How does big change happen in your organisation? Does it come from top down, or do you get your employees involved in change?
I’ve noticed a common belief that strategic thinking needs to be fully explored before it’s shared any further, so leadership teams usually set the vision for change and then spend time considering how to persuade employees to get on board with it. I’ve seen time and time again that thinking tends to stay within a small group before plans are developed to share it further.
So, when the change is announced to the rest of the organisation, I’ve seen people push back immediately, rather than running forward to embrace the approach, as the leadership team expected. This can result in lots of head-scratching from leadership teams and statements like, “I don’t understand why they don’t get it”.
People are perceived as being ‘resistant’ to change where, in reality, it’s often a complete surprise and they need to get their heads around why it’s happening, what it means for them and have some space to process it all.
That’s exactly the opportunity that the leadership team have had; they’ve been able to mull over it for weeks, months or even years. They’ve made that psychological transition and so are in a very different place to their employees.
It’s worth saying that sometimes, for regulatory or legal reasons, change can’t always be shared, but that’s not always the case.
This gap between the leader and employee experience of change is termed as the Marathon Effect, outlined by William Bridges in his book, ‘Managing Transitions’.
He uses the marathon analogy to explore how there are only a few folk at the start line of a race and so it’s impossible for everyone to finish at the same time.
“The front runners (in a marathon) take off like rabbits, then the second rank (who are a little slower) start running, and then the middle ranks get under way. By the time the leaders are well out on the course the Sunday runners in the rear, are just beginning to stir.”
William Bridges, Managing Transitions, 2009
That’s exactly what it’s like for leaders who’ve gone through the psychological and emotional transition of the change before they announce it to their employees. This transition is essential if people’s thinking and behaviours are to shift to create something different.
Change is situational. Transitions are psychological…
Without a transition, the change is just a rearrangement of the furniture.
Unless the transition happens, the change won’t work.”
—William Bridges
Post-pandemic - what about running a relay race instead?
Although the marathon analogy is helpful to recognise what happens at a psychological level in change, a relay race could be a better metaphor, especially in the times we’re in right now.
Over the last few years in dealing with the impacts of the pandemic, people have been running to keep up, sprinting continuously with very few periods of sustained rest and recovery. I’ve lost count of the number of conversations I’ve had where folk feel like they’re back on the same relentless hamster wheel just a few days back from a break.
This relentless pace of change against a backdrop of uncertainty and huge disruption has had an impact on people’s health and relationships. And the opportunity for change to be successful and disruption minimised, drops. People are just knackered. They don’t have the stamina for either a sprint or a marathon.
But, with a relay approach, there are two key benefits. Firstly, the time lag between the psychological transition around change for leadership, management and employees can be reduced. So, although everyone still arrives at the change destination at different times, it’s very clear right from the start that you’re all running the same race.
Secondly – and probably most importantly - there is an opportunity for a pause between handovers for people to recover and regroup. So, transitions should be much smoother.
Shifting from a marathon to a relay mindset
To create this shift, when you’re embarking on any major change, spend time considering the potential ‘transition lag’ between leadership and employees. How can you reduce it? How can you get people more involved from the outset?
If you can’t, how can you reduce the impact of the change by being as honest and transparent as you can? How can you plan your relay and give people breathing space between handovers and indeed races?
If an outside view would help you to explore how to plan your relay approach or help get your team together, get in touch. I’d love to chat.
And… here’s another perspective on this same subject…
https://www.twistconsultants.co.uk/blog/2021/8/5/im-here-where-are-you?rq=I%27m%20here