The Emotional Change Journey

Emotions as we go through change

A key aspect of managing a successful change is understanding the emotional and behavioural aspects of change.

One of the key reasons that change is difficult and causes issues whether at a personal, team or organisational level is the emotional journey that people travel while going through the change.

The human side

When change is planned there are a series of activities and steps that need to be taken and milestones achieved.  These range from organisational, technical, technological, and process change through to detailed procedures, forms, data with a myriad of complexities.

One aspect of any change is how it affects the people and what is required of the people involved or impacted.

While organisational structural aspects are often well covered i.e. the location of teams, the size of teams, new management structures, new locations, recruitment and exit processes, one aspect that is sometimes overlooked is the emotional impact of change on the people.

The human and emotional side of change is easy to dismiss as it's intangible, personal and complex.

It's not all on the spreadsheet

Producing plans, numbers and spreadsheets can be difficult and complex, but is usually achieved.  However, one of the true tests of any successful change is in the 'real world' not just on paper, including how it affects the people who are impacted by the change.

It is easy to pay lip service to this aspect of change or dismiss it as commonsense.  Phrases like the 'people will just have to cope' without any planning or structured approach to this aspect of the change can lead to disaster. 

The emotional side of change is often avoided because of the complexities involved.

A better understanding

A more effective way to manage change is to manage the emotional journey alongside other aspects of the change plan.

The first step in this better process is understanding the change journey itself - people tend to go through a general cycle of emotions when dealing with change, this is the change journey.

That journey impacts our ability to accept and deal with change and to take actions that will help us move to a new future.

Use this topic to help your own development and recognise the emotional stages you are going through in your own personal changes.

Join and use this presentation to understand the emotional journey and develop mechanisms to help yourself and others move to a new future