Changes in general bring some discomfort and often the perception of loss. The most common human response is to first realize loss before valuing the benefits of change. The leader’s role in the Change Management discipline is essential to ensuring project success. Every change requires leadership and management, which in turn requires tactics and sensitivity to human factors.
Change leaders need to understand that change is not an event, but a journey, a process that is not always simple for humans.
Even if we realize several benefits and are able to understand that change is necessary, the cycle of change will possibly go through several stages, such as: anger, denial, bargaining and depression, and will need time to be assimilated. What is expected is that after these difficult stages, the individual enters the acceptance phase, giving significance to their life in relation to the changes introduced.
No one has the power to change the other, but we all have a responsibility to create healthy environment so that the change journey is less painful and takes place in the shortest possible time.
There are good practices that forms this frame favorable to the change process to lead organizational change. We will comment on this the next articles.
The assimilation time of a change varies from person to person. There are people who are naturally more resilient and adaptive. However, even this person, who responds positively to a change, in the face of another transformation scenario may not adapt as easily. Each change scenario is unique and touches a human being differently. Human behavior is complex by definition and each of us brings its peculiarities. What is simple and obvious to you may not be for someone else. For example, how to understand what a person who has Lachanophobia (phobia, aversion, or irrational fear of vegetables) feel in the face of a lettuce plantation?
Empathy is the most important skill for change leaders. Empathy here goes beyond putting one another’s place, since we are not able to reproduce someone else’s feelings and emotions. In this case, empathy means an unconditional respect for someone’s difficulty in dealing with change.
Leaders have the role of understanding and valuing the human factor as a central point for successful changes. Inspiring, enthusing, motivating, sharing the vision are attitudes that are part of the role of the leader in the Change Management discipline. It is the mission of true leaders to create a healthy environment, so that people can self-manage their emotions and behaviors, and finally cross the journey of change. After all, organizational changes are only consolidated when they are accompanied by human changes.
In the next article we will deal with the LEADER AS SPONSOR OF THE CHANGES. This is his/her main and indelegable role.
Want to learn more about managing and leading organizational change in the contemporary world? Take a look on this article: https://changemanagement.software/change-management-a-competitive-advantage-in-the-age-of-transformation/
Visit our https://hucmi.com/ and see the schedule of training and certification in Change Management.
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