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Wednesday, April 1, 2009

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Personal Strategies for Coping with Workplace Change and Stress

Written by: Leslie Bonner, a Senior Consultant at Dewey & Kaye, a McCrory and McDowell Company. Leslie can be reached at lbonner@deweykaye.com.

Change can come sweeping in unexpectedly or it can sneak up on us. It comes as a result of painful economic realities or as the result of opportunity and increased demand for services. This article offers four strategies individuals can use to cope with change and stress in the workplace.

One of the things we know about change is that, the pain and stress of it is often most felt in the transition from being one thing to becoming another; from doing things the old way to doing things the new way. The "in–between," the place where you have left behind the old way of being but can't really see the way forward or the new way of being, produces the worst of the pain. And that is exactly where most of us as individuals and our organizations are at this moment — floundering in the ambiguity of the in–between; not able to clearly see the way forward.

People have widely varying reactions to change. Some people deal with it more easily than others, whether through optimism, an innate resiliency, or because they enjoy challenge and novelty, they can move easily from one way to another. But the vast majority of people find change to be difficult, especially when it is forced upon them without their input. The body and mind respond to unwanted changes in a number of ways. You may find yourself irritable, sad, resentful, feeling disorganized or overwhelmed, or fearful. Economic considerations, changes in job status, being asked to produce more with less support, new responsibilities, new reporting structures, realignments, and reorganizations are all common causes of anxiety.

Click here for the complete article.

 

FOR MANAGERS: Leading in Times of Transition, Trust Me: Communication Is Key

"To see real change and gain significant benefits from their strategies, leaders need to establish an environment of trust," says the Center for Creative Leadership's Michael Wakefield. "Leaders who are trusted — even in times of great difficulty — are skilled communicators."

Click here for the complete article.

 

Resources for Coping with and Managing Change:

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change 2nd edition, William Bridges: (http://www.amazon.com/Managing-Transitions-2nd-Making-Change/dp/1596590947/ref=pd_sim_b_5)

Hard Optimism, Price Pritchett ( http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Optimism-Price-Pritchett/dp/0071485457 )

Leading with Authenticity in Times of Transition, CCL (http://www.ccl.org/leadership/forms/publications/publicationProductDetail.
aspx?productId=1-882197-88-7&pageId=1254)

Responses to Change: Helping People Manage Transition,  CCL Press,  2008
(http://www.ccl.org/leadership/forms/publications/publicationProductDetail.
aspx?pageId=1254&productId=978-1-60491-059-9)

 

Green Building Alliance
Announces New Executive Director

Search recently completed by Dewey & Kaye and the GBA Search Committee.

Pittsburgh, Pa. (April 2, 2009) — Just one day after the New York Times featured Pittsburgh's leadership position with the green building movement, the Green Building Alliance (GBA) announced its new Executive Director Holly Childs.

"Green has the potential to reinvent the Pittsburgh region and help in driving the community's continued transformation," said Byron Falchetti, president of the Board of Directors of the GBA. "Holly's strong background in economic development will help GBA drive the 'green' innovations developed in Pittsburgh into future employment opportunities through partnerships and collaborations."

Click here for the press release.

Copyright © 2009, Dewey & Kaye, a McCrory & McDowell Company
One Riverfront Center, 20 Stanwix Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 www.deweykaye.com