People don’t like surprises; research into emotional neuroscience shows that almost all reactions to surprise are negative. And yet we have traditionally kept org change plans a secret until the last minute – thus by design creating a ‘surprise!’ moment when our plans are revealed.
There are loads of reasons for this, ranging from industrial processes to a misplaced sense of care (we don’t want to unduly worry our staff). I don’t think I have ever worked anywhere where an impending org change was a well kept secret. So most of the time, our workforce already knows and they’re already anxious and they really don’t appreciate us doing a version of a magician’s ‘ta-daa’ moment when it comes to their careers.
This is why the conventional wisdom of keeping org change a secret until it’s ready to be launched is falling rapidly out of vogue, and even in the most conservative of businesses, my clients are seeing better results by taking a more collaborative approach to org change.
> what approach does your business take to org change?
If you’re looking to start doing business differently this year, here’s how I can help:
- Change Facilitator
- Executive Coach
- HR Mentor & Thought Partner
