Can you be a catalyst for change at your workplace?
May 5th, 2009 | by Ridhima Suri |The corporate world is full of examples of big changes that failed to take off. A high percentage of a senior executive’s time is spent in planning for the future, making strategic choices, and committing huge resources to future plans and projects. Despite such efforts there is no guarantee that the proposed changes will be a success. At that stage our energetic executive looks like Alice in Lewis Carroll’s popular tale ‘Alice in Wonderland’. He is confused about what he should do and where he should go when his proposed changes do not work!
No big changes are possible by the efforts of one man. Even Alexander who conquered the entire world had a great army with thousands of unsung heroes. Alice, as quoted above, also needed the help of the Caterpillar and the White Rabbit. In a way the war heroes and the Caterpillar were catalysts in the success of Alexander the Great and Alice. What is a catalyst? Is it possible that people can succeed in their missions with the help of others who are catalysts? Literally, the word ‘catalyst’ means anything which creates a situation in which change can occur. When a change is proposed in a company different people react differently. People may like the proposed changes, resist them, or completely hate them. People may also be neutral to the changes.
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How can you be a catalyst?
1. In order to be a catalyst you have to make things happen. You have to help people who just watch and do not react. You also have to help people for whom the changes are too much to handle. If you like some changes in your company here are some reasons why you should help others adjust to such changes as well.
A segment of a very popular saying reads as follows.
There are people who watch things happen
There are people who make things happen and
There are people who wonder what happened!
2. Try to show others what they are unable to see and rationalize. If the change proposal appeals to you there is a possibility that it can appeal to them as well.
3. Try to reason with others by showing them the positive and negative aspects of the change. Remember that you have your own opinion and by sharing your viewpoint you can help others.
4. Try to work with your manager to convince your team-mates of the merits of the proposed changes. Your manager needs support and if you believe in what he is doing there is no harm in giving him an extra hand. However, remember that when you are projecting a positive image of the proposed changes to your peers you should not appear as the ‘manager’s man!!’ When faced with uncertainty people like to share their opinions with trustworthy friends and peers.
5. Sometimes it is best to break the larger goal into smaller goals and targets. For example your company is thinking of outsourcing a particular function which will mean that you and your team will be deployed to another office. You may consider this as an opportunity to do a new job and grow within a new functional area. Others may perceive it as a drastic change and find it unacceptable to be tossed around within the company! Try to portray a positive picture to your friends by discussing things in small pieces. People find it easy to say yes to small, meaningful goals than to a larger and more complicated goal.
The last word
People want to change and not change at the same time. It is safe to conclude that people need to be educated about and counseled to take a proper course of action. If you want to be a catalyst you can be the Alice who wants to try out something new; you can also be the Caterpillar to help others! You have to decide whether you simply want to wonder what happens or really play a role in making things happen!
Tags: Change, Change management, Interesting, Management and Business
One Response to “Can you be a catalyst for change at your workplace?”
By KeHoeff on May 28, 2009 | Reply
hey this is a very interesting article!