Change also means losing something

Photo by Ross Findon on Unsplash

Dear Readers,

Thank you for coming here!

As a consultant, both external and internal, I have seen too much resistance to changes, even on a burning platform (company on the edge of going bankrupt and people on the edge of losing their jobs).

It confused me like hell why people just did not want to change even when the benefits were so obvious, both to the organization (efficiency and profit jump) and to themselves (job security, better bonus, more valuable stocks).

A recent chat with someone with 30-year experiences in this field solved my confusion.

He said “Change also means losing something and it is hidden”.

Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash

That is so true!

When we build business cases, we look at only the benefits and investment required. But there are so many other hidden factors we do not consider.

People may lose their power.

People may lose the value of their existing skills which they have lived on for so long.

Or most simply, people may lost their right to the current relaxing work pace.

…

When combined with these factors, the business case for each individual may not be positive at all.

Moreover, benefits are only estimated (people may or may not get it), but people need to make efforts/sacrifices now if they accept changes.

When thinking this way, many things are easily explainable. 

Photo by Saurav Mahto on Unsplash

It all comes down to people. 

It is easy to say we are people focused and we consider our people our most valuable asset. 

Maybe it is time to spend a little more time thinking about how to make the business case positive for your employees too. 

Of course, having the right people is also critical.

 

Till next time!