Managing post-change fever.

There are several articles about dealing with change. The study of how human beings deal with change has been reviewed through several lenses, with numerous models, which I am not qualified to discuss. Harvard Business Review will probably do a better job. But as the only constant thing in life is change, and we may not have the power to change how a change programme is received regardless of our best efforts. Whether or not, it meets the business goals it sets out to achieve, it is crucial we set the scene post-change so that colleagues don't experience what I call post-change fever which is the loss of the old and the confusion about the new.  

It goes without saying that change leaders must involve employees' input to enable engagement. It is also essential to have staff trained in the new ways of doing things. The expertise to carry out their new responsibilities will engender confidence in the new ways of doing things. Not only should the structure signify change, but the new relationships and the informal roles must signify a change in direction. Even the way of dealing with conflicts experienced post-change should suggest a different way of doing things. Whether you have done all of the above successfully or not, post-change fever is likely. So how do you deal with post-change fever? Post-change fever can be managed by doing the following: 

• Create a transition ritual by mourning the past. 
• Create a post-change orientation programme. 
• Celebrate the future and design a hopeful vision of the future rooted in the organisation's history.

​Create a transition ritual by mourning the past. Why is transition important? William Bridges explains why in his book Transitions. He says, "Change is situational. Transition, on the other hand, is psychological. It is not those events, but rather the inner reorientation or self-redefinition that you have to go through in order to incorporate any of those changes into your life. Without a transition, a change is just a rearrangement of the furniture. Unless transition happens, the Change won't work, because it doesn't 'take'." This aligns with step eight of the Kotter change stage; nurturing and shaping a new culture to support the emerging innovative ways.  

What does this transition look like in practice?  
To mourn the past, allow space and time for colleagues to explore their feeling about the Change. It could be at an all-staff meeting or on an away day. An external person can help facilitate this process. This stage can be likened to seeking therapeutic support post significant change event or supervision. Assess how much time your staff need to let go of the loss but actively remove things that signify the past. Budget permitting, change of the office layout, and spaces that have symbolic importance of the previous way of doing things should be taken down or repurposed. Old policies and processes should be removed from drives and physical space.
 
Create an orientation programme post-change, assume that everyone is a new starter and develop an orientation programme to signify Change. This is where your change champions can be very helpful. Share the stories of the journey, celebrate the heroes of the Change and decide on the appropriate send-off for those leaving the organisation. For those leaving, unnecessary lingering will not be helpful. Creating a new cultural identity is vital at this stage, as lamenting about the old way will become the norm in the absence of one. People will hold to negative stories if there are no positive stories to bond them together.  
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The future can be celebrated by celebrating small wins, communicating the business impact of the change, creating new rituals, and design a hopeful vision of the future rooted in the organisation's history. Rituals and ceremonies are hardwired into humans to signify change (births, weddings, loss); it must be no different in organisation afterall an organisation is defined as a body of people with a particular purpose. 

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