Handbook of Corporate Communication and Public ... - Blogs Unpad

Qualities of organizations and people
necessary for successful change
An individual who sees the challenge of widespread
changes in work processes and outcomes
is best suited for technical innovation
and change. This person comes to work
smiling, often arriving early and leaving late.
No matter how much chaos the organization
is in, this person appears to respond well to
the situation.
Others in the organization respond less well
to change and exhibit dysfunctional behaviour.
There are degrees of dysfunctional
behaviour related to change. For instance,
examples of a low degree of dysfunction are:
poor communication, reduced trust, blaming,
defensiveness, increased conflict with fellow
workers, decreased team effectiveness, inappropriate
outbursts at the office. Moderate
dysfunction: lying or deception, chronic lateness
or absenteeism, symptoms such as
headaches and stomach pains, apathy, interpersonal
withdrawal. A high degree of dysfunction:
covert undermining of leadership,
overt blocking, actively promoting a negative
attitude in others, sabotage, substance abuse,
physical or psychological breakdown, family
abuse, violence, murder, suicide.
The person who responds well to change
exhibits buoyancy, elasticity, resilience – the
ability to recover quickly from change. Such
people possess a strong, positive sense of
self, which gives them the security and confidence
to meet new challenges, even if they
do not have all the answers. They are focused
on a clear vision of what they wish to accomplish
and they are tenacious in making the
vision a reality. In addition, these people tend
to be accommodating and flexible in the face
of uncertainty, and organized in the way they
develop an approach for managing ambiguity.
They engage the circumstances, rather than
defend against change.
Such a person practises fairness, integrity,
honesty, human dignity – the principles that
provide the security to adapt to change.
Understanding and managing expectations
helps an individual or an organization through
the change cycle. Rather than lower expectations,
manage them. In doing so, consider
that in responding to positive change most
people go through phases:
1 uninformed optimism or certainty at the
start;
2 informed pessimism or doubt – people
may quit publicly, or more destructively
they quit privately and continue to work,
allowing the negative feelings to generate
dysfunctional behaviour;
3 hope emerges with a sense of reality;
4 informed optimism results in confidence;
5 satisfaction closes the cycle of change.
The good news is the cycle is predictable and
can be used to manage expectations by helping
people prepare for the rough periods. The
bad news is most people feel they are an
exception and they will not follow the cycle
from beginning to completion. People neglect
to consider that change carries an equal
opportunity for failure.
The language of change
Often people react to new situations without
fully realizing their true feelings; nor can they
articulate them. The metaphors they use
reveal and shape their understanding of
events. The metaphors of change can be
roughly aligned with four types of organizational
change: maintenance, developmental,
transitional, transformational.
© 2004 Sandra Oliver for editorial matter and selection;
individual chapters, the contributors