Manage the Journey of Change

It is not uncommon for businesses going through organizational change to experience a great deal of seismic shift. Fear of change often creates paralysis or a "fight or flight" response from workers. Employees concerned about change may lock down and resist, while others will become more vocal and divisive. Some of these responses are normal and should be expected as groups going through change, experience a change in their team dynamics. The re-forming and norming of groups, will inevitably lead to a phase of storming. How an organization manages this storm will determine the succes of organizational change.

I find that it is not change itself the employees fear, but more precisely, it is the journey from here to there that causes problems. Employees are more receptive to change when they understand the challenges, risks, safety nets and expected pace for change. When centered in the eye-of-the-storm, leaders often become too focused on the task and less focused on the effect. As a leader of organizational change, don't forget to account for the effects of change or you may find little support for your initiatives.