For the times they are a changin…Bob Dylan
Leaders are those who initiate and lead change. They are also those who are tasked with supporting others to face challenges posed by change. Change affects everything and everyone around you. A leader doesn’t have the luxury of merely navigating him or herself through change, but must be able to grasp the entire picture and navigate the system without losing sight of the process and of the individuals who are part of it.
Change is inevitable – that is a basic fact of life. Change can be sudden due to unforeseen circumstances (you may recall, for example, the time when a global pandemic broke out, leading to major lockdowns, nations closing their borders, air traffic grinded to a halt, people working from home or laid off in masses, etc.) or it can be the product of a steady and gradual evolution. Trivial as it may seem, it is nevertheless challenging to adapt to change, regardless of whether it is sudden and drastic or slow and steady. There are plenty of reasons for that. Scientists in recent years have been able to establish that the human brain simply doesn’t like change. In fact, neuroscientific studies have shown that our brains interpret change as uncertainty and respond to change in a similar fashion, namely with fear. That is precisely why we have invented the comfort zone. Let us stay there in our comfort zones for eternity and a day, because the familiar, even if it sucks, sure is better than the new and unfamiliar.
The Stocks of Change Peaking at All-Time High
Consumer and stakeholder, employee attitudes, and geopolitical situations have all changed in recent years. Just look back on the last 2-10 years, and you will quickly realize that the winds of change have touched almost every aspect of life, society, and industry. Everything is in flux, trends are the alphabet of our cultural existence, and arguably nothing is more highly sensitive (and responsive) to change than the market. The market is, if you will, the black box of change.
In 2022, according to Mercer’s 2022 Global Talent Trends report, 97% of organizations reported they were planning or undergoing significant transformation, and 85% of companies reported they were in the process of implementing new employee experiences. If you consider these numbers alongside the fact that change is a complicated and challenging prospect on a fundamental human level, then you are led to the conclusion that adapting to change is inevitable and, indeed, imperative; a basic survival skill upon which the possibility to evolve and to grow depends on.
Adapting is shorthand for choosing the attitude, or type of response, to change.
Typical ways of responding to change vary significantly from person to person. Some perceive change as something temporary, a hiccup, a glitch on the way. Thus they “cope” with change, try to manage it (i.e., damage control), or “ride it through” in the hope that things will eventually return to “normal.” For others, it is a code word for opportunity: to grow, to rethink and reevaluate, to embrace it, or, God forbid, even strive to initiate it. Naturally, when it comes to organizational change, the picture is more complex because an organization consists of multiple individuals who are affected by and respond to change differently. For the leader and his or her team: in times of organizational change, skillful leadership gives the tone and determines the organizational well-being of the path and its outcome.
Depending on the context, leaders are often those who initiate and lead change. They also are tasked with leading others to face the challenges posed by the change. Problem-solving abilities, strategic planning, being proactive, innovative, and creative are all vital qualities of any impactful leadership and have a game changing role in navigating organizational change. But perhaps the most vital skill, or leadership quality, has to do with one’s ability to understand that change affects everything and everyone around you. A leader doesn’t have the luxury of merely navigating him or herself but must be able to grasp the entire picture and navigate the system as a whole without losing sight of the process of the individuals that are part of the system.
Twitter’s recent high-profile acquisition by Elon musk and the chaos that ensued is a glaring example of the need for skillful leadership in times of change. Musk’s erratic behavior on his first week as new owner of the popular social platform included informing nearly half of the company staff that were to be laid off by the end of the week, only to later walk back on the decision and trying (unsuccessfully) to rehire some of the employees; then Musk presented the other half with a vague and intimidating ultimatum – commit “extremely hardcore” and work as much as 80 hours per week or go home – an ultimatum which led to even more employees resigning, and seeking work in rival companies. Musk has also enacted sudden and largely incomprehensible changes to Twitter’s policies that were met with sharp criticism from the public and subsequently led to an enormous loss of revenue. Seemingly lacking a viable strategy or failing to communicate it to anyone in a clear and sensitive manner, Musk’s hostile takeover of Twitter is a valuable lesson on how not to perform the organizational change.
So what should be the role of leadership in steering an organization through change?
Here are some basic principles which are important to keep in mind.
- Have conscious awareness, fast assessment, and clear communication on the three parts of change: the current situation, the “edge” to cross, and the desired outcome.
- Lead organizational change in a concrete and easy to apply manner while enrolling participation of all members of the organization
- Use skills to create engagement, listening, and integration of all voices in the system, building alignment towards the change.
- Identify typical behaviors of people undergoing change and know how to best support and address resistance and motivate various styles
- Implement a change management plan according to the 4 critical conditions of successful change
We have years of experience and a record of successful support through organizational change. If you are interested in exploring the topic further or wish to enhance leadership skills in your organization during change, we invite you to contact us.
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