Change Management Essay

Introduction

Change. Change is something that many people often talk about. The word ‘change’ even become more popular when President Barack Obama used it when he was running for the presidential campaign last year. But what is change? Why is change necessary? And why do some people are afraid or even resist change? How should people manage & deal with change? Those are the questions which could probably raise some curiosity for some of us. But to answer all of the questions above, we need to answer the first one. We need to understand what change really is. How can we even manage something that perhaps some of us do not truly understand yet? Therefore let us answer the first question first.

What is Change?
According to Webster, the well known dictionary, change is “Any variation or alteration; a passing from one state or form to another; as, a change of countenance; a change of habits or principles.”[1913 Webster].

And if we want to talk about change, it is like talking about life. Maybe many people still do not realize, but change, is actually a certainty. Seconds change into another seconds. Minutes change continuously into the next minute, hours also change continuously after 60 minutes. Then days change into another day, and months, years, seasons they are also changing continuously in an ordained cycle. Even if we do nothing, that will not stop change from happening. And if we want to sit silently in a room in the middle of the night and do nothing, the clock will not stop ticking, the hours will not stop changing, and eventually the night turns into day.

And of course for us, from a baby, we change into toddlers, from toddlers we change into young little children, and from that we grew up and change into youth, and from youth we change into a mature man/woman, and then we will grow old, and eventually we will all die. Once again, we also need to keep in mind that doing nothing at all, will not stop us from growing up & eventually become old.
The parables above really indicate that not only change is a certainty but it is also inevitable at times. And if we want to contemplate, we could see that not only change is a certainty & inevitable, but it is also necessary. Just imagine what will happen if we have daytime forever without nighttime at all which we could rest ourselves? Or what would happen if the earth stops spinning? That would probably mean the end of the world.
Now that we have all the information above, the answer to the first question is:

• Change is “Any variation or alteration; a passing from one state or form to another; as, a change of countenance; a change of habits or principles.”[1913 Webster]
• Change is a certainty. Like seconds that will certainly change into another seconds, like minutes which will certainly change into the next minute, etc, things like this are a certainty. And so does change
• Change is inevitable at times. Even if we decide to be silent and do nothing in a room, that will not stop the clock from ticking, that will not stop the hours from changing, and that will not stop the night turns to day.
• Change is necessary at times. We cannot have the daytime forever nor the nighttime forever as well. That would be disastrous. Therefore a change between the two times is necessary. And like that parable, change is also necessary at times.

The reason the word ‘at times’ is being put above is because the subject we are dealing with is the people. You never know when people need change. At times people and/or an organization need change, and at other times they do not need it. Before making changes they need to analyze and monitor the whole situations of their surroundings first before deciding to make some changes. Which is why the wise words of Sun Tzu below from his book ‘Art of War’ is very important for us to always remember.

“Before doing battle, in the temple one calculates and will win, because many calculations were made;
before doing battle, in the temple one calculates and will not win, because few calculations were made; ?
many calculations, victory, few calculations, no victory, then how much less so when no calculations?
By means of these, I can observe them, beholding victory or defeat! ?” (Sun Tzu)

Why is change necessary?

“Everybody’s changing
And I don’t feel the same” (Keane)

As explained above, change is a certainty, inevitable & of course necessary. That does not only apply for nature or any other stuff related to it, but it also applies to us, people. Like the quote from Keane above, “Everybody’s changing”, and that is one that we could actually consider to be a fact. From babies to toddlers, from toddlers kids, from kids to youth, from youth to mature man/woman, and eventually we will grow old and die.

In each of that stage we are physically & psychologically different. Babies are obviously small, and cannot express their feelings except by crying. Toddlers, are also small, but he/she starts to grow bigger and most of them will have been able to speak a few words/sentences. There are of course some changes that we experience in other stages of our life as well. When we have understood that, we should be able to know that we do not need to look far to understand change. We only need to look on ourselves.

But still, that hasn’t really answered the question of why change is necessary. On a personal opinion, sometimes people need to change in order to make progress. When we see that others who are in the same situation have decided to change in order to make progress (and have successfully applied the change in a good way), are we just going to sit still and do nothing? What progress will we make by doing nothing? Well, of course there is always one, but the only progress that we could make by doing nothing is getting left behind. And if people keep doing nothing in a situation where change is necessary, the worst case end-scenario is that they will exist no more and could possibly lead to extinction, just like other animals who have lived to see their extinction.

And when we have understood that, we could see that change is not only necessary to make progress, but it is also necessary to be done in order to survive. Therefore it had been wisely said before by Clarence Darrow, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, but the one most responsive to change.” (Darrow)

Why do some people are afraid of or even resist change?
Toin Pijnenburg in his presentation at De Haagse Hogeschool about change management and new media a few weeks ago mentioned the issue of resistance in change. One interesting thing that he mentioned related to resistance in change is ‘Fear’. In the slides of his presentation, he regards ‘fear of change’ as “The wish of keeping it predictable. The dislike of surprises”(Pijnenburg). For some reason, maybe we cannot help but to agree with this, because in this life we could often see the kind of people who fear change purely because they want things to be always predictable, and they do not like surprises (especially bad surprises).

But is that all the reason why some people are afraid of or even resist change? Now let’s go a bit religious here and look at the holy books. After doing some contemplating and research, the stories of Moses (A.S), Jesus (A.S), and Muhammad (S.A.S) which were mentioned respectively in Torah, Bible, and the Koran actually teach us some lesson related to the fear in change.

*Note: For Muslims, A.S is an abbreviation for (alaihis salam) which in English means ‘peace be upon him’. And as for Muhammad, being the last prophet S.A.S (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) which means “peace & Allah’s blessings be upon him”.

First, let us observe the story of Moses. Moses was ordered by God to go to the pharaoh and ask the pharaoh to free the tribes of Israel from slavery.” 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.” (Bible, Exodus 3: 9-10). Moses then, with his brother, Aaron went to the Pharaoh to deliver God’s message. But then pharaoh rejected & refused to accept the message. “And We showed Pharaoh all Our Signs, but he did reject and refuse.” (Quran, 20:54) And of course the rest was history, Pharaoh died in the Red Sea, while Moses A.S and the tribes of Israel succeeded in fleeing after crossing the Red Sea.
Now if we want to contemplate, truly what Moses A.S brought to the pharaoh could also be considered as a change. Moses A.S was ordered by God, to ask the pharaoh to free the children of Israel. It was a drastic and quick change which was directly rejected by the pharaoh himself at the time. It was also a change that could possibly have a changing impact on not only himself, but also on his whole kingdom as well. The fact that pharaoh was on top position at the time, actually doubles the will of resistance. Because if there is anything that people would hardly willing to give up on are bliss and/or comfort, just like pharaoh’s top position. (This is a personal opinion)
Then let us move on to the story of Jesus A.S. Jesus was sent down by God to the tribes of Israel to settle the disputes that happened at that time and to confirm all the laws written in the Torah. “And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.” (Quran, 5:46).
The change that Jesus A.S brought with to the tribes of Israel was less of a drastic change compared to what Moses A.S brought to the pharaoh. What he brought was merely a message and a gospel confirming all the laws that came before him. 17″Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Bible, Matthew 5:17) The change that he brought was like making a delicious dish even more delicious.
As written above, the target group of Jesus A.S son of Mary, was the Jews at that time who were in dispute about the laws in the Torah. However, as all of us have known, the message brought by Jesus A.S was rejected. He was then arrested and was put on the cross by authorities and/or influential people who conspire against him. “ 45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.” (Bible, Matthew 21:45-46)

The way his message was rejected by the Pharisees was quite similar to the way Pharaoh rejected Moses’s A.S message. Both the Pharisees & the Pharaoh were at top position at that time and perhaps their reactions should not be a surprise to us considering the position that they were in.
So another wisdom that can be taken from those two stories is that people are less willing to accept change when they feel that they are already in a comfortable or top position. The Pharaoh and the Pharisees at that time saw a drastic change coming when the two prophets came to them respectively. The fact that they both were in a top and comfortable position doubles the will of resistance. It is like a person saying “Hey, I’m already feeling comfortable, why should I accept the change? Why should I move out of my comfort zone?”
The same thing happened to Muhammad S.A.S when he is sent by God to the tribe of Quraish, the Arab people and then the whole world. The change that he brought to them was also considered a drastic change. Some people from the tribe of Quraish who then were on top position also blatantly rejected the change. And the people who embraced the change easily were mostly people from lower class and Muhammad’s close friends and family.
The change that he brought was done very slowly and patiently. It was done slower & more patient than his two predecessors. Muhammad S.A.S was not only firm in his faith & kept believing in it, but he was also adaptable to any change of situations that he was faced in. (It does not mean that the other two did not adapt very well)
In fact, he was also a man of Justice and would justly punish those who trangressed & outlaws. And although he was a man of peace & loved peace, he was also a brave & intellegent commander in war when he saw that he had no choice but to battle against the oppressors.
And although he was considered the Prophet of God & the smartest among the group that he led, but he was not a ‘too-dominant’ commander and he always loved to hear what his companions think of any issues that they had.
That kind of attitude gave him a very sweet result, which toward the end of his days, the tribe of Quraish in Mecca finally accepted the change. This was the victory which was known as ‘Fathul Makkah’ (The victory of Mecca). It was one of those unique victories when an army was victorious without doing any battle. The Muslim army of 10.000 people just entered the city of Mecca, with no retaliation at all from the citizens. At the end, the people of Mecca finally accepted the change.

How should people manage change?

Should we be surprised with their reactions of the people who reject? Should we be surprised how Prophet Muhammad (S.A.S) conquer Mecca without a battle in the end? No. The legendary strategist, Sun Tzu had explained this kind of thing to us many centuries ago with a parable in his book, ‘Art of War’. In fact, we could make a strategy, on how to successfully plant the change into our target group simply from this parable.

“The army’s formation is like water.
The water’s formation avoids the high and rushes to the low. ?
So an army’s formation avoids the strong and rushes to the weak. ?
Water’s formation adapts to the ground when flowing.” (Sun Tzu)

Like water that flows in a river, the water flows from high places to the lower ones. It avoids the strong (things like rock etc) and it rushes to the weak (in this case, open places like lakes/ponds where the water can stay or keep flowing). And the water adapts to the ground when flowing simply by slipping pass through the rocks, or any other gaps available between the rocks.The water that flows in the river would eventually reach the sea.

In the sea, the water then evaporates a after being boiled by the sun and is blown above by the winds to finally form a raincloud high up in the sky. The wind then drives the clouds into various places. Next, the rain that fall from high place (which is the sky), will fall down onto the low places.
So what is the relevance of the rain cycle with change management? The change bringer here is like the water. And like the water in the river that flows downstream rather than upstream, the people who are in a lower class/position are more likely to accept change rather than the people who felt that they are on the top class/comfortable position. But it does not mean that it is impossible to change the people from the top class . Like the long and somewhat difficult journey of water into the ocean which then evaporates to the sky and form a raincloud, anyone who wants to bring change to any people or group (especially those in top position) should expect nothing easy, because they should not see it as a surprise if their target group shows resistance.
Sometimes the change bringer need to find a rough and long detour just like the water that needs to be able to find the gaps between the rocks and grounds in order to find their way into the ocean. And they also need to adapt very well to any change of situations that they could face in, just like the water’s formation that adapts to the ground when flowing.
The example of the water’s journey to the ocean is a good example of how to handle with resistance. Toin Pijnenburg gave a few tips on how to handle with resistance:

“1. Identify in your own mind what form the resistance is taking. The skill is to pick up the cues from the other and then, in your head put some words on what you see happening.
2. State, in a neutral, nonpunishing way, the form resistance is taking. This is called “naming the resistance”
3. Be quiet. Let other respond to your statement about the resistance.” (Pijnenburg)

Sometimes, the change bringer cannot change their target group right away. And as stated above they also need to be able to adapt to any change of situations. When they see resistance, sometimes the best way to handle it, is to be more passive than before and see what the others will do. Toin Pijnenburg also suggested that. In the first step he basically advises us to analyze the situation first. Then, in the next step he somehow indicates that we need to go at them again, this time in a more passive and less imposing way, in order to see how the others will react. The second step is basically like trying to identify our target group in order to know them better before deciding on what to do next. Then the third step basically suggests that we need to give them space and move ourselves away from them just like the water that moves away from the river into the ocean.

Now what do we do as the change bringer after we move away from the target group? Just like the water that arrives in the ocean and ‘join up with the others’, we need to rebuild ourselves and join up with the people who could assist us. We could also rethink everything again and ‘make calculations in the temple’. While making calculations, we could also try to remember the 8 steps of change by John P. Kotter and think of how to actually apply them this time. Let us take a look once again the 8 steps to change by John P. Kotter:

8 Steps to Change by John P. Kotter:

1. Increase urgency
2. Build the guiding team
3. Get the vision right
4. Communicate for Buy in
5. Empower Action
6. Create short-term wins
7. Don’t let up
8. Make changes stick

The first step basically is to prepare and encourage ourselves mentally for the start. We then need to build a team to do it and delegate tasks. Third, we need to make sure that every member of the team shares the same vision. After that, we need to communicate regularly with the team in order to provide an understanding of the change. Fifth, we then finally need to encourage our team to do the job, but still always remind them not to impose the change. Be like the water that falls down from the sky that don’t make a hard impact, but still make their presence felt gently. Sixth, do things step by step and try to create short term wins in order to build confidence. Seventh, do not ever let up and after the change has successfully been embraced by our target group, we then need to ensure that the changes stick.

When we could successfully apply all that gently like the water that falls down from the sky, it is almost certain that our target group shall embrace the change just like Prophet Muhammad’s (S.A.S) final victory in Mecca where the people finally embrace the change without any retaliation at all.

Conclusion

Changing people is not an easy task at times. The change bringer could often meet fierce resistance from the people they want to change. But here are a few tips for us that we could hopefully always use in the future:

1. When we position ourselves as the change bringer:

• We need to be able to analyze the situation well and adapt to various situations that we could face in.
• Whatever the difficulties, we should not let up.
• We could always ask for assistance from any people who are willing to help.
• Do not try to impose or force the change to the people, instead be like the water that falls down from the sky that don’t make a hard impact, but still make their presence felt gently.

2. When we find ourselves as the people/group that wants be changed:

• To resist is normal because we do not want to embrace something that we did not know right away.
• Use our ‘resistance period’ to find what exactly the change is all about before deciding to accept or to refuse. Accept if it is good, refuse if it is bad.
• Lastly, because change is a certainty and could come at anytime, we should always be ready for it. Especially when it demands us to move out of our comfort zone. Confucius said:

“The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security, he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his states and all their clans are preserved.” (Confucious)

When we could understand all this, hopefully we could face any change, whether as the change bringer or the change target group without any problem at all.

Finally I would like to thank you all for reading, and I hope this could be of use to you.

Aaron El Yazar