By Dawn-Marie Turner, PhD, CMC

Last month our national news was focused on the backlash the Conservative government was getting over their decision to scrap the mandatory long form census. Now, my interest was not whether the decision to scrap the mandatory long form was the right business decision or not. What was more significant to me was the immense and immediate backlash or “resistance” to the decision.

Watching this and reflecting on other very public change initiatives that have experienced a similar fate reminded me of the consequences when the #1 "Law of Change" is broken.

Putting the statistics fiasco aside, think about your own organization. How many times has your organization analyzed a situation, identified a solution or opportunity, and launched the change initiative only to encounter a tremendous backlash?

The sad part is that much of the backlash you experience could be prevented if you remember the one undisputed reality about change. People will only move toward a change when they have internalized the need for the change. This reality is so critical it should be called "The Law of Change”.  Without an internalized need for change, nothing can begin.

by Dawn-Marie Turner, PhD, CMC

“People don’t like change.” I probably hear this statement at least once a week. Unfortunately, it perpetuates the thinking that people will try to avoid change. The reality is quite the opposite. Change is an essential part of our living experience. We change to live. But we don’t live to be changed. When you understand this difference, you can use the stress of change as a potential energy source.

Hans Seyle originally defined stress in the 1930s. He identified it as a biological and psychological response or condition brought on by events outside of the person, such as a marriage, a divorce, getting a new job or losing a job.

Stress is often characterized in terms of “good” (eustress) and “bad” (dis-stress). This view of stress limits its potential as a catalyst for enabling change in your organization. To unlock your organization’s change energy you need to shift your thinking away from stress as an end state toward stress as an energy source. As energy, stress is needed to ignite and propel your change forward. 

by Dawn-Marie Turner, PhD

Change fatigue may be one of the biggest challenges organizations face. And in my opinion, it may be more detrimental to an organization's ability to implement change than some of the currently held views on "resistance".

Research estimates that 46 per cent of organizations are attempting to implement three or more major changes simultaneously. This number may actually be too low. I have talked with many organizations that tell me they have at least five—and a few that say they have more than 20—changes underway. It is no wonder that with this much change people are feeling a little tired.

Change is not going away. Now more than ever, change has become a part of the business landscape. To survive and preferably, to thrive, organizations must change. The great irony for organizations is that the very thing they need—change—also creates the greatest risk for the organization. In this era of constant change, identifying and preventing change fatigue is critical.