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Seven Reactions People have to Change

1. "People will feel awkward, ill at ease and self-conscious when confronted by change. - Tell them what to expect.
2. People will feel alone even if everyone else is going through the same change. - Structure activities that create involvement.  Encourage individuals to share ideas and to work together to help each other through change.
3. People will think first about what they have to give up.  - Don't try to sell the benefits of change effort initially.  Let people mourn their perceived losses.  Listen to them.
4. People will think they can handle so much change at once. - Set priorities on which changes to make, and go for the long run.
5. People will be concerned that they don't have enough resources (time, money, skills, etc.) to implement the change. - Encourage creative problem solving.
6. People will be at different levels of readiness for any particular change. - Don't label or pick on people. Recognize that some people are risk-takers and others take longer to feel secure.  Someone who's an early adopter of one type of change might balk at another type of change.
7. If press is taken off, people will revert to old behaviors. - Keep people focused on maintaining the change and managing the journey (Blanchard & Hodges, 2003, p. 66-67)."

Reference:  Blanchard, K., and Hodges, P. (2003).  The servant leader: transforming your heart, head, hands & habits.  Nashville:  J. Countryman.

How do you react to change?

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Created: 2008-04-02, Updated: 2008-11-12