change need different approaches, but basically managers need to make sure that they support their team through any kind of change.

Individuals need to be given space to prepare themselves for change, but also they need to take responsibility themselves for that preparation. The diagram illustrates the process of transition that people often go through during the course of change. Of course,the journey can vary a lot between people but this is a wonderful way to picture what is happening.

It often helps to share an illustration like this, and talk about it, with people going through change.  It helps them to begin to understand what is happening to them and how they are responding.

The process of transition

© 2000 / 3 JM Fisher. Free use for personal and organisational development, provided this notice is retained. A free resource from www.businessballs.com.

Wendy Mason is a career coach.  She helps people reach their goals and aspirations, without sacrificing their home and personal life.  Before working as a coach, Wendy had a long career in both the public and private sectors in general management and consultancy as well as spells in HR.  She now divides her time between coaching and writing. You can contact Wendy at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com and find out more at http://wisewolfcoaching.com

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Leading Leading Change the Simple Way and a Present from Wisewolf

Posted on 20 May 2011 by | Leave a comment

The three stages of change identified by psychologist Kurt Lewin are the basis of most change management approaches today.

They are very easy to understand – unfreeze, transition, re-freeze!

There are simple techniques you can use at each stage to move people through and to complete your change successfully.

Unfreeze: People like to feel safe and in control.  Their sense of identity is tied into their present environment; so, they like to stay in their comfort zone! Talking about the future is rarely enough to get them to change.

But there are simple techniques you can use to get them to “thaw” and to make them ready for change.

Transition For Lewin change is a journey.  This journey may not be that simple and the person may need to go through several stages of misunderstanding before they get to the other side.

It is very easy to get caught up in this middle stage. Transition takes time and needs leadership and support! Sometimes transition can also be a pleasant trap – it may feel better to travel hopefully than arrive – particularly for the team leading the change.

Techniques used by experienced change managers move people through transition to the new destination

Refreeze At the other end of the journey, the final goal is to ‘refreeze’, putting down roots again and establishing a new place of stability – embedding new processes and developing a new culture

Would you like to find out more about this simple approach and the simple techniques you can use to make your change successful!

If you sign up to receive Wisewolf Talking direct by email, you will receive a free copy of my simple guide to leading change.

You will find the sign up form at the top of the column on the right.

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Teddy Bears, Comfort Zones and Big Adventures

Posted on 16 May 2011 by | 1 Comment
Winnie-The-Pooh

There is a wonderful illustration and I think it is in Winnie-the-Pooh!  It shows Christopher Robin disappearing off on another adventure hand in paw with his wonderful teddy bear!

Teddy bears are marvelous companions when you are off on a great adventure!

For children, alongside the other positive benefits of having security objects like teddy bears, is that they can help them adapt to new situations.  The stress of something new is eased by having something familiar and comforting!

For some adults too soft toys and comfort blankets help them deal with stress! Holding on to your cuddly toy can help you be brave enough to venture outside your comfort zone.

Comfort zones are the living, work and social environments that we have built for ourselves and become accustomed to. They can determine the type of friends we make, the people we associate with and the life style we accept or reject.

But staying in your comfort zone can mean that your life has a fence around it! Your life can become a self-fulfilling prophecy and you never venture out to grow and change.

To change to a different life style, establishing a business or succeeding at a challenging project,  you need to move out of your comfort  zone and into the unfamiliar.

If you want to change a group, you need to persuade them to move with you out their comfort zones into the great big and frightening world.  And not everyone will have their own Winnie-the-Pooh at home as a special friend to help them feel confident moving passed the gate. It can feel very risky!

So you, as the leader, have a lot of work to do.

You will need to make clear why your group cannot stay where they are!  They can no longer live within their existing comfort zone.

It is up to you to paint a picture of the future so strong they begin to imagine it for themselves.  You need to share a vision so meaningful, it is worth them venturing with you into the dark.

And you need to establish a bond of trust so strong that they can take the risk and move forward.

I would love to hear about your adventures out in that big, wide world.

As for me I lost my treasured teddy bear some years ago.  But luckily by then, just as good bears should,  he had taught me all he knew about managing without him!

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Wendy Mason works as a consultant, business coach and blogger. Adept at problem solving, she is a great person to bring in when that one thing you thought was straightforward turns out not to be! If you have a problem talk to Wendy – she can help you – email her at wendymason@wisewolfconsulting.com or ring ++44(0)7867681439

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