The Queen: Are We 'Hard Wired' or Can We Change - Assignment Example

Introduction The Queen case study presents an accurate analysis of why change is important and why people find it difficult to adapt to change. It further suggests how one can accept change in a logical manner. Change is important to move forward in life. Had this not been the case, perhaps humans would have still been living in caves! However accepting change can be difficult as well as a time consuming process. In order to be successful in life it is imperative to accept change and mould ourselves according to the changing circumstances around us. This report attempts to answer the questions pertaining to change based upon the reflections made in the Queen case study. Why individuals find change difficult to achieve: Accepting any personal change is perhaps the most difficult form of change to accept. The hurdles in achieving a personal change may range from personal apprehensions to the problems that one may face during the change process. For example, a person used to working on Windows may be extremely apprehensive to switching to another operating system. The reasons behind this reluctance could be the comfort level that the individual has developed for using Windows. Also, the anxiety of how he would fare with the new system could be a deterrent in accepting the new change. Moreover, people find it extremely difficult to get over or modify the habits that they might have practiced for years together. These habits could be as simple as our getting up time every morning or more complex ones like our daily job routine. Mostly people would go to any length to resist any alteration to their everyday habits. (Gloria Hamilten, Difficulty Accepting Change in the Workplace) This is what the Queen study refers to as being hard wired. Our preference for certain way of living may be so strong that we would be completely unwilling to even hear of may change to it. In other words, we are so much hard wired to our daily habits that our flexibility to accept change may be reduced to zero. As Jeffery Schwartz, author of The Mind and the Brain, and Sharon Begley, author of Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain, have mentioned, these habits that individuals form are because of the training and experience that are 'hard wired' near the core of the brain. These habits are performed naturally without effort or energy. On the contrary, efforts to bring in any modifications to these hard wired habits would require lot of conscious effort and energy. As suggested by the research, it is a common observation that whenever we are confronted with a situation that seeks change in some form, we would generally adapt an approach that is closest to our routine behaviour and offers maximum resistance to the required change. However, if we will ourselves to accept the change and accept it with full determination, achieving it would not be very challenging. As Begley, a Wall Street Journal science writer demonstrates that if the brain of a blind person can rewire itself to hear more acutely, then on the same lines, other kinds of transformation are possible through brain 'rewiring'. An interesting example citing resistance to change is the character of Emily in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily.” Through the character of Emily, Faulkner demonstrates the consequences of staunch resistance to change. Emily’s continual resistance towards change results in development of an ambivalent attitude towards her amongst the people around her. The same resistance, Faulkner elaborates, is the prime cause of her weird actions. In her resistance lies the explanation of why she murders her lover and why she never leaves her house. Her character is a perfect example to cite what resisting change can result in- destruction and failure. The primary reason why people find it difficult to achieve change can be summed up as following: People don't understand why the change is important People are apprehensive whether the change will be successful People’s belief in the old way is too strong to accommodate any change. People are apprehensive about how they would fare out with the any change. People might not have trust in the motive of change; they see it as a beneficiary action for a particular class. People have substantive evidence of the success of the old ways. There is no guarantee of success of the change. (Bryan Yager, Beyond Change Management, 2005) Why People Dislike (Indeed, Fear) Change Change in any form, whether personal or organizational would require some sort of training or re-learning. This in itself is a big challenge for many, thus preventing them from accepting change. The re-learning or training involved in the change process is a major reason for the dislike that people harbour for change. The fear of change is also the greatest obstruction in acceptance of change. This fear could be an emotional reaction to change which can be overcome with constant guidance and support. Experts suggest that this fear may be again due to our hard wired attitude towards certain habits that we have followed for years. In addition, fear from change may arise from the following notions that people generally hold about change of any sort: Change will bring in new situations for which a person may not be prepared and consequently may feel anxious, depressed and unprepared. Accepting change and therefore, the new situations may make people feel insecure about their position and make them more vulnerable to exploitation. Accepting change is an uncomfortable and insecure process. Accepting change could be emotionally challenging as people may feel closely bound to their old ways and habits Change is uncertain, while the old ways are well known. Therefore, the apprehension towards making an uncertain move may hinder the change process. Following old habits is comfortable, while moving towards change can be extremely testing and painful. The fear of change can be associated with anxiousness, nervousness, confusion, and indecisiveness. The fear of change can also be associated with a lack of desire to accept new things in life. The fear could be based on an individual’s emotional trauma, while the lack of desire for change may arise due to a person’s hard wired association with the conventional habits and the associated comfort. (Nick Arrizza, Change Management: No More Fear of Change) While overcoming fear of change may be comparatively easier, generating the desire and willingness to change in an individual can be a very complex task requiring immense motivational strategies. Further, the lack of desire cannot be removed permanently. It can only be suppressed for a while. The tendency of an individual to lose the desire to change may increase as soon as the individual is slightly familiar with the change being implemented. (Nick Arrizza, Change Management: No More Fear of Change) Change is also a complex psychological process. According to Arnold Beisser, the author of “Paradoxical Theory of Change” change mostly happens when a becomes what he is, not when he tries to become what he is not. (http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/resistance_change/rationale_resistance.htm) Reasons for disliking change can be numerous. A person may not want to change because Even though he or she may not be fully contented with their current position, moving ahead with change may seem even more uncertain. Further, the final outcome of the change may seem even worst than the present situation. In addition, people may fail to see the benefits arising from change. They may feel that if only the organization of the management benefits from the change then why should we suffer the pain of accepting the new change? Even if people acknowledge the benefits of the change, they need to be greatly motivated to actually accept it and move towards it. Why the difficulty faced by individuals in accepting change is an issue that warrants examination in the academic study and ‘real world’ practice of management. As discussed above, accepting change at individual as well as an organizational level is an extremely complex process. It requires immense emotional and psychological motivation. Further, accepting change and the peculiar behaviour that people may show towards change has been associated with the way our brain is structured and the scientific way in which different information is received by it. Since implementing and accepting change is a psychological as well as scientific process, various researches have been conducted to gauge the different reasons behind why people behave in particular manner towards change. As suggested by the Queen case study, pleasure or pain could be the two primary motivations for personal change. Either one of these creates the kind of 'burning platform' on which the change effort is built. This then creates a sense of urgency and commitment to change. Pleasure can be a motivator because an individual who aspires be at a position that requires greater influence skills, is motivated to develop those skills in order to reach the goal. Avoidance of pain is a also more likely motivator. An individual is told that they will not be promoted further unless they become more compassionate with their reports. Moreover, they are told they may lose their position if they don’t change their style. Therefore, they develop the capacity because they want to advance and do not want to lose their job. To achieve change individuals typically move through four steps. When they arrive at the final step, the actions they take require laser like focus. These steps are summed up as the four A’s of change including Awareness, Analysis, Alternatives and Attack Step one, Awareness, is the point where an individual realizes something is not working. Step two, Analysis, is the time when an individual reflects on what needs to change. Step three, Alternatives, is where the individual looks at the options for change. Step four, Attack, occurs when an individual decides on a course of action and takes the first steps. In The Queen, Elizabeth realizes that the monarchy is increasingly disliked and the public finds it unresponsive to Diana’s death. She spends time reflecting on why that might be. She listens to advice on courses of action, even from new Prime Minister, Tony Blair. Finally, she announces what she is going to do and does it. This action requires her to feel discomfort. Yet, she goes on with the change because she is convinced that the change would be beneficial. Out of personal and organizational change, personal change requires greater focus and a higher level of motivation. The individual who wants to change needs to specifically identify what it is that they want to achieve. Do they want to be more social, more strategic, or listen more effectively before taking action? They need to choose the area that will get them closer to their overall change objective. While accepting change, people need to be more strategic and need to continually keep their final goal in their mind. They also need to take a multifaceted approach to achieving their goal, which should also facilitate the process of change. The appropriate approaches towards accepting change could include reading books on strategy, finding a mentor who is a strong strategist, engaging in a task force where the outcome is a strategy, etc. Various researches in this regard can suggest the appropriate strategies that may facilitate the change process. Means that managers should implement to best overcome employees reluctance to change: As reflected by The Queen case study and the different neuroscience researches, change is very much possible and ‘hard wiring' is not a permanent condition. Also, change is achievable through focus and a lot of motivation. Implementing change at an organizational level is a two fold process. It not only seeks to introduce change at the organizational level, but also enforces individual changes. Therefore, managers need to be extremely cautious while introducing change to their team. Not only the change process needs to be communicated properly to the employees, but also the elaborate plans need to discussed in minutest details. Elaborating details will enable the employees to see the change process with a broader perspective and make it easier to move towards change. The managers need to ensure that the transitional period between the old and the new does not appear so uncomfortable that employees actually turn it down. It should seem easy and achievable and should motivate the people to make a progress towards change. While introducing change, it is important to build the trust amongst the employees at whom the change is directed. It is important to make them feel that the change is in their favor and they would definitely benefit from it. Moreover, establishing that the re-learning involved in change would ensure better career opportunities for the employees would further motivate them towards change. The integrity of leaders is also a very important attribute. If the managers seek that the employees must follow them, they should give them a good reason to trust the management. Different hierarchies in an organization may react to the change different. People in senior positions may have a more flexible approach towards change while the common work force may feel greatly apprehensive of it. The resistance offered to the change by either of this strata needs to be handles tactfully and in such a manner that it should not hinder the change process. Implementing organizational change is a difficult and a critical task. Managers also need to understand the clear difference between change and transition. Transition is the process that results in a change and therefore must be very tactfully implemented. Management should take ample steps to ensure that their employees feel confident of the transition process. (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_82.htm) Kotter suggests the following approach to implement organizational changes successfully. Step 1: Create Urgency: To ensure that the change is successfully accepted, it is imperative to create and urgency for it. Employees must feel that the change is crucial and further growth is not possible without it being implemented. This would enable the managers to spark of the initial motivation amongst the employees to accept the change process. Managers can do the following to create urgency for change: Identify potential threats, and develop scenarios showing what could happen in the future. Examine opportunities that should be, or could be, exploited. Start honest discussions, and give dynamic and convincing reasons to get people talking and thinking. Request support from customers, outside stakeholders and industry people to strengthen your argument. Kotter further suggests that for any change to be successful, at least 75% of a company's management needs to believe the change. Step Two: Form a Powerful Coalition Managers need to convince people that change is necessary. This requires strong leadership and a strong support from key people within the organization. To create a coalition in the organization that supports the change, managers can: Identify the true leaders in the organization. Ask for an emotional commitment from these key people. Work on team building within the change coalition. Inspect the team for weak areas, and ensure that there is a good mix of people from different departments and different levels within the company. Step Three: Create a Vision for Change Managers also need to create a substantive vision for the change being introduced. A clear vision would help everyone understand why the change is being introduced. Once people see for themselves what they are trying to achieve, then the directives they're given tend to make more sense. Managers can build a vision by doing the following: Determine the values that are central to the change. Develop a short summary captures the essence of the change. Create a strategy to execute that vision. Ensure that the change coalition can describe the vision. Step Four: Communicate the Vision Change and all the associated processes need to be communicated to the employees effectively. Managers need to communicate about every aspect of the change clearly and repeatedly. This can be achieved by: Talking often about your change vision. Openly and honestly address peoples' concerns and anxieties. Applying the vision to all aspects of operations - from training to performance reviews. Conclusion: Though it may seem difficult and complex, yet change is very much achievable and essential. In fact change is the very basis of all the growth and development that we see around ourselves. Implementing change requires a rational and scientific approach. The process should make the people feel confident of the change and should be motivating enough to make people shift from the comfort level of their conventional habits. References: 1. Bryan Yager, Beyond Change Management, 2005 2. Gloria Hamilten, Difficulty Accepting Change in the Workplace 3. http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/resistance_change/rationale_resistance.htm 4. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_82.htm 5. Nick Arrizza, Change Management: No More Fear of Change Read More