So much written about it, so many models and approaches, entire businesses set up and created on the back of it. Yet successful change and transformation still proves elusive.
And, it’s not as though we can’t adapt and grow through change. Change is, after all, the signature tune of our civilisation.
Perhaps it’s not change itself that sits at the core of the challenge, more the fear of what might be lost as a consequence of change. Lost by us – the humans in the process. A process that is largely documented, practised and expertly delivered within our organisations. Those pesky humans though, they just keep getting in the way.
And I’m not just talking about the employees either, I mean we worry about losing status, security, jobs and pay, all piled on top of the current worries about the economy, the wars, the inflation rate. Even typing this is triggering my anxiety. It’s perhaps no wonder then, that we might come across as a tad emotional, resistant and negative.
No, I’m also talking about the leaders and the managers. We have all the same fears as our teams, plus in many cases an additional serving of ‘fear of failure’, fixed mindset and/or perhaps imposter syndrome.
It’s surprising then, that with so much available knowledge and information flowing from the sciences, regarding human behaviour, resilience and how the brain works, that human-centred change is not treated as more of a priority.
Understanding cognitive capacity, how to influence and shift mindset, manage emotion and engage others are all fundamental skills for effective change. Yet difficult to grasp and translate into day-to-day delivery if we don’t understand the fundamentals of brain, mind and body, including how the brain works and is impacted through change.
Granted there are a few organisations that integrate behavioural specialists and/or neuro practitioners into their change activity alongside internal communication and change practitioners. They tend to be in the minority though. It seems a missed opportunity and perhaps the difference between success and not so much success?
