Navigating Change at Work

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 12:22:38 +0000

When we reference change at work we typically hear statements like, “Change is a constant” or “Change is the new norm”. The last few years have taught us just how true this is. COVID forced us to quickly change where and how we work. The rapid evolution of AI is changing our global perspective on what is possible and what might be at risk. Organizations, teams, and individuals everywhere are navigating not only these changes but many others like high employee turnover, mergers and acquisitions, new market demands, technological evolutions, and more.
For most people, change is hard. To understand how organizations can help their teams and people adapt, we must start with an understanding of why change is hard for people.
We can understand this first through the lens of our physiology. Change, or the prospect of change, is often perceived by the ego as a threat to its need for certainty, security, and relevance. Anything that the ego perceives as a threat (real or not) elicits a stress response. This is not what the stress response was designed for. The stress response is meant for true emergency situations that might put our survival at risk. While most of the change happening at work is not a threat to our survival, our stress response doesn’t know the difference between a true life-or-death emergency or an upgrade in technology that leaves us frustrated and wondering if we can keep up.
When we experience a stress response, our natural inclination is to isolate, retreat, and protect ourselves. When we’re in this state:

Natalie Johnson on JAVAPRO International

Navigating Change at Work