Change processes are generally associated with negative words: rejection, fear, frustration, resistance. In the business world, the statistics are devastating: 67% of change processes fail.
Why does this phenomenon occur, what causes resistance to change and how can we transform it into a positive experience?
Today's fast-changing economic business environment requires a renewed capacity for continuous change on the part of senior executives and employees.
However, human minds identify changes produced by others as threats. Brain amygdalae are activated, neural circuits associated with danger are set in motion and brains begin to generate cortisol, the stress hormone. All these phenomena feed back on each other and end up generating a vicious circle of fear that leads the organism into a mode of functioning called "fight or flight". People who function in this system become resistant to change, both personally and professionally.
To undo this situation and take conscious control over these unconscious processes of our minds, one needs to start developing high levels of self-awareness and self-control in the first phase, followed by self-development plans in the second phase.
Through the processes of self-awareness and self-control, we have to start identifying our strengths and start building on them our personal leadership model that will allow us to mitigate the fears produced by processes we do not control, such as organizational changes.
The identification of strengths helps to reinforce self-confidence and thus begins to produce positive thoughts, which in turn generate endorphins, causing feelings of well-being.
Negative words lose strength and other positive words begin to emerge: excitement, novelty, discovery, growth. In this way we enter a virtuous circle, in which self-knowledge generates self-confidence and this, in turn, generates positive thoughts about oneself and the environment.
How can companies help their employees develop these mental processes? To begin with, they need to create resonant cultures, constantly communicating and reminding them of the organization's purpose, to give meaning and value to their employees.
On the other hand, they have to motivate people by giving positive feedback and focusing on personal and organizational value building processes.
Finally, they must make difficult decisions with respect for people, over-communicating in periods of crisis. They have to explain how the changes will affect the organization, groups and individuals and how they will be approached from a human perspective. This is the only way to ensure that fear does not take over and paralyze people and organizations.
Living with permanent changes is an imperative imposed by the new times we live in. Developing the flexibility to celebrate them is a capacity that we can develop on our own.
