Change has Changed: The Imperative for Change Growth, Filling the Gaps of Traditional Change Management

 

The pace of change continues to increase as our world becomes more complex, ambiguous, and uncertain driven by COVID ripple effects, evolving customer and consumer behaviors, social unrest, political division, AI/tech integration…just to name a few.  In our work environment, change is pouring in on unrelenting waves with higher-level complexity and magnitude.

To put it simply, change has changed.  “Change” is now rarely this linear thing that happens with a distinct beginning and end.  This foundation upon which traditional Change Management finds its footing, in today’s world, has become incomplete.  And here’s why:

• Change initiatives are being stacked on top of one another to keep up with business and market demands
• Change execution has increased in complexity with different types of change-leading programs happening across our businesses simultaneously from digital transformation, to culture change, to employee on-boarding, to HR policy changes.  The list goes on and on.
• Change lives across all aspects of life therefore the opportunity persists to give individuals the knowledge, skills, experience, mindset and practice to navigate change more effectively in life, not just work
• Change has become the new status quo with 100% of the individuals in our organization living in some state of change be it in their work or outside of it

As we consider this new status quo and the human-side of change, we must change the way we think about change, striving to become more focused on…

1. Better preparing for inevitable change,
2. Enabling our teams to not only deliver challenging projects and programs but also achieve growth and fulfillment within themselves through change, and
3. Empowering our leaders to nurture both themselves and their teams in this seemingly constant state of change.

Mitigating this fatigue risk means arming ourselves and our teams with the mindset and the human skills that allow them to face the more difficult emotions of change head-on while enabling them to see and maximize the opportunities their ever-evolving environment present.  We must expand our thinking from just managing change to growing through change.  Though I’ve often said you cannot have growth without change, going through change doesn’t guarantee you will experience personal growth unless you are armed, empowered, and willing to allow it.

Growth potential is determined by what happens at the intersection of change and emotion.  This holds true at the individual level, the organizational level, and even the societal level.  Because of this belief, I operate within a space myself and my team at Change Enthusiasm Global has coined Change Growth.  This space exists in tandem with Change Management, filling in the gaps project management professionals to often fall into using traditional Change Management practices.

Welcome to the Change Growth space. resting at the intersection of change and emotion.  In this blog, you’ll find the practical tips, tools, and inspiration to cultivate a practice of self-actualized growth through change and strengthen the human-skills necessary to achieve unparalleled business agility in your project and program management endeavors. You are welcome here and so are your feelings.