Change,
you do it every day
Blog by
Wouter Luttikhuis
While talking about her high school woes, I tell my almost 14-year-old daughter about everything that has changed since my own time in secondary school. I recite the standard story about our first computers in the 80s. The endless waiting for printouts coming from the Epson printer, printed on fanfold paper. From the Walkman to the Discman. But also about not always being reachable or needing to be, the anonymity during nights out in the ’90s (not every teenage and young adult mistake was caught on camera), as well as the cheerful period without threat and with economic growth.
Change is difficult, yet we do it every day
It’s shocking, isn’t it, how much has changed in 30 years? Many things are faster, easier, and better—mostly technical in nature. But in hindsight, not everything turns out to be a blessing for people and society. My opinion: “change happens every day.” Whether you want to or not, that’s just how it is. I find changing incredibly complicated. Think about driving a petrol car and the transition to electric; going on holiday and having to plan your trip very differently. You have routines, you rely on certainties and fixed habits; suddenly, you have to do things differently or in another order. The same goes for work. I’m reminded of our own organization’s shift to Office 365. OneDrive, SharePoint, whether or not to save automatically, sharing, etc. It just takes a few weeks (and some complaining), but it really pays off. After six months, the new reality is ‘normal’ and nobody remembers the old way. That’s how change sometimes goes, but not always.
When are people inclined to change?
People don’t change just like that. There must really be an intrinsic or extrinsic motivation behind it. Well-known extrinsic motivators include legislation (no faster than 100 on the highway), company takeovers, financial problems, and unexpected disasters or crises like corona. People have to change because everyone has to. Intrinsic changes come from within. A change from a feeling. Often triggered by something that happens to you, like a beautiful or impactful event in your life.
Changes within companies
Of course, there are many other theories besides the simple explanation above. Within companies, these two often come together. As a team, you want to change in order to learn or improve something. As an organization, you may want to take a different path (with different capabilities and ways of working) to keep up with the market or society. An extrinsic trigger can be the starting point for change, whether it’s a small daily change or one that happens all at once with a Big Bang.
How do I get people on board in our changing organization?
As an HR professional, you might lose sleep over change issues: How can I expect our people to change? There’s already so much going on and we have too few people. We’re dealing with absenteeism, many vacancies, and rapid technological change. How do I get these people involved? I would like to see different behavior, but ‘they’ just can’t manage it. The team really has to start working on their own performance and collaboration. Just a sample of questions from clients. All valid questions but not easy to answer.
- Distinguish between usefulness and necessity
The most important thing is to distinguish between usefulness and necessity in changes. “From July 1, we’re all driving electric” as a flat message is not the best approach. The necessity is there, but does it have to be now? The usefulness and explanation help create support. Getting people and teams on board is essential.
- Personal leadership
Much will be expected of leadership and personal leadership in the coming years. What (behavioral) changes can I handle myself? What impact do these changes have on me and on others? On the other hand, what changes are we going through as a team or organization and what dependencies do we have on each other?
- Team development and feedback
Support your teams with leadership, ownership, and effective communication. At MEPD, we coach many teams and groups on leadership, team development, decision making (effective meetings), and giving feedback. Naturally, our attention also continues to focus on individual issues and the connection between the person and the team. Such as personal development programs and effective communication methods. With attention to the person and their role within the company.
Want to brainstorm with no strings attached?
Would you like to have a non-committal brainstorming session about the changes facing your organization? Feel free to contact me.
P.S. This holiday is still on petrol, but at some point the switch will have to flip 😉
Also read the blog by colleagues Marieke and Ellen: ‘the grass is greener where you water it’
Wouter Luttikhuis
Team Manager
In our team, we guide our clients and customers in issues concerning people, organization, and work. We do this with full passion, focused on the client’s needs, which means we always provide tailor-made solutions.
