ManagingManagingChangeChange

A Practical Approach to a Common A Practical Approach to a Common Organizational ChallengeOrganizational Challenge

A Presentation for the AACN Conference at A Presentation for the AACN Conference at SOMCSOMC

Kendall L. Stewart, MD, MBA, DFAPAKendall L. Stewart, MD, MBA, DFAPASeptember 25, 2010September 25, 2010

1Thank you for your kind invitation and your commitment to excellence.2I hope to offer practical advice you can put to work in your personal and professional lives today.3Please let me know whether I succeeded on your evaluation forms.

Why is this important?

• Change happens.• We don’t always embrace

it.• In fact, we often resist it

with all our might.• Organizational change is a

source of significant stress at work.

• And then there is all the change in our personal lives.

• Some of us manage change better than others.

• This presentation will suggest several practical strategies that will help you manage the change in your life.

• You can start using these strategies today.

• After listening to this presentation, you will be able to– Give three reasons why we

tend to resist change,– Identify three ways we

resist change, and– Explain three practical

strategies for managing change more effectively.

• Change is not going away.• Here are some ways to

manage change instead of letting it manage you.

• Managing it more effectively can make a world of difference in your life.1,2,3

1We often refuse to change even when it’s clear what we are doing is not working.2I once counseled a husband about what to get his wife for their anniversary.3A farmer in Georgia was not pleased with his wife.

Why do we resist change?

• Change is often uncomfortable.• We may not see what’s in it for us. (WII-

FM)• It may seem silly and pointless.1,2

• We may not have been consulted beforehand.

• A compelling case for change may not have been made.

• We know how often proposed changes fizzle and poop out.

• The change may require extra effort on our part.

• We may view the change as unfair.• We may view the proposed change as a

very bad thing.• It just seems to be part of human nature.

1Do you know the difference in the Golden and Platinum Rules?2I learned a hard change lesson about administrative rounding.

How do we resist change?

• We experience strong feelings.1,2

• We seek out others who share our feelings.

• We talk behind others’ back.• We spin and exaggerate.• We attack those who feel differently.• We pout and withdraw.• We indulge in passive, aggressive

posturing.• We create dissention and set

organizational back fires.• Unfailingly civil and gracious, we

challenge the case for change with dispassionate clarifying questions.

• Yeah, right.1When SOMC administrators announced a change I didn’t like, I became upset.2Then I calmed myself and figured out a way to manage the change.

What practical strategies will help us manage change more effectively?

• Face reality; change happens.

• Recognize your emotional arousal.

• Calm yourself.• Become a reporter; ask

clarifying questions.• Clarify whether you are

asking permission, consulting or merely informing.

• Figure out exactly how the change will affect you and others.

• If the final decision is still pending, make the case for and against the change.1

• Take a thoughtful position.

• Suggest other options• Suggest a pilot study.• Ask for metrics that will

prove the change produced the desired results.

• Focus on results.• Break is down into

manageable tasks.• Make it ESQ&F (Easy,

Simple, Quick and Fun)• Limit pointless rumination.• Engage in healthy

distractions.• Stop trying to reason with

unreasonable people.• Reframe the change as a

personal opportunity to grow.

1I made a vigorous case against labeling average employees “average.”

What are the physics of change?

PerceptionPerceptionss

BehaviorsBehaviors

BeliefsBeliefs

FeelingsFeelings

EnergizingEnergizing(not (not

paralyzing)paralyzing)DiscomfortDiscomfort

Genetics + Genetics + EnvironmentEnvironment

1Happiness is 50-80% genetically determined. (Haidt, The Happiness Hypothesis, 2006)2Behavior is the place to start if you want to change.3Change is definitely possible, but it is not easy.

InternalInternaloror

ExternalExternal

Genetics + Genetics + EnvironmentEnvironment

NewNewPerceptionPerception

ss

NewNewBehaviorsBehaviors

NewNewFeelingsFeelings

NewNewBeliefsBeliefs

What have we learned?

• Change happens.• It does not always happen easily.• Most of us would admit that

change is one of our principal challenges in the work environment.

• And most of us would admit that we could cope with change better.

• We now know what to do.• But knowing what to do is rarely

the problem.• Doing it is.1

1Let’s use losing weight and keeping it off as an example.

What results have my changed behaviors produced?1

Began SparkPeople™

1This is a graph of my weight in 2006.

Where can you learn more?

• Participate in the ongoing conversation about the challenges of leadership on the SOMC Leadership Blog.

• Review and download related articles and presentations at www.KendallLStewartMD.com.

• Read a short article on managing change here.

• Examine the content from a seminar on managing change here.

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Are there other questions?

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