“They have a new building, a new workplace, but there is resistance, and I do not understand why they are not embracing the change.”
In other words, “hey we invested in a new building, a new space, and they should be happy!”
There was more than a building change.
A lot changed.
We talk more about the new building, the new workplace.
We learn that there were other changes.
They used to work together, now they are alone.
They used to have space to connect as a team, now there is isolation.
They used to be comfortable and a little distant from the direct issues, now they are directly in the middle of the problem.
All this change may be a better way.
All this change may be beneficial for the job.
All this change may workout in the long-term.
Now we can understand the resistance.
Now we can understand the disruption the new building caused.
Now we can understand the loss of connection with the team.
There is a great quote about change.
“Change is a form of loss.
You need to let people grieve it.”
The resistance is grieving a loss.
The resistance is trying to adjust to the loss of team.
The resistance is getting used to working alone.
We need to understand that the change (even if that change is ultimately good) can also create a loss.
We may need to be patient while they grieve.
We may need to understand and recognize the resistance.
We may need to provide support in the process.
We will need to explain why this change is important, and acknowledge the loss.
We may need to explain it again.
We may need to provide more support than we imagined.
We may have caused other issues that we didn’t intend.
Change: It is much harder to manage than we may have guessed.
Carl Weber Consulting 