Changing for the better

Sometimes, we bring change about – and sometimes change is brought upon us! Hardly anything about my workplace seems to have stayed the same in the past twelve months – not just within my immediate team, but more as Capita continues its transformation journey. My colleagues and I are looking for new opportunities for partnerships, seeking out conversations with organisations we might once have considered out of our world, and refreshing our processes all the time. None of us expect to keep doing anything the way it’s been done before.

All this is very exciting – but sometimes it can feel overwhelming, too. This is especially true when, like my team, there’s been vast change in terms of the team members themselves. We all need some degree of certainty about who and what is going to be involved with our work, so that we can settle into effective routines and share cross-team experience. Assuming everything will stay static, though, leaves us unprepared for the change that will inevitably come our way.

So, how do we best deal with change – both positive, through innovation and progress, or negative, when skills are lost?

Of course, you could just sit back and let it happen to you. It’s better than resisting, or failing to accept the inevitable; bending to events can be the best way to endure them. If there’s a massive change in processes directed by your boss, you could just do it without questioning; when you’re forcibly moved from your spacious window seat to a cramped, shared desk directly under the aircon, you could always just pack up your stuff with a smile. Of course, you risk getting treated like a pawn on a chessboard, to be shuffled around as those above you feel like it, but nobody will ever accuse you of being difficult.

Alternatively, you can choose to actively seek out opportunities when change happens. For example, if there’s a big change in your team structure, use the moment to look for new tasks and responsibilities, and make the most of your enhanced value by discussing your career progress with your boss. Big shifts in how things are done might mean more immediate work, but in the harder times, those that prove themselves can really move up.

There is also the third: to become the person that makes change happen, before it happens to you. The previous two hinge on events out of our control, but you don’t have to sit there and wait for it: you can grab the reins. Most of us can see areas for improvement in our workplaces and practices, every day; most of us also shrug our shoulders, and continue to do things the same way we and everyone else always has. What if you actually did something about those niggling problems?

If you have an idea for positive change, can you make it happen – either with the support of your manager and team, or off your own back? Being at the forefront of change not only carries the possibility of improving your team, it also lessens the possibility of someone else beating you to it and probably not doing it the way you would prefer. It can also be a powerful reputation-booster. When someone in your team or department is directed to a new process or system, or sees that the structure of a team’s workload is improved, they’ll have you to thank for it.

In some cases, unfortunately, the hierarchy above us can slow us from making improvements to our own jobs – but in the best cases, it can empower you. Change is inevitable, but we can choose to let it happen to us, to embrace the opportunities it presents, or think proactively. In this brand new year, it’s an ideal time to look around you, and figure out the difference you can make.