Change: do you practise what you preach?

Chances are that at some point in your career you’ve had to espouse the positive benefits of change to an audience of learners who are grappling with its often unwelcome, effects. Recently we asked our Learning Curve subscribers to take the ‘Change Challenge’ to see how well they dealt with change. Over 150 learning professionals took up the offer, giving us a great snapshot of the industry’s attitude towards change in uncertain times.

So where do you stand? Would you challenge the status quo to get results, or do you prefer to keep your head under the radar until the threat of change goes away?

It turns out that learning professionals really do practise what they preach when it comes to change. Only six percent of our sample could be described as ‘change haters’ with the overwhelming majority of respondents indicating that they saw change, not only as inevitable, but as something to be encouraged and embraced.

The results

In our survey, the high scores in the categories ‘reflect on it’ and ‘resolve it’ suggest that the majority of our sample are more inclined to be change-lovers:

Typical comments from the change-lovers:

“The best feeling at work is that sense of being stretched and learning
something new.”
“Change never stops.”
“Every cloud has a silver lining.”

A small minority (six percent) of respondents scored most highly in the categories ‘Reject it’ or ‘Resist it’. These people can be described as change-haters.

Typical comments from the change-haters:

“I just take it a day at a time – why cry before you get hurt?”
“As long as my job is safe, I don’t really care what’s happening.”
“It’s just change for change’s sake round here.”

Understanding the change-haters

So what characterises a change-hater? Well, it’s not so much that their reaction is different to ours, it’s more that they find it difficult to move on from that initial emotional response: denial. By denying change and all the thoughts and emotions that come with it (such as anger, panic and suspicion), they simply hope that they won’t be affected by change.

Another characteristic of the change-haters is the desire to resist the change taking effect. Any explanation, no matter how implausible, can be used to rationalise the initial denial. These explanations then convince the person that their knee-jerk reaction was correct and gives them time to re-assert some inner control.

Helping change-haters

The fact that most of you are likely to fall into the ‘change-lover’ category means that you are in a good place to help alter the perspective of the change-haters. You understand that reflecting on change can put previous judgement in a different light. The mind suddenly switches on to the possibilities that change might bring. Everything is turned upside down and more rational and realistic thinking starts to reappraise the whole situation.

And, once the full force of change is seen, it becomes much easier to embrace it. Change can be welcomed with open arms. The challenge and excitement of new opportunities will have triumphed over all the negative perceptions of change. At last, it’s seen as something to embrace and thrive on – rather than something to resist.

So, are you a lover or a hater? If you haven’t taken the Change Challenge yet click here.

Video Arts resources for managing change

Who moved my cheese?
A simple parable that reveals profound truths about change to help people recognise, adapt and enjoy change whenever it happens.

Jamie's School Dinners
‘Managing and living with change’ brings change to life in an easy to understand and inspirational way.

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