Change Better by Jeanenne LaMarsh

Change is constant. Organizations are increasing the number of dramatic changes to the way they run their businesses. Employees, faced with these rapid and often undesirable changes, need help-and so do the organizations for which they work. If change is a constant in people’s lives, they have to develop the ability to live in this constantly changing world without feeling like victims. Helping people develop the ability to become partners in the changes they face is what Change Better is all about.

While the self-help shelf is filled with books advising people on change, the vast majority of those are focused on what to change, not how to change. Those that do advise on "how" are too often filled with lists of platitudes. We need a book that helps people build a robust, easy-to-follow personal change action plan.

As Jeanenne LaMarsh writes, "We have watched individuals and organizations struggle with an increasing amount of change. We have seen some cope with it extremely well; we have seen some welcome it, and grow and develop; we have seen others fear it; and we have seen many-too many-fail at it." Change Better is finally that book-the book that will help employees succeed at change.

An Interview with Jeanenne LaMarsh

What prompted you to write this book?
For 30 years, my firm, LaMarsh Global, has been working with leaders and change agents in companies all over the world, helping them to understand their role in making change easier for their employees to accept. This acceptance is essential in order to get successful change. I have seen a remarkable growth in these leaders’ understanding of the importance of effective change, and in their willingness to build the skills and knowledge they need to play the roles of sponsors and change agents. But the piece that was missing had to do with the role of the employee.

The danger to organizations, as I see it, is that as employees come to expect more and more help and attention from management, they will become increasingly passive. Increasingly, they are waiting for management to "get them through the change" and are not clear on how to be a "partner in the change process." This state of affairs is hard on employees and makes it more difficult for organizations to change. That’s the need I wanted to serve in writing this book.

What are some of the common mistakes employees make when finding themselves in the midst of widespread change?
The single most critical mistake employees make is to approach the change as if their feelings and their needs are not going to be addressed. The result, when the change is a tough one, is that they feel a loss of control. That leads to feelings of stress, which we all know plays havoc on people’s health and personal lives. Employees must take the time to consider, in a systematic way, their feelings about the change, and what they need to do to feel more control over the change process. If they are lucky enough to work in an organization that cares about their needs, they can become partners with the leaders (the sponsors) and the people in charge of planning and executing the change (the change agents) as the organization goes through a change. But even when their employers are not demonstrating any thoughtfulness about what employees need to get through the change, those employees can - by analyzing their own issues and concerns and developing a personal plan to address them - reduce the difficulty they experience in the change.

What are some of the common mistakes organizations make when trying to institute widespread change?

A lot of managers believe in what we call the four myths of change:

• Myth One: People will always adapt to change.
  But...many people sometimes never completely adopt a change.

• Myth Two: Change happens; you don’t have to manage it.
  But...change is constant, but our ability to influence it isn’t.

• Myth Three: That’s what we pay our managers to do.
  But...do the managers have the skills needed to manage complex change?

• Myth Four: The project will get done with or without change management.
  But...studies shows that the median success rate for organizational change is only 33 percent.

You are the founder and CEO of LaMarsh and Associates. What did you take from the experience of running your own firm that helped you in the writing of this book?
I have always tried, when introducing change into our firm, to be thoughtful about the issues and concerns our people would have with the change. What I quickly learned was that despite my very best efforts there was no way I could anticipate what all those issues would be. I could not assume I know what problems people would have. The solution: ask them. Make it safe for them to raise their objections, ask questions, and ask for what they needed in order to accept the change. Luckily, because of the business we are in, the people at LaMarsh know how to identify their issues and know the best ways to seek what they need to address them. That is what this book is trying to pass on to other people: how to be a partner in the change process.

After 30 years of change-management experience, what inspires you to stay passionate about this work every day?
Oh, that’s an easy question to answer. We have an impact at two levels in our clients’ every day. First, we help the organization to attain a successful change. And, equally important, we help individual people in the organization, the employees, to make the transition from the old to the new way with less stress; to feel more successful themselves. That’s worth getting up for every day!

If you could give just one piece of advice to those undergoing a big change, whether it is for an employee or a company’s entire staff, what would it be?
Don’t ignore the fact that people will have concerns and fears that must be addressed in order to be successful.

You also talk about the states of change. Which would you say is the most important state of change, and how can an employee navigate it?
I can’t answer that question. The answer will be different for each employee and, for each employee, different in each change. Sometimes it is concern about leaving behind the way things have always been done. Sometimes it is fear of not being able to be successful in the new way. Sometimes it is the implementing of the change that causes the most difficulty: "I can’t do my job and change. Which do you want, boss?" No matter where in the change process the issues crop up, the organization must be prepared to address them. But first, the employee needs to consider what he or she needs in order to get from one stage of the change to the next. The Personal Change- Management Plan in Change Better is a great resource for doing that.