How do your employees react to change? The psychology of change can provide some practical suggestions on how we can become much better at accommodating and dealing with change at work and in our private lives.
As a manager, it is important to be able to read and understand oneself, one's employees and one's organization in the stream of changes that we are constantly challenged by. How does one navigate this landscape of change and increasing complexity? One of the ways is to learn to read the basic assumptions of the organization.
By Helen Eriksen
It is important that we clarify the basic assumptions that are in the organization both with the individual and collectively, as 95-99 % of our basic assumptions are unconscious. When the employees at the coffee machine or in the canteen talk about faults and shortcomings and the problems that exist in the company, the criticism does not fall in a bad sense, as their statements are in the majority of cases unconscious.
The unconscious assumptions lie on the spine, and for the vast majority it can be difficult to take a step back and look at things differently. In a change process, it is necessary that all employees are prepared for changes to occur, and this can only happen if employees and managers are aware of the old basic assumptions that govern behaviour. Otherwise, the change process will rarely succeed because the necessary majority of positive attitude is not present. It is therefore for the manager to support himself and the employees in articulating his own and the employees' basic assumptions in order to implement a constructive and developing change process.
Our brain is a fantastic organ that can actually be utilized much more than the potential we use today. There are many untapped neural networks waiting to be activated. Our ability to analyse, structure and organize lies predominantly in the left hemisphere of the brain, and we use that part diligently in our work. In the right hemisphere of the brain, we find the opportunity to think innovatively, create new paths, think in wholes. Therefore, it is a very good idea to consciously work with a combination of the two halves and activate all our brain centers where the different intelligences lie.
The spatial, bodily and musical intelligences must be put into play together with the intelligences most of us are used to operating with, namely the logical-mathematical and the linguistic-verbal. When we manage to let them work together, positive changes happen. The brain only needs to experience a repetition of new behaviour, or of what we are used to with a twist, before a new neural pathway is created, which further stimulates our existing neural network for increased innovation and solution orientation.
The leader must take the lead in this change process.
The leader must take the lead in this change process and show himself as a role model, as it is difficult to step out of the "tribe" and start working with things differently. We tend to stick to the familiar, and prefer not to stand out, for fear of being excluded. Therefore, it is the manager's task to show the employees that new working methods are possible. When the manager shows himself as a role model for the new way of working, the employees are far better able to adopt the new thing. It is no longer "dangerous", and you are not marginalized by stepping out of your comfort zone.
A change that is simple to tackle and which is incredibly effective is an increased focus on employee well-being. What we all strive for both at work is well-being, job satisfaction and that things make sense. When these three things are fulfilled, the energy grows. When the energy level is high, we create growth. It therefore makes good sense to focus on the well-being of employees and thereby create growth. For many years, growth has been associated with profit maximization and increased market share, and it is still part of the road to success. If this is supplemented by focusing on well-being at all levels, job satisfaction and the meaning of work will naturally grow and hence also economic growth.
Self-organization among employees can create well-being, as it is a great motivation for employees. The researchers can tell us that we are generally not motivated by hierarchies. We do not function optimally in this structure, as hierarchies often and fundamentally give rise to stress. When the opportunity to perform without feeling controlled is present, engagement grows. A change of style that makes self-organization legal will make the energy bubble up and the company will grow on the basis of employee well-being.
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