So when we initiate change, we are not simply intervening in something static. We are intervening in an order that people actively maintain day after day.
That is easy to overlook in change initiatives.
An employee at one of my client organizations recently told me about a planned switch to a new IT service provider. Over the years, he had invested a great deal in making the relationship work: helping the provider understand the organization, building trust, and establishing effective ways of working together.
Now the company was considering changing providers, largely based on the vague assumption that someone else might be cheaper. For him, this called more than a business relationship into question. It also raised the question of how much value was being placed on the work he had invested over the years to make that relationship function well.
Of course, there are times when the stability we have created no longer serves us. Not every source of stability should be preserved. But before introducing change, it is worth understanding what ongoing effort and contribution we are disrupting in the process. Because change affects routines, relationships, and expectations that have made reliability possible up to that point.
You cannot simply dismantle that order and expect people to move on. Change requires recognition of what already exists, a compelling and understandable reason for doing things differently, and clarity about where things are headed and what people can continue to rely on.
