Dealing with change: the new business as usual
A challenge for any business at the moment is managing the 'unknown unknowns'. We know times are tough; but how much tougher they will become, and for how long? What, if anything, will be immune, and what will bounce back most quickly? We can be sure of one thing: we all need to get used to living with ambiguity and continuous change with no sure, stated end point.
This means that managing change becomes part of every manager's job, each day - whether or not their area or function is directly affected. Every team meeting, every email update, every information share, every project planning session becomes an opportunity to re-engage individuals and re-align their objectives and activities with the organisation's changing plans and priorities.
The following research is intended to help managers and HR professionals 'cover all the bases' as they work with diverse groups to get the best out of change. This is important because the dangers of leaving any group behind are significant; depending on people's type, resistance can take many forms. But when you want the effort and creativity of the whole team to carry you forward, why risk the undertow?
Nancy Barger and Linda Kirby have integrated MBTI® type theory with William Bridges' stages of transitions. They asked 2,000 MBTI workshop participants to respond to the question, "What does each preference need during a time of change?" The responses provide some understanding of how different people facing the same transition may have different needs.
The MBTI instrument looks at people's preferences relating to how they perceive the world and how they prefer to interact with others. It can be used to help individuals and groups better understand themselves and others.
Read more about the MBTI instrument > >
Extraversion
- Time to talk about what is going on
- Involvement - they want something to do
- Communication, communication, communication
- To be heard - to have a voice
- Action, getting on with it, keeping up the pace
Introversion
- Time alone to reflect on what is happening
- To be asked what they think
- Thought-out, written communication and one-to-one discussion
- Time to think things through before discussions and meetings
- Time to assimilate change before taking action
Sensing
- Real data - why is the change occurring?
- Specifics about what exactly is to change
- Connections between the changes and the past
- Realistic pictures of the future that make plans real
- Clear guidelines on expectations, roles and responsibilities
Intuition
- The overall rationale - the global realities
- A general plan or direction to play around with and develop
- Chances to paint a picture of the future - to create a vision
- Options - a general direction, but not too much structure
- Opportunities to participate in designing the future
Thinking
- Clarity in the decision-making and the planning
- Demonstration that leadership is competent
- Fairness and equitability in the changes
- The logic - Why? What are the goals? What systemic changes will there be?
Feeling
- Recognition of the impacts on people
- Demonstration that leadership cares
- Appreciation and support
- Inclusion of themselves and others in the planning and implementing of change
- Know how individuals' needs will be dealt with
Judging
- A clear, concise plan of action
- Defined outcomes, clear goals
- A clear statement of priorities
- A time frame, with each stage spelled out
- No more surprises!
Perceiving
- An open-ended plan
- The general parameters
- Flexibility, with lots of options
- Information and the opportunity to gather more
- Loosen up, don't panic, trust the process
Barger and Kirby provide much more information on how to deal with change in their book The Challenge of Change in Organizations.
This research originally appeared in a piece by Shawn Bakker of Psychometrics Canada in their customer newsletter.
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