No, I did not write that little book (Spencer Johnson did). But I’ve thought about it a lot over the past few years.
Change management is supposed to help individuals and organizations manage change. What I’ve seen, however, is more emphasis on the organizations and less on the individuals. A bit more “my way or the highway” than “how can we recognize who you are and how you can best fit in this new vision?”
I realize that organizations have to stay nimble. The market changes, the circumstances change. Higher Ed is probably slower at this than many corporations. What concerns me is the carnage along the way. What we’re seeing is not just the great resignation. That started before the pandemic. The pandemic just made for a good rationalization.
It is also true that individuals have to stay nimble. Do we keep waiting for things to get better or do we look for ways to adapt to the new way of doing things? Or possibly even jump to a new location.
How can we adapt change management to really help individuals manage change? Upskilling, reskilling, looking at strengths and where they might be an asset in the new way of doing things.
No cheese lasts forever. Let’s work with what we’ve got.
Puzzle Pieces Coaching 