If you have been on Facebook in the last 24 hours you might have noticed some differences. If you have not, I am sure many of your Facebook friends will inform you. Yesterday, Facebook made some significant updates to their page and news feed causing many users to cry foul. Facebook says the changes are to improve user experience and make it easier to stay connected. The users, however, find the new layout confusing with the absence of some features they had grown accustomed to.
But this is not about Facebook’s change as much as it is an observation about change in general. Though we are in a continually evolving world where change comes at us faster than ever before, we often wish things would remain as they have been. I remember these experiences when I worked in the corporate world. A change would be sent down by management and one of the following would happen:
- Backlash – “That’s not part of my job!”, “This doesn’t make any sense!”, “I’m telling my boss this isn’t right!”
- Sabotage – People will set out to make sure the new way will not work
- Complacency – This is the “flavor of the month” and this too shall pass
- Collusion – Water cooler huddles dissing management or anyone who agrees with the change
- Resistance – Flat out refusal to try the new method
- Acceptance – This is a rare bird. Some think it is extinct
- Embrace – Some actually see the benefits and not only look forward to the change, but may actually take the lead on making the change better (even rarer than acceptance)
As you can imagine most of our wiring around change is that it is negative. I am sure there are many reasons for this, but the fact is we will go through countless changes in out life. As leaders, we will ask others to be part of change.
There are things that can help make change a little easier in our organizations. Here are a few things you might try:
- Inform and educate – Appeal to the reason why the change needs to happen. Focus on outcomes, benefits and desired results
- Enroll staff – Change that happens behind closed doors and then sprung on its participants can lead to revolt. Whenever possible, incorporate informal leaders into the process. Find the people who can influence the change one way or another. If they own it, they can help create a positive message.
- Deal with the emotional issues related to change – Fear is a powerful factor in any change process. Often people’s minds go to the worst case scenario. Address those concerns early on. Get feedback. Seek advice and if someone has a different idea, let them research it if possible.
- Whenever possible, be transparent – work people in to a new way of thinking by sharing information. If you are holding back because you are worried what people will think, don’t be surprised if that is the outcome you create.
- Work on behaviors around change – Coaching and mentoring is involved here. Help people develop the skills necessary to do and think differently.
- Create a change culture – Empowered leadership, empowered staff, a clear direction where to go, and focusing on the positives can go a long way to making change a regular part of your business model. Get people thinking. Teach creativity skills as much as you would technical skills. Tap into that entrepreneurial spirit that your organization had when it was young and everything was constantly different. Make people the catalyst for moving forward!
The bottom line is change can be easy or difficult. Often we choose to make it the latter. Each of us have embraced quick and dramatic change in our lives yet we still adapt and move on. In many cases that change wasn’t as bad as we originally thought. So while I can’t change Facebook, I can change my attitude. And if something as small as Facebook can throw you into a tizzy, how are you going to do against greater changes needed in your business or your life?