“Eventually though, they will need to face facts,” he says. “The change is going to happen, and perhaps the best thing for them to weigh up is whether they wish to stay on in an organisation that is moving past them. Full counselling and outplacement services must be provided for the group that selects this choice, because they are likely to be longer-term employees, and they will need support if they are to find another job. This support should be available to them and their families for a significant period — months, but perhaps not years — they need some incentive to move on.
“There is plenty of encouraging literature for people in this category. One such book is We Got Fired. . . And It’s the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us by Harvey MacKay, [Ballantine Books, 2004]. Often, having to change — when there is no option — means we find the way to change within us.”
Understanding the psychology of the fear of change is the easiest way of helping people cope with change, Cropley says. “If you understand how people react then you can empathise not only with their feelings, but with their needs as they move through the change.”
When it comes to reacting to change, Cropley believes most people slot into one of four groups:
• Champions: Are the ones who just get it. Far from being phased by the change, this group displays both willingness and the ability to make the change. “These people you can keep communicating to clearly and empower them to help you,” Cropley says.
• Fence sitters: These are the ones who have the ability to make the change, but really just have no willingness to do so. Helping this group adapt to change may require counselling them and helping them see the new possibilities. “As they get it, find them a role,” Cropley says.
• Loose cannons: These people have a real willingness to change, but lack understanding or ability and therefore tend to go off in all directions and quite often with wrong information. You need to educate and coach these people before giving them a role.
• Active aggressors: Sometimes known as a problem child. These people neither want to change or nor have the ability to change. More than that they will actively enlist others to oppose change. “The reality is we have to get these people to understand that change is going to happen with or without them. In communicating, we simply need to tell them that it is important we get their acceptance — whether they like it or not,” Cropley says.
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.