Page 265 - Managing Change in Organizations

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Chapter 13 ■ Managing major changes
Discussion
There is some evidence to suggest that many people do not discuss work ‘in their
own time’. If change creates uncertainty and stress, this can mean that they lose
important opportunities. Simply talking through a problem can be helpful – this
of course requires that we understand the changes well enough to be able to describe
them to others. It seems to make sense to encourage people to discuss their prob-
lems. Discussion with colleagues can be facilitated by running workshops. Much
the same applies to talking things over with the manager involved. Sometimes
there is benefit to be had from talking things over with a complete stranger.

Working on self-esteem
Issues
Test out ideas and beliefs.
Discussion
Working with our ideas and beliefs about a change can usefully form a basis for
building our self-esteem. Consider the case of a hospital within which new
roles are being introduced impacting the jobs of nursing staff. Some may fear
they will lose their jobs? Is this true? In all circumstances? In these circum-
stances? What has management said about the issue? Is it the subject of nego-
tiations? Have guarantees been given? People might also think that they are too
old to get to grips with the new roles. Is that true? What help can be obtained?
Can I try it out now? Work on the issues discussed above will feed into this and
help people to make progress. Perhaps the important point is for us to recog-
nize that we need to build our self-esteem as part of dealing with a programmed
change. We need to recognize that this is an essential, unavoidable part of this
process.
Issues
Talk out issues with yourself!
Discussion

On the face of it this may sound rather silly. Discussing the point recently on a
senior management programme, one manager said that he always got his people
to write out those issues that they felt were important in a change situation.
Talking or writing involves thinking through systematically. Writing creates a
publicly available record. To deal with our feelings about changes we need to
understand them better. Thus talking them out (or writing them down) is an
important facilitating process, and something which could form part of a work-
shop programme.

Issues
Let go of the past. Accept that this will create a sense of loss.
Discussion
We have already discussed the need, and the processes through which people will
discard the past. It is important to recognize that this will create a sense of loss

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