RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
BY JOHN M. BUCKMAN
All of us fear the unknown. Some will prolong a disastrous relationship because of fear of what it may be like to be alone. Some will stay in an unsatisfying job for fear of the risk involved in change. For many, the certainty of misery is preferable to the misery of uncertainty.
Some have compared the psychological responses to change with the responses to losing a loved one. The traditionally defined stages of grief can be applied to any ending (loss), for change is the loss of the known and a moving off into the unknown. It`s letting go of an important fixture in our lives.
An individual goes through the following stages in the face of major change (or loss):
Denial. In this first stage, the impending or occurring change is rejected. One may even refuse to acknowledge the change, no matter how obvious it may be. In organizations, people often dig in their heels and adamantly refuse to participate; it`s as if the change is not taking place. In times of turbulence, some people will hole up in a small group, playing ostrich, believing that if they don`t look, change won`t occur.
Numbness. Once the inevitability becomes clear, a mild state of shock may set in. People respond to the change edict in robot-like fashion, contributing little else than that that is mechanical.
Disorganization. During that period when out of the old but not yet into the new, many become disoriented, forgetful, and confused. This is a particularly difficult period in organizational change because everyone must pitch in, but many are not up to the requirement.
Anger. During this stage, heads are clear, and the full impact of the change sets in. With this realization comes anger and feelings of being treated unfairly. This stage can be particularly destructive and may even lead to sabotage of the change process.
Acceptance. In the final stage, things come together. The inevitability is totally clear, and people once again may start working together to facilitate the new way.
When you understand the complex human dynamics involved in the change process, you can observe and allow yourself to experience these various states. As a leader in organizational change, you can design the process so that it is not too precipitate, it includes empathy for people, and it allows for discussions at all stages so the changes can take place without excessive trauma.
CONCEPTS FOR HANDLING PERSONAL CHANGE
We will now focus on change as a process and review and augment those specific beliefs and behaviors that will put the fire chief/officer into the flow of change and make him an agent for change in others. Switching the focus of personal security from dependency on the environment to inside one`s self is the first and most important step in becoming a white water navigator. We alone are responsible for how our life fares; only we can make the choices that are necessary. This means doing our inner work, as described in this article. Once we realize that the certainties needed for stability in a turbulent world reside within us and we are loved and accepted for who we are, then we will always remain afloat in the white water.
The following concepts will aid you in becoming comfortable with change:
Have a proactive mentality toward change, and use it as an advantage.
Significant changes can occur only when you are willing to modify your beliefs about how things ought to be and then commit to new methods and ideas.
Consider living with paradox. Not everything needs to make sense.
Avoid being defensive when someone challenges your cherished views.
Create a personal vision. Get a clear picture of who you are and where you are going. The clearer this picture becomes, the more stabilizing it will be for you in the changing environment.
CONCEPTS FOR BECOMING A LEADER
OF CHANGE
Being a leader in organizational change requires that you first be a person who thrives on change, tolerates a high level of ambiguity, and keeps your head clear and your heart open in the midst of chaos. Only from this position can you become the effective leader who is an agent for change. Once in the clear personally, the leader of change will be a visionary–seeing and articulating the “big picture” is the hallmark of the effective fire chief/officer. The way to stabilize an organization internally in the midst of chaotic change is to have a vision of the future, backed up with a strategic plan in which everyone has ownership. Implementation of the plan is the marching order; in this way, everyone has clarity even though turmoil may be all around.
If you would like to have a try at creating a vision for your fire department, write down a description of your organization five years from now and the part you will play in the transformation. Use a free-flowing style as you might for a novel. Suspend your disbelief, do an “as-if,” and let it go. In addition to promoting the vision, as leader/change agent, you may want to adopt these characteristics, beliefs, and styles:
Be a courageous risk taker. Only those willing to create something different can lead in a time of uncertainty.
Encourage constant testing of the vision; then reform the vision to meet the changing world.
Have a deep belief in people.
Take the attitude that conflict is healthy, and allow people of goodwill to see their disparate views as material for personal and organizational growth.
Manage by anticipation rather than by crisis. When people see where they are heading, they are less likely to resist the change.
Make changes only in a setting of participatory democracy. Never order people to change. People will support what they helped to create.
Show people how a proposed change will help them. If there is no benefit in it for them, don`t institute the change.
Open up all communication channels. Nothing kills off a plan for change faster than the rumor mill. Anything you leave unsaid will be filled in with a rumor. Remember that changing even only one little rule has repercussions for someone. The unthinking fire chief/officer gets resistance; the change agent manager gets support.
JOHN M. BUCKMAN, a 24-year veteran of the fire service, has been chief of the German Township (IN) Volunteer Fire Department since 1977. he is chairperson of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Volunteer Section, a member of the National Fire Protection Association Volunteers Advisory Task Force, the president of the Southwestern Indiana Survive Alive Inc. public fire safety education facility, and an editorial advisory board member of Fire Engineering.
