Butterfly and Caterpillar
A simple ‘quote of the day’ shared with myself some time ago by a very dear friend – partly because I adore butterflies through what they represent in my everyday day life but more so because we’ve had many discussions around the ever-changing times and our own inability to, at times, get people to buy-in, agree with or join in when presenting them with new, different or easier concepts/ways of doing things that they are so used to doing in a set or certain way.
Such a simple phrase and yet it has such a profound meaning when you take the time to analyze it further. For me personally it speaks to people who wholeheartedly accept change as part of their everyday lives versus those who remain ‘stuck’ in their old ways. Let’s be honest, it’s easier to accept and do the things we are accustomed to than constantly having to change our thinking, approach, skills, aspirations, etc. to ensure we remain relevant. There’s already so much going on in our lives, why would we constantly want to re-evaluate it?
The truth is that change is inevitable, it’s a natural progression as processes, technology, aspirations, our wants and needs, knowledge and maturity changes or improves over time. With change being implemented at a faster pace now than ever, our ability to ‘keep-up’ is constantly being tested.
We’ve moved from seasonal changes, which allowed sufficient time to adapt and adopt unlike today where constant changes are being implemented at such a fast pace that we hardly become acquainted with the new concepts when at the same time being asked to adapt to and inevitably adopt new ones.
What is often forgotten, in my opinion of course, is that without having all involved on the journey of change will only result in a ‘half baked’ end solution as everybody forms a crucial part towards achieving what’s been laid at our feet. Those who are ‘left behind’ often become the unintended whisper that most often result in obtaining an unintended follower base. We see this quite often, it’s those who constantly plant the seed of unwillingness towards change – using phrases like “there’s been too much change” or “we are change fatigued” etc.
We as society have already started to shift in terms of acknowledging that everybody is different, ranging between different personality types, age groups, likes or dislikes, etc. and evolving / adapting to cater for the various or different needs – why is it then that we still want to have a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach when it comes to implementing change?
I’d like to think that I’ve been through a fair amount of change not only professionally but also at a personal level to have formed an opinion about it. An opinion that I would love to share with you in the hope of sparking some thought patterns around the fact that it’s not necessarily only about what we are trying to implement or change but rather how we approach the people element to ensure we take everybody on the journey. It isn’t the change itself that people resist - people resist change because they believe they will lose something of value, or fear they will not be able to adapt to the new ways.
When thinking about the different ways people respond to change, using the analogy of trees I found that there are at a high level three responses people generally have toward change:
Evergreen Tree type of response (‘Butterflies’) These are the type of people that remain unfazed by the type or frequency of change, they are completely rooted in what they are there to deliver regardless of the method being applied for them to do so. They therefore easily adapt and adopt change into the way they do their everyday tasks. They easily realize the intended benefits of a change, possessing sufficient energy for the adaptation process to unfold. The capacity to adapt mentally, emotionally and physically to incorporate new mindsets and behaviors and inadvertently absorb and adopt the key implications of the changes being implemented.
Deciduous Tree type of response (‘Caterpillars’)
- Autumn to Winter: These are the type of people that are overly connected to their old ways, who will often have a strong resistance toward change. Being creatures of habit, their routines become automatic and change jolts them into consciousness resulting in uneasiness and often leaves them feeling uncomfortable. They often have basic distrust of any kind of change and will work frantically to preserve ‘the way things used to be around here’. Change interferes with their autonomy and can make them feel that they’ve lost control over their territory. They often just fall ‘into line’ when it comes to change – reluctantly accepting the changes but often being emotionally disconnected to it. it’s those who constantly plant the seed of unwillingness towards change amongst their peers.
- Spring to Summer: These are the type of people that are somewhat fazed by the type and frequency of change, they require some time to unpack, understand and adapt to the change. Even though they remain rooted in what they are there to deliver they have initial reservations towards the changes being implemented but with the right level of change management can overcome their resistance and eventually transition into the new ways of doing things. Even though they might take longer to adapt and adopt change they often realize the intended benefits of a change, they might feel deflated emotionally and physically fatigued during the adaptation process but with the right level of communication, engagement, motivation and reward they will come to trust the intention of the change.
Keeping with the above analogy, the rate of change and approach to implementing or applying the desired changes also plays a vital role, let’s explore the types of change:
Pruning the tree – Letting go of the old to allow for the new: (Incremental application of required change with the right level of change management processes unpacked, understood and implemented) Change is an important part of transitioning into a new way of doing things which requires (according to Lewin’s change model) unfreezing, changing and refreezing. Providing the correct level of support and change management during this process is crucial in ensuring that the people we are looking towards to accept, trust, believe in and ultimately implement into their daily tasks are fully ‘on-board’ in terms of their behavior and attitude towards the desired outcomes of the changes.
Cutting the tree down – Rebuilding the foundation: (Continuous application of change with an absence of the right level of change management processes together with the lack of unpacking, understanding and implementation thereof) We are often faced with the need to adapt and adopt change at such a fast pace that the implementers of the changes often overlook the psychological adaptations (cognitive or behavioral traits that benefits people in their environment) required - this refers to providing sufficient time to adjust to new information and experiences in adoption of the changes that are being implemented. The ability to adapt helps us grow mentally and continually develop ourselves. Through adaptation, we can adopt new behaviors that allow us to cope with change. When the change management processes around implementation of change only focus on the physical adoption / rollout thereof it inevitably negatively affects the emotional response people have towards the change being implemented. Which at the end of the day prolongs the adaptation and adoption of the changes and the associated behavioral and mindset shifts required to accompany it.
Not too long ago I found myself falling into the ‘trap’ of not wanting to change – so stuck in my own ways that I at times failed to see or buy into the bigger picture of reality if you will. I was however lucky enough to have worked with an amazing woman who was willing to walk the path with me, taking me by the hand to lead me on a path of much discomfort, which at the time had me feeling like I wanted to run away and hide most of the time. It was only after I moved to a different position that I came to appreciate the time and effort she put into ensuring that I was not ‘left behind’ – for that I will always be grateful. She made me realize that change in all facets can be beautiful when we are brave enough to evolve with it.
Looking back, it wasn’t so much the changes itself or even the amount of change but rather a fear of changing – of getting lost in the unknown. H.P. Lovecraft wrote in the 1920s – “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest fear, is fear of the unknown”. Which is still relevant today, especially in the workplace.
Many of us look forward to changes at work and we often have conversations with our colleagues about how things should be different, yet when things do change we are often terrified and feel uncomfortable. Change is inevitable and necessary these days in order for businesses and organizations to survive and thrive. Sometimes change can be imposed on us and with that may come changes to our working environment. So, we must learn to overcome fear and embrace the changes ahead.
People often miss important information when they employ selective perception, habit, and specialization to keep themselves from being exposed to ideas they might not want to hear. While this is human nature, it is not a good strategy for handling change.
The bottom line is, change is inevitable for all organizations today, so you’ll need to overcome the fear of it. Change can be frightening and disruptive. However, with the right attitude, outlook and actions, you can find opportunities in that change.
What I’d like to leave you with is that we are all different in our own way with our own hopes, dreams, personal and career aspirations, etc. None of us have the same mixture of magic ingredients that make us who we are. Just like popcorn we are all placed in the same amount of heated oil, but we don’t ‘pop’ at the same time.
A last thought I’d like to leave you with is simply to remember that without caterpillars there’d be no butterflies…