MANAGING CHANGE, ONE STEP AT A TIME
“The true wisdom lies not only in intellectual understanding but in the ability to deeply feel each experience that life provides us, transforming them into personal growth and genuine empathy for ourselves and for the world around us.” – Marcello de Souza
CHANGING IS HARD — especially when the situation involves numerous factors that have become habits and are related to organizational culture. In this sense, it is necessary to understand behavioral psychology, social psychology, and neuroscience, which help decipher how people’s emotional responses to work create their own chemical reactions, releasing powerful neurotransmitters like adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin. That is why successful change can be addictive in a positive way. No matter how accustomed employees are to established practices, they can adapt to new ways of working as long as it is done in a structured manner so that the people involved in the process feel good and are properly accompanied throughout the journey.
Habits are present both at a personal and organizational level. Organizations can develop dysfunctional habits, for example, meetings that always start five minutes late or people using smartphones while others are making a presentation. These may seem like insignificant habits, but they are not. Such attitudes tend to create discomfort as they are disrespectful. Additionally, delays affect productivity, just as multitasking can harm relationships. Therefore, many habits are part of people’s behavior that they do not even notice. However, if meetings start immediately, and those who need to check their phones leave the room, these small habits can make a big difference in relationships and the company’s culture.
In this sense, I leave here some reflections that can help manage change by taking advantage of human nature to modify behavior. In the process, at the simplest level, the proposal is this: organizations cannot change their culture unless individual employees change their behavior — and changing behavior is difficult. Many change programs focus on providing strategies, technologies, and training. But often, this is not enough. When it comes to modifying deeply ingrained behavior, there needs to be incentives, celebration, peer pressure, training to adopt new habits, negative reinforcement, and behavior models — things that organizations can turn to. Making explicit the similarities with corporate change, as in the ideas below, can help understand the challenges of changing an organization’s culture and know how to overcome them.
- Nothing happens without the willingness to change
John Kotter, the eminent change management specialist, wrote: “People don’t change a minute before they are ready.” Sometimes a leader’s admission of vulnerability helps others recognize and deal with their failures (think of the importance of sharing experiences). You cannot force people to change — you can only help them want to change. The proposed process considers this a fundamental factor, but few managers do this. For this to be possible, the fundamental idea is to promote sincere and transparent dialogues with each team member. Listen to what each person has to say and provide knowledge so that the change guidelines are better planned. Additionally, it is necessary to ensure that people understand that they change when they see gains, and this must be very clear to everyone. It is an ethical process where everyone should have a voice to speak and opine.
- It is important to replace old habits with new ones
In change management, the goal is to replace negative habits with positive ones. Therefore, it may be interesting to start the day with a different routine: talking to employees to know how things are going, what is working, and what is not, not just focusing on numbers. This increased managers’ understanding of business conditions and also employee engagement — the idea is collaborative and participatory, always.
- Support and peer pressure generate change
One of the best ways to change human behavior is to bring people together to broaden the discussion and identify common problems that may be infiltrated at a systemic level. In my work, I have found that bringing employees together in peer groups to discuss change initiatives can create accountability, mutual generosity, a non-judgmental attitude, and greater pressure on those who are reluctant to change.
- Sponsorship Deepens Commitment And Delivers Results
Research has shown that relationships with experts can help shape behavior and increase the parties’ ability to understand the value of change. The corporate version, known as mentoring, is widely adopted. For example, 70% of Fortune 500 companies use it with their salespeople. I found that the practice of identifying and celebrating the first adopters of behaviors that a company wants to instill can create positive contagion. Pairing these behavior models with colleagues who take longer to change can be much more effective than training by external experts.
- Groups Without Hierarchy Are A Catalyst For Change
Organizational structures where local groups are self-directed tend to achieve much more promising results. Behavioral experts sometimes express concerns that groups without managers or other formal leaders lack professionalism, but research has shown that this structure increases members’ sense of security, comfort, and reciprocity in the relationships they establish. Corporations will always require a hierarchy, but colleagues who set an example can successfully lead projects within a change initiative.
- You Are The Company You Keep
Studies show that people with a relative or close friend who tends to be negative are 50% more likely to also be negative. The same applies to pessimists, saboteurs, stubborn individuals, critics, toxic people, and those with poor manners, etc. This is why behavioral professionals discourage members from associating with people who have a negative profile during a change journey. Similarly, a person with an obese friend is more likely to become obese, and an individual’s income can be estimated by the average income of their five closest friends. This knowledge can guide change managers, who must assess the return on investment of helping certain employees change based on their potential to lead others by example. In my work, I make an effort early on to identify influential employees. This can be as simple as asking employees who their informal leaders are. It is often possible to harness this influence in subtle ways: for example, by changing where employees sit, you can spread influential people throughout the organization.
- Continuous Introspection Is Key
Early in the change program, I make sure to individually examine the past behavior of those who are starting to try to change. It’s like continually taking a motivational inventory. I also do this in effective corporate change initiatives. It requires continuous analysis, which is measurable for the new focus, listening and resolving issues collaboratively, as a trusted counselor in the area, and coming up with better solutions and greater acceptance. This new approach is always useful at this time when the company is dealing with changes.
- Changes In Practice Can Represent Advancements
In the change management program, a profound transformation occurs when participants move from an emotional framework of incapacity, vulnerability, fear, guilt, shame, remorse, and resentment to a more positive and optimistic mindset. But “mindset” is difficult to measure, and minds are hard to change. Therefore, in my work, I focus on identifiable changes in practices. I train new practices or habits that emphasize growth over cost-cutting, for example, or that increase profitability rather than revenue. When you identify such a change, you should celebrate it: it is an important sign of progress.
- It’s Worth Recognizing Small Victories
Recognize small victories by distributing symbolic rewards as incentives. Change managers need to learn from this practice and find ways for employees to demonstrate and celebrate incremental achievements. One of the main reasons corporate transformations fail to achieve their goals, according to Kotter, is that managers “do not make systematic plans for — or create — short-term wins.” I always make sure to take a moment to celebrate each success. Many of the consultancies I have led motivated managers to send written thank-you notes. We can send congratulatory emails to each team member with a copy to our CEO. These things make people feel valued — and this is important when chains attempt to recruit them. The idea is to show gratitude. Sending flowers to a valued employee on a random day is never a bad idea.
THE GOAL IS PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION
Ninety percent of change processes that fail or have problems that can be disabled have behavioral problems from its employees at some point. This is not surprising: employees are bombarded with sensory stimuli that their brains associate with the imagination of the unknown — which leads to fear. In organizations, change does not always follow a straight line. However, this is an area I make sure to develop training for people to overcome insecurity and manage to challenge themselves to move forward to the next victory. I usually start with meetings with a “personal and professional check-in,” where people talk for a few minutes about what is going on at work. This helps to feel belonging and be vulnerable, helping to build a relationship as a team — and often gives an opportunity to ask how we can help each other.
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Hello, I’m Marcello de Souza! I started my career in 1997 as a leader and manager in a large company in the IT and Telecommunications market. Since then, I have participated in important projects of structuring, implementation, and optimization of telecommunications networks in Brazil. Restless and passionate about behavioral and social psychology. In 2008, I decided to delve into the universe of the human mind.
Since then, I have become a professional passionate about deciphering the secrets of human behavior and catalyzing positive changes in individuals and organizations. Doctor in Social Psychology, with over 25 years of experience in Cognitive Behavioral and Human Organizational Development. With a wide-ranging career, I highlight my role as:
– Master Senior Coach and Trainer: Guiding my clients in the pursuit of goals and personal and professional development, achieving extraordinary results.
– Chief Happiness Officer (CHO): Fostering an organizational culture of happiness and well-being, boosting productivity and employee engagement.
– Expert in Language and Behavioral Development: Enhancing communication and self-awareness skills, empowering individuals to face challenges with resilience.
– Cognitive Behavioral Therapist: Using cutting-edge cognitive-behavioral therapy to help overcome obstacles and achieve a balanced mind.
– Speaker, Professor, Writer, and Researcher: Sharing valuable knowledge and ideas in events, training, and publications to inspire positive changes.
– Consultant and Mentor: Leveraging my experience in leadership and project management to identify growth opportunities and propose personalized strategies.
My solid academic background includes four postgraduates and a doctorate in Social Psychology, along with international certifications in Management, Leadership, and Cognitive Behavioral Development. My contributions in the field are widely recognized in hundreds of classes, training sessions, conferences, and published articles.
Co-author of the book “The Secret of Coaching” and author of “The Map Is Not the Territory, the Territory Is You” and “The Diet Society” (the first of a trilogy on human behavior in contemporaneity – 05/2024).
Allow me to be your companion on this journey of self-discovery and success. Together, we will unravel a universe of behavioral possibilities and achieve extraordinary results.
By the way, I invite you to join my network. As a lover of behavioral psychology, social psychology, and neuroscience, I have created my YouTube channel to share my passion for cognitive behavioral development with more people.
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