The Ship of Change

In the last two weeks we looked at different change curves.? These models are useful in helping us to understand the process of change and the routes it can take.? When we can see this, we are able to plot where we are on the curve, and make some positive choices about where we want to go next.

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And that’s the key to this topic, and to be honest many others as well.? Choice.? The more choices we have, and the more capacity we have to exercise those choices, the happier, more satisfied and more successful we will be.? And this brings me to the focus of this weeks article.? Not the change process itself but how we react to it.? The choice we make in the face of change.

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This is one of my favourite models to work with as I’ve seen it have a significant impact for people and teams.? As I’ve said before, a good model should provide a lens and a language, and this one does exactly that.? It provides a lens or framework to depersonalise reactions to change and just examine the positions we (or others) are taking, and it gives us a way to talk about those positions.? I’ll walk you through the model and you’ll see what I mean.

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As I do, reflect on experiences of change that you have been through and identify the reactions that you have either seen in others, or experienced within yourself.

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Cargo

When we take this position then we’re obstructing change and frustrating the process.? We’re negative, cynical, pessimistic, and this can influence and infect those around us.? ‘This will never work, I’ve seen this before’, etc.? We’ve all seen others do this, and many of us have done it as well.

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Passengers

When we take this position in relation to change then we’re not actually obstructing the change, but we’re not helping it either.? We’re along for the ride but we’re sitting back, letting others take the strain, and we’ll see how things pan out.? If we decide it’s going to work then we might get on board, but if it doesn’t look good, we’ll bail into a more negative position.

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Pirates

If we take this position, we’re not just frustrating the change process, we’re actively trying to sabotage it, drive it off course, or sink it.? We have picked a side, and we are actively opposed to what’s happening.? There are times when this is the right and ethical position to take, and there are times when it’s unhelpful and counterproductive.? There’s no value judgement in the model, it depends on the situation.

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Crew

If the change is valid, ethical, and necessary then this is where we want most of our people to be.? Working together, identifying their roles in the process, and helping to drive the change forward.

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I’ve found this model valuable in a number of ways.? It’s helped team members identify what reaction they have adopted to change and then dig down into the ‘why’ behind that reaction.? And when we know what the why is we can address it.? It’s also been valuable in helping a team talk about a change and reactions to it in the third person.? To discuss the process in abstract rather than personal terms, and this has helped identify solutions to difficulties, and resolutions to disagreements.

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I’ll explore this area a little further next week, and we’ll dig even deeper into our reactions to change.

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