This week I would like to continue with the subject of last week's blog and the key theme of the Association of Change Management Professionals conference in South Africa, viz. "Change begins with the individual."
If you think about it, that is pretty fundamental and hardly rocket science. After all, over time, people tend to do what is in alignment with their goals and their view of the world. In other words, people do what makes sense to them, or don’t do what doesn't make sense to them.
This being so, it seems self evident that if people are resisting change, it is because:
- They don't see the point of changing and there is nothing in it for them to do so; or
- They simply disagree with what you are trying to do.
Either way to effect change you have to convince them to change. That is the only way you will overcome their resistance. However, I remain convinced that, from an organizational point of view the only way to break down that resistance is to create the "line of sight" that comes from the shared values derived from employee ownership. More than just a ploy to create employee engagement, making employees co-owners of the business gives a common interest and a new industrial relations dynamic that breaks down the old management versus worker conflict that has soured industrial relations for over two hundred years.
Why don't you consider giving it a chance? If you are struggling to introduce change, it might just be the lifesaver you are desperately looking for.