The Three Types of Change

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Change is simply inevitable and a facet of life. But change is often met with extreme resistance to the point where many Americans prefer to avoid change; at least on a surface level. It is a misnomer to say Americans hate change, though a commonly understood misconception which is routed deeply in change resistance psychology. Such a statement is based on bad experiences with prior change, as well as a psychological concept such as inertia, which is the human tendency to do nothing and maintain status quo (Ryback, 2017). But in truth, it could be argued that change is inherently something most of humanity welcomes and embraces, although the types of change and how fast that change is embraced will ultimately depend on the type of change occurring. Change can happen personally, change can happen in the work place or organizationally, or change can happen socially. And in some cases, all three types of change can intertwine. Change is important, and people actually welcome change when change is properly executed.

Change is mandatory. Change will happen, and change will continue to occur. In the scientific community, evolution can simply be defined as one word: change. The species that adapt and change, are the species that survive and prosper. The first type of change that is most easily understood is personal change. This type of change is easy to identify. Fashion trends, music trends, food options, divorce or marriage, those are all common examples of change in daily life (Clarke, 2010). Other examples include moving to a new home or choosing to attend college. If people dislike change so much, then why are so many life-defining examples of change so common?

This author has deeply personal experiences with personal change and the importance of change at large. It could be said this author once identified with the misnomer that all change is bad, more so than most. This author once suffered from severe anxiety and became agoraphobic due to a traumatic event, becoming housebound for three years. Agoraphobia is a clear example of why change is so important. This author became a slave to routine and the comfort of the familiar, unwilling to explore the unknown. And that time came with a cost. Weight issues arose, financial issues arose, and mental health issues arose; all because of a fear of change, the root of the problem. The irony in that experience is that this author yearned for change, desperately seeking an escape from the binding chains of agoraphobia, despite refusing to embrace change; a symbolic anecdote demonstrating the basic human desire for change.

The next type of change is organizational change. This type of change is critical to the survival of an organization. The types of changes that occur organizationally vary depending on the type of organization. But change is mandatory in all facets of the workplace. New technologies and innovations force change in the workplace. The economy is highly volatile and quick to change. All one needs to do to understand the importance of change is monitor the stock market for a day. One bad misstep from a company can lead to disaster, one correct step can lead to massive financial gain. Change is so important to the workplace, that according to Campbell (2014), 93% of all organizations that do not embrace change, will cease to grow.

The problems with embracing change at the workplace are because of poor execution. Change can make people vulnerable, and change can reduce efficiency as people adapt and embrace. Compiled with inertia, such feelings and anxiety to new ideas can stifle change, despite being critically important where needed. It is important that leaders make change an engaging process. Depending on the type of change, change needs to occur in smaller, planned steps (Roth, 2015). Employees need to be given ownership of the change, challenging said employees to help make the change better, instead of leaving employees to feel fearful with no sense of control (Clarke, 2010). And it is very important for leaders to instill a culture of care, not fear. Employees should not be afraid to fail; such a notion is especially critical when introducing change to the workplace (Roth, 2015).

This author recently created an onboarding program for new student worker hires at the college this author is employed with. There was no process in place for student workers once hired. No one in the office had all the answers to questions that student workers had or how to answer all of those questions. A proper onboarding process turns all of that chaos into order and it empowers the student worker to better succeed. The onboarding process also allows the department to make better use of student workers, something the department did not do prior. Such an onboarding program is a clear example of good, positive change which is embraced. Change in the workplace should always feel organic where possible, and welcomed when change becomes necessary.

The last type of change is societal, societal changes are easy to define. Racial movements, gender equality movements, ideological movements, are all examples of social changes. Societal changes can be some of the most difficult types of change to occur because of social norms relevant to the time period, but the societal changes that occur are mostly embraced with time. Equal rights for women, equal rights and representation for minorities, LGBT rights and acceptance movements, are all examples of societal change. Most people would argue that said examples of societal change are all welcome and embraced examples of change. And rightfully so, equal is equal; skin color, gender or sexual orientation, should play no role in how a human is treated or defined.

And all three types of change – personal, organizational, and societal – can all intertwine. Social movements can affect how an organization behaves and that type of behavior can affect how engaged an employee remains. Organizations can take social stances. Employees can take personal stances about an organization.

Social change can affect popular culture, which can affect fashion trends, music trends, or entertainment trends. The fashion industry is a booming industry in constant change. Movie genres change with time, as does music. Technological changes are also intertwined with all three types of change. How technology changes the workplace, how technology affects personal lives and popular culture, and the affect technology has on society, such as the impact of social media, demonstrates clearly how all three types of change can intertwine. So many examples of societal change in the daily lives of Americans, as for one to declare that change is universally disliked, is just factually untrue when objectively analyzed.

It is simply an untrue statement to say people dislike change, there are too many demonstrable examples of change being embraced in daily life. People dislike badly implemented change. But good change that comes naturally, is well executed, or comes organically, is widely embraced and enjoyed. Change happens on the personal, organizational, and societal levels, often having rippling effects where each type of change affects another. Change is critical to survival, and people actually embrace change when change is properly executed. Where would this author be right now if this author did not accept change? Perhaps still agoraphobic, a prisoner to fear and isolation?

References

Campbell, H. (2014). Managing Organizational Change: A Practical Toolkit for Leaders (1st ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Kogan Page. Retrieved from http://goodwin.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=766104&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Clarke, J. [TEDx Talks]. (2010, December 22). TEDxPerth - Jason Clarke - Embracing Change [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPhM8lxibSU

Roth, C. (2015). How to Be Successful by Embracing Change. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248977

Ryback, R. (2017). Why We Resist Change. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-truisms-wellness/201701/why-we-resist-change