I had a simple concept illuminated for me in a workshop that I attend a couple of months ago. I was listening to the moderators talking about change and how we can implement change to make it easier on teams and individuals.
What struck me as I was listening to them was the fact that there are two types of change - Change – Addition and Change – Replacement. Often we think of change as Change – Replacement. This is the kind of change that causes people to be upset and resist change. But, there is Change – Addition. This type of change is profound because when you add something to a person’s world they are more likely to accept it and be able to use it immediately. Over time the old way of doing something or the old item becomes obsolete and naturally disappears. This is especially true the more that the change makes sense and is appropriate.
For me, the moral of the story is we should try when possible to create change that is seen as an addition to what they have available to them. The degree of success is much higher and in some cases it may make more sense to have more options for a period of time.
