When is the change going to be over?

An executive my wife knows reported one of her people recently asked her this question.  The last couple years have been tough on all of of us, and especially tough on people who had assumed that the future would be an imitation of the past.  Of course, the answer is that the change will never be over. More so than ever, a boss's job is to prepare his or her people by developing expectations that there will be constant change, while (as I wrote in HBR), providing as much prediction, understanding, control, and compassion as possible.

I wonder, what else can a boss do to help people anticipate, cope with, and flourish in the face of change?

Comments

[Apex]

Change is often over-rated and elevated to a level where from a management or business standpoint change is always considered good.

We see it in attitudes that suggest the only way to stay ahead of the competition is to constantly innovate. To constantly adopt new techniques and new methodologies. We see it in chasing after new books promoting the latest new business techniques that will revolutionize your business.

It's mostly a disease that our current culture has become infected with. Namely, we believe that there are easy answers to give us an edge on the competition or to help us get what we want in an easier way than the old fashioned work for it method.

How else are we going to get out of this debt mess we made for ourselves. Or how else are we going to compete with xyz. Or how else are we supposed to get this company off the ground since we don't have deep pockets or access to easy capital like the other guys do.

Or even if we are the "other guys" then this will just give us even more success, help us grow faster, get us more market share, etc, etc, etc.

Business must adapter and change to changing environments but constantly playing the constant change game is winning at a loser's game.

If you as a company are seeking breakthrough techniques of the revolutionary type, then by all means, experiment with all kinds of change. That's probably the only way you will stumble on the revolution you seek.

But if you are a normal business just trying to survive and grow, then the best way to make sure you don't go anywhere is to waste all your time and energy chasing every new idea, every new technology and innovation, every new marketing ploy, etc.

Things of value are enduring for longer than a web year. Invest in things that endure, and that includes people. Constantly chasing the rainbow, is eventually going to burn your people out and send them to someone who values endurance instead of constantly exposing them to shock treatment.

I realize the language of this post is a little bit heavy on the hyperbole, but change is too easily accepted as good that I needed a little something to get the point through. All bad change is bad, and not all good change is good.

[Jean-François D'Arcy]

Managers can help their employees deal with (or even survive) change by ensuring that they have a career development plan that emphasizes the improvement and broadening of their skills. As the individuals of a species that adapt to a brusk change in their environment, employees with the right skill set will more likely thrive in an environment where rules or priorities have changed.

[Zachary Vernal]

You make a very good point Bob. Change is something that we should expect to face for the rest of our lives. Good leaders/managers must be able to help employees both accept, and understand this reality. In my humble opinion, individuals unknowingly go through minor changes on a daily basis. It’s the major, ground breaking changes that force us to take notice (such as losing 10% of our IRA in a single week). For many of us, the comfort of a super visor can be the difference between accepting and resisting change. Supervisors who help their employees cope with the reality of change allow them to adapt to this sometimes harsh reality.

[twitter.com/angelescc]

Good point! A supervisor can help employees cope with change by teaching them how to find opportunities in this type of environment. Maybe put a positive spin on it by asking the employees for some outcomes that were positive, rather than focusing on the discomfort that change always brings.