It’s hard to ignore that things are changing, in many spheres of life, and the words change and transformation are being used a lot. At first blush, they may seem synonymous, but there is a difference in scope and scale. For instance, you may change your outfit at any given time, yet there are more elements and effort involved when you transform your look.
Change has clear boundaries
- We know why change is happening
- Change has an end goal
- There are specific steps to accomplish the goal
Transformation isn’t clearly defined
- Based on a strategic vision for the future
- High risk and experimental
- Has many elements unfolding simultaneously
- Is profound and radical, such as a cultural movement
- Takes significant time and commitment
- Is intentional, requires action and active participation
- Consists of a portfolio of initiatives
Telework is a great example of this. As the COVID pandemic escalated, many employers changed their staff’s work location to be home based. However, throughout the pandemic, we heard conversations about return to work, getting back to the office, etc. The initial work from home concept was a location change, with specific steps such as coordinating equipment, access, schedule agreements, communication protocols, etc. The change was finite, with the goal of reducing infection while keeping people working.
Fast forward 2 years. The infection curve is flattened, masks are coming off, and many employers are setting dates for staff to return to the office. However, behavior has changed in the last 2 years. The office is no longer considered the workplace by the workforce. Unsurprisingly, the workforce is calling for more permanent telework options. Some organizations readily accommodated the request, others are working it out and some are resisting. This cultural movement is transformational. It’s based on a strategic vision for people operations, the end result is uncertain, and is the culmination of two years of change initiatives and experimentation.
Organizations are all over the spectrum in how they’re handling this change. Why?
Some organizations were intentional in their transformation, and leveraged the changes they’ve implemented in this time as part of a grander vision for how work is done. Others fell into the change out of necessity. They expected their people to do something different for a specific reason, and now that the reason is gone, they want to switch back. But humans are not readily programmed with switches. We don’t have a conditional code that if a pandemic exists, then work from home, else work at the office.
Herein lies the magic of Change Management. Behavior and change psychology are at play. How we engage our people in these changes matters. The level of inclusion and choice people are given in the process matters. And their collective behavior and mindsets will have impact on the success of the change and the organization overall.
Starting to sound familiar? Reach out for support managing the challenges of organizational change. We’ll partner with you to help you people, systems and culture adapt.