Change Management
Staying positive and productive
during difficult times
Structure of the Course
• THIS COURSE IS A BIT LONGER THAN MOST
OFFERED BY G&A
– As a result, we have structured it in two, two-hour
units:
• UNIT 1: Change, Stress, and You
• UNIT 2: Taking Charge & Reasserting Control
PART 1: Change, Stress, and You
It’s not just you.
• Change = stress. EVEN GOOD CHANGE.
• This has long been recognized – there is
something called “anomie” that accompanies
most change (Durkheim, 1897/1968)
• You don’t really know what the new ‘rules’ are
• Even if you want the change, the new routine isn’t
routine yet
• The norms of behavior we rely on are comforting – and
when they are not there it causes anxiety
Job Change is Especially Likely to Bring
Stress!
It is the nature of work: we do it to support ourselves,
part of our self-concept is tied up in ‘what we do,’ and
we spend the bulk of our waking lives there. It’s not
surprising that the workplace is one of the biggest
sources of stress that people experience – and that job
stress is common.
According to NIOSH, job stress “results when the
requirements of the job do not match the capabilities,
resources, or needs of the worker.” (“Stress at Work” p.
6)
Do you think that the current job
market and economic climate contribute
to stress in general and job stress in
particular?
DISCUSSION:
DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF CHANGEAVOIDANT OR CHANGE-SEEKING?
WHY?
Types of Stress – ‘Feel’
• POSITIVE STRESS (“eustress”), aka “being
pumped”
• NEGATIVE STRESS (“distress,” what most folks
think of as “stress”)
• NEUTRAL STRESS (“neustress”)
The effect of the stress, e.g. how damaging and
unpleasant, largely a matter of perception &
framing.
 THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS.
Types of Stress - Duration
Stress can also be typed by how suddenly it comes on, and
how long it lasts (see SAMHSA “Stress and Stress
Management”)
* ACUTE stress: quick, in the moment, from what is
happening or from anticipation, easily resolved
* EPISODIC ACUTE stress: acute stress that occurs over and
over; can become damaging and harm relationships,
impact health
* CHRONIC stress: Damaging to health (physical and
mental), ongoing, may be overlooked because can come to
feel ‘normal’
* PTSD: this is a clinical diagnosis of ongoing stress related
to a traumatic event. This type of stress is a special topic,
and as such is not covered by this workshop.
Change and Stress: Never an
“Isolated” Stressor
• One “stressor event” is like a pebble thrown
into water
• Stress in one arena of life tends to reverberate
into others
• Consider: your house is broken into. What is
affected by this?
• Consider: Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public
(worksheet exercise)
SELF-ASSESSMENT: STRESSOR
SCALE
Stressors Don’t Just Sit There, They
Pile Up
• STRESSOR PILEUP: A growing feeling of being
overwhelmed or unable to cope, which occurs
when residual stress from the last crisis plus
new stress from the current crisis combine.
Can you think of a time that you have
experienced stressor pileup? What types of
stresses seem to linger, and which resolve
more easily?
Tipping the Scales
• MORE stressful
– Unexpected
– Your ‘fault’ (actual or
perceived)
– Unknown duration of
event
– Little to no control over
outcome
• LESS stressful
–
–
–
–
–
Saw it coming
Blameless
Clear cause
Known duration
Control over course and
outcome of event
Helplessness and Control
• “Locus of Control”: In a nutshell, Locus of Control
(or LoC) refers to where a person believes the
control for their circumstances is located.
• OUTER LoC: you are reactive, moved by outside
forces, have little to no control, HIGH STRESS
situation
• INNER LoC: you are proactive, aware of and
adaptive to outside forces but not helpess, use
what control you have, REDUCED STRESS
situation
The Pressure to “Just do something”
• Can feel pressure to do something in order to
be productive, proactive
• Taking action can stave off feelings of
helplessness
• Acting without plan, however, can complicate
outcomes
• During transition time, break down tasks by
level of necessity and impact
Necessity and Impact
(LOW)
NECESSITY
(HIGH)
+
LOW necessity but HIGH impact:
AVOID THESE if possible!
I
M
P
A
C
T
-
LOW necessity and LOW impact:
save your time and energy
HIGH necessity and HIGH impact:
spend most of your energy here
HIGH necessity, but LOW impact:
complete these tasks adequately
PART 2: Taking Charge and Reasserting
Control
When we feel COMPETENT, PREPARED, and CAPABLE, our stress goes down!
Manage Change & Reduce Stress
Involved
• Reciprocal – if you address the stress you are better
equipped to manage the change, and if you manage
the change it will reduce stress
• Extremes of stress can cause a variety of symptoms
and dysfunctions that you do not want, including: back
pain, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, lack of
energy, headaches, sleeping difficulties, stomach
trouble, irritability/poor temper, and self-esteem
issues. (National Women’s Health Information Center,
2010)
• You’ll not only feel happier, you’ll likely feel healthier
as your stress level comes down
Take Charge!: Staying Positive
• Link between depression and inactivity has been
established – feeling helpless, trapped, stuck, or
out of control can be very detrimental to mood.
• According to the US Department of Health and
Human Services, solving even small issues or
problems can contribute to a feeling of
competence, which then boosts self-esteem,
which then will come around again and make you
feel more competent – it’s a positive cycle!
The “13 Things”
Technique developed by Yeager (2009) to break
larger, daunting tasks down into very small
and manageable unit.
Sometimes the number
thirteen is seen as unlucky –
but if you do the “13 Things,”
you may find that you feel
more positive when you’re
done!
Reframing Change as Opportunity
Some aspects of change may resist ‘reframing’ – if
you become ill, for instance, there are parts of
the experience which you may be unable to find
something ‘good’ about. However, in most times
of change, there are also windows of opportunity
that open……
…………and you do have the ability to control
SOME aspects of your situation, if you look more
closely.
Think “ACE IT”
When you are confronted with a period of
change, if you ACE IT, you may find that you
cross the finish line with better prospects than
you had before!
• Accept
• Contain
• Evaluate
• Innovate
• Take Care
ACCEPT
• It is natural to feel a mix of emotions during
periods of change – even if you wanted the
change that is happening!
• Fear, anger, excitement, anxiety, worry,
uncertainty, and so forth all may occur
• HOWEVER: try not to get ‘stuck’ in one mode of
feeling, especially in a mode that positions you as
‘victim’ or ‘helpless’:
– Bitterness, anger, resentment at what has been ‘done
to you’ are counterproductive to your adjustment
CONTAIN
• Establish firm boundaries as possible
• Set aside “worrying time”
• AVOID those people and situations that trigger
the worst of the stress
• Say ‘no’ to new things that fall under the
category of ‘must’ rather than ‘want to’ – not
everything that SEEMS required actually is!
EVALUATE
• Stress and the newness of change may increase your
temptation to give up, slack off, procrastinate, and
phone it in – but you don’t want to do this
• If you stay engaged, even though it is stressful, you can
decide where to trim your stressors
• What tasks can be delegated? What tasks can be
completely eliminated?
• What issues or problems can be potentially resolved
via polite and honest communication?
• Can you restructure your time to group tasks and free
up leisure time?
INNOVATE
• It is often easier to decide how to proceed when
we have the control for outcomes available
• When we perceive (accurately or not!) that ‘locus
of control’ is external, e.g., that we don’t have
much say in how things go and what the results
will be, it can be tricky to figure out how to
proceed
• KEY is to rethink these items that are outside of
your control -- are there COMPONENTS or pieces
of these that you can affect? Small changes can
pay big dividends in terms of stress and
confidence!
TAKE CARE
• During a stressful transition, you may feel less like
taking care of yourself than usual – but it is more
important than ever
• ROUTINE CONTRIBUTES TO HEALTH!
– Get 8 – 9 hours of sleep
– Stretch: you may be tense but not realize it
– Eat regularly, and your regular fare as much as
possible
– Take time for yourself
• Don’t waste the time ‘vegging’ though or you may feel twice
as stressed & upset (unless is really what you want to do)
• Make lists of things to do, by time and/or resources needed
Don’t Be Afraid to Reach Out
• It may seem strange to think about in these
terms, but people are also a resource to draw
upon
• If you start burning out your friends, keep a
journal
• Have non-venting time with friends and family
• Be willing to accept help
• Be tolerant of advice – to a point
To Recap
• During change, it is natural and ‘normal’ to experience a variety of
emotions – both pleasant and not
• Change often causes stress, even when the change is one we
wanted
• Not all stresses are equal, there are different types of stresses
• Stress contributes to a host of physical, emotional, and
psychological symptoms
• You are not helpless during periods of change, though you may be
limited in your responses
• You can reframe change as opportunity
• Locus of control is critical in managing the stress of change – what is
internal? External?
• Take charge – ACE IT!
• Keep up healthy routines and positive social connections
References
Durkheim, Emile (1897/1968). Suicide: A Study in Sociology. New York: The Free Press.
“Choose Your Response for Better Stress Relief.” Online publication of the Mayo Clinic.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relief/SR00037
“Stress and Your Health.” Online publication of National Women’s Health Information Center,
Department of Health and Human Services. http://womenshealth.gov/faq/stress-your-health.cfm
“Stress and Stress Management.” Online publication of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA), Department of Health and Human Services.
http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/dtac/dbhis/dbhis_stress/stress.htm
“Stress at Work.” DHHS- NIOSH publication #99-101.
“Stress: Win Control Over the Stress in Your life.” Online publication of the Mayo Clinic.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001
Yeager, Erica Owens (2009). “Thirteen Things.” Online correspondence (unpublished).
Most images from Microsoft Clip Art. “Don’t question me” puppy image found via roflposters at
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