Coping with Change: Victims, Survivors, & Navigators

by EL Trainer Sue Easton

Just when you thought you had everything in order, along comes another major change! So how can you begin to sort through the seeming chaos and find strategies to move forward constructively?

Let’s first examine how people tend to respond to significant change. Typically, people manage transitions in three primary ways. These can be grouped into the following categories: victims, survivors, and navigators.

Victims view change with a fatalistic attitude. They see things in the absolute, either good or bad. Victims are reactionary, responding to any change in the environment with skepticism and defensiveness. Victims are often cynical, perhaps because many change efforts result in disruption with little actual change.

Survivors protect and fortify themselves. They believe that they are at the mercy of circumstances and must compete for existence. Survivors believe in the scarcity principle (only so many resources go around) therefore they are competitive and aggressive during change, hoping to get their fair share of the pie. This attitude causes them to grasp and cling to protect what they believe to be theirs.

Navigators are proactive. They create vision and purpose for themselves as well as the organization itself. They gather and analyze all the information they can, assessing the worth and purpose of the proposed change. Navigators rely on their competence and face change with confidence and courage.

To be an Emergent Leader is to be a navigator. Here are some suggestions to be more effective during times of change:

• Look for ways to get accurate information. Because the rumor mill tends to be 75% accurate, people erroneously assume it is always correct. The missing 25% of the message often causes the greatest problem. Before sharing information, verify the accuracy of the source.
• Ask questions that clarify concerns about the change. Share information and insights. Talk about what you can learn from the situation and listen to how others think and feel so they can express themselves honestly.
• Increase both written and verbal forms of communication. It may be difficult to know exactly how the change will affect you and your team, but if lines of communication are open, you have a greater chance of addressing their concerns and avoiding hidden resistance. By communicating early and often, you build trust and create a forum where people can ask questions or raise issues that you might not know about.
• Help others cultivate a belief in their own abilities to deal proactively with the situation. The people who are most successful dealing with change are the ones who help create a vision of the future and work to help make it a reality.

      Being a leader in turbulent times can also take a toll on you as the work can be exhausting. Be sure to build a coalition of trusted supporters to help you keep your focus and balance. Just like the safety speech on each airplane, we must put on our own oxygen mask before we can assist others.

As you navigate through change, remember that understanding the dynamics of change, such as the roles others tend to assume, allows you to keep a systems focus and be proactive.

Sue Easton has been an Organizational Development consultant since 1988 specializing in innovative workforce structures including virtual environments and self-directed work teams. Sue has served a client base including Fortune 500 Companies, non-profits, government, colleges and universities around the country. Sue was a professor at Rollins College for many years in Winter Park, FL where she served as Department Chair and taught courses in Organizational Communication. She has received several awards for excellence and innovation in teaching.