Change is all around us every day, whether we like it or not. Change is not based on our feelings. It will happen no matter how we feel about it. Everyone knows the saying that the only thing that remains constant is change. So, why do we have the natural fear of change? Why do we make excuses not to give change a chance? We are all guilty of doing this, so how can we change our negative thought regarding change?
According to Dr. Darryl Watkins (n.d.), there are 50 reasons not to change. Some of the common reasons (excuses) heard when facing change are: we’ve been doing it this way for 25 years, Why would we change- it’s working, It is impossible, It’s not my job, I don’t like it, We’ve never done it that way before, and we’re doing all right as it is. I have heard some of these excuses on a professional and personal level, and these excuses always bring up questions in my mind.
When I hear colleagues utter the words “It’s not my job,” I internally and probably visually cringe. My thought process is that we are all employed at the organization to help the company and each other succeed. When asked to make a change or do something additional, it may not be listed in the job description, but if it is for the best of the company or a coworker, then it is your job. On the flipside, I do not agree with being overloaded and used as an employee, but that is for a different blog, so I digress.
Another comment I have heard around the office is why change- it’s working. We recently went through a computer system change at the college where I work. The system was old, slow, and antiquated. The consensus around the office is that we did not need a new system because the one we had worked just fine. I agree it worked… very slowly! To answer the department’s question as to why a change was necessary; the new system would work too, much more efficiently. I believe my coworkers were resistant to the change because they were scared they would be less efficient at their work. The new system has been live for approximately a year, and after some growing pains, it is evident that the change was a good for the department. Brown (2011) described a driving force as putting pressure on the organization to change. The age and speed of the old computer systems were driving forces that necessitated a change.
The final excuse for not changing I will discuss is, “We’ve been doing it this way for 25 years.” My first thought when I hear this excuse is, “Wow. Think about how much has changed in the last 25 years.” Some of the things that are essential to our job, like the internet, social media, and e-mail were invented in the last 25 years. We have no need to hand deliver office messages because of the e-mail. I am sure some people were resistant to e-mail when it began to infiltrate offices, but that worked out okay. Just because it has worked for the last 25 years does not mean there is not a better option available as our previous computer system at illustrated.
As I reflected on the 50 reasons not to change, I realized that I use some of these excuses. I do not care for change, but have acknowledged that change is inevitable, so it must be accepted. One reason I commonly use is “I don’t like it.” A new red light or stop sign could be added to my route and my first thought will be “I do not like it.” I believe this is a common knee-jerk reaction. I take the time to think about the reasoning behind the traffic signal and realize that maybe there were multiple accidents, so a light was added for safety. In the grand scheme of things, my resistance to change does not compare to the people’s safety.
I have also caught myself thinking that things are impossible or can’t be done. In these situations, I remember a saying my mom used to say all of the time… “Can’t never could.” I try to get myself out of the negative thoughts as quickly as possible because nothing is impossible. What if Martin Luther King Jr. believed that equal rights were impossible? Great changes occur because people believe they can.
I believe we can overcome the thinking that creates resistance to change by opening up our minds a little more. One excuse I hear occasionally is “We’ve never done it that way before.” There was a time where the processes that are currently in place in every office were tried for the first time. There is always a beginning point, so sometimes change needs to be attempted to create a more efficient ending product.
In his TED talk, Seth Godin (2009) argued that creating tribes is the newest way to establish effective leadership. Godin (2009) discussed the stages of leadership. First, was the factories, then TV, followed by leadership. Godin (2009) disputed that the newest style of leadership is created by finding the true believers, organizing people, and starting a movement. He stated that a true leader would look at a status quo and decide to change it. His statements are based on the human need to be connected. If individuals all feel the same way about a subject and bond together, then real change can happen.
If I were to put my feelings about tribe leadership on an old-fashioned scale, they would stabilize each other. On one hand, I love the idea of tribe based leadership. Godin (2009) mentioned the changes in the ASPCA driven by one man who did not believe in the purpose of the organization. The gentleman who had the idea to donate a pair of shoes for each pair sold created a great change that touched many people’s lives. A recent example is Donald Trump. He has seemingly created a tribe using the methodology mentioned by Godin (2009).
On the other hand, I believe that tribes could create divisions between individuals. Godin (2009) said that an individual must find the true believers to create a tribe. But in searching for the true believers, will they come across non-believers and create friction while trying to create change?
One thing that I can take away from this from this exercise is to remember that change is constant an also necessary. When change is presented, I should not turn my nose up at it without considering the outcomes. Since change is always taking place, it never permanently hurt anyone, because change can always be reversed or transformed into something else.
References
Brown, D. (2011). An experiential approach to organizational development (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
Godin, S. (2009). The tribes we lead [TEDGlobal]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead?language=en
Watkins, D. (n.d.). 50 reasons not to change [Prezi]. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/00/change.html
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