by Kathy Choy, Assistant Director, Talent Development

Change. The word itself is enough to cause some of us to feel a tad anxious. Even the most adaptable among us can have trouble adjusting to rapidly changing conditions, especially if they impact our daily lives in ways we view as negative.

We know, intellectually, that change is regular if not constant, and that improvement is impossible without it. However, when faced with changes in policies, people, processes, etc., we may experience those changes as losses. For example, a policy that was favorable to me is changed so that I’m no longer a beneficiary; or a new supervisor is hired and the one I previously had a great relationship with has moved on; or my department purchases a new technology platform and I need to learn how it works so I can do my job effectively. In these examples, you might notice that the actual changes aren’t the causes of my feeling of loss — my ability to process them and how they directly impact my daily life are. Maybe I was counting on the positive benefit of that policy, and now that the policy has changed, I feel like the rug has been pulled out from under me. I might be wondering if I’ll be able to build as good a relationship with my new supervisor as I had with the previous one — that has a direct impact on my daily workplace well-being. Perhaps I’m concerned that I won’t be able to get up to speed fast enough with the new platform and will appear incompetent, when in the past I’ve been the expert.

In any of these situations I may be able to see the benefits of the change to the organization and adapt quickly. On the other hand, I may struggle with what I perceive as losses and be unable to step into the new reality quickly, or at all. I may appear resistant, negative or withdrawn, but may in fact be trying to figure out how I can possibly adapt to the change, or wondering whether my self-concept as a competent, productive member of the team will survive.

An additional wrinkle occurs when leadership knows about a coming change for a long time before announcing it to everyone else. The leaders have already navigated through any feelings of loss or addressed their areas of concern associated with the change and may wonder why their teams don’t just “move on” or “get over it.” People navigate their experiences with change at different paces, and it will probably take different members of a team different lengths of time or have different needs for support when processing a change. Needing varying degrees of time and support to process experiences related to a change is natural and expected. If we can normalize the idea that we don’t necessarily process change instantly, we can create space for individuals to voice their own (perhaps important and unnoticed by leaders) concerns about the change and improve the outcomes.

Managers can provide support for their teams during these times using the four Ps — purpose, plan, picture and part. Overcommunicate the purpose of the change — how it’s supposed to bring about a positive, productive outcome — without denigrating the past. Provide as many specifics about the plan for the change as possible, including overall philosophy, milestones, dates, owners and evaluative steps. Paint a picture of the expected outcome for your team — help them understand what the future will look like when the change is successfully implemented. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, help the members of your team understand what part they will play in creating a positive future state by describing the specific value each team member brings to the change initiative.

Change. With patience, support and clear communication, we can help each other adapt and navigate to a more positive future.

The new "Managers Corner" feature, brought to you by Drexel HR, offers perspectives and tools to help managers support their teams, diving into topics such as: adjusting to change, holding 1:1s, managing a remote team, supporting direct reports’ well-being and more. The concepts in this edition are based on William Bridges’ work on change and transition, mainly Managing Transitions, Making the Most of Change. Learn more in the online course Leading Through Change on Career Pathway.