Librarian Relations Group

2006... What's a New Year Without a Little Change? (01/06)
By Julie Webster-Matthews

Happy New Year!  So, you’ve received the e-mail or the memo… new people in, old people out, new strategies emerging, reorganizations in place, new budget or maybe no budget —regardless of the law firm, law school or other library you work in, 2006 is bringing changes.  

A new year means that there will inevitably be changes in your library or work environment. Changes in the workplace can create fear and anxiety of the unknown.  And change can be difficult to manage. According to Personnel Today Magazine, apart from recruiting and retaining talent, managing change is one of the top five key challenges organizations must tackle.¹

Performance improvement specialists, Headwinds, Ltd., reveal some interesting statistics related to change in the workplace (http://www.headwindsltd.com/ChangeMgmt.html):

• Only one in five mergers is considered successful.  “Employee problems” are responsible for more than half of the failures.

• Higher workers’ compensation claims have been associated with various ailments brought on by anxiety and stress experienced during major organizational change.

• While most business and organization design strategies are well thought out, fewer than one in four are well executed – usually because there has been scant attention to corporate culture and the behavioral, social and political aspects of the organizational change process.  In other words, not enough focus and planning are given to the people side of managing change.

Change brings along with it stress. Studies have shown that simple changes even in weather conditions can create stress on the human body.  In the workplace, change can cause tremendous stress, because we immediately begin to wonder, ‘how will the change affect me?’  As we all know, stress can manifest itself in a variety of ways: high blood pressure, restlessness, weight loss or gain, irritability and fatigue.  No job is worth sacrificing your health and well being.  While the stress surrounding change may be unavoidable, let’s explore just a few things you can do to better cope and manage change in your workplace.

1) Don’t take it personally
The business climate of the legal world is rapidly changing.  A competitive pinch is being felt from all sides.  The arena for conducting business has expanded to a global platform, and law firms and businesses that intend to thrive must consider how that affects their client/customer base and profits. 

Every one of the top 25 highest grossing law firms in the United States have offices outside of the U.S. and all but four have offices in at least five countries.²  Businesses are merging, creating alliances and downsizing in order to finance expansion and to strategically utilize their talent. 

When these changes include your library, your staff or your position, it may be easy to internalize them and focus on personal feelings and interpretations.  Making the changes personal can cause unwarranted stress and anxiety.  It can promote unsubstantiated speculation and worry resulting in low morale and poor job performance.  

Not all change will be welcome, nor will it feel good.  However, keeping in mind that the organizational objective is really not about you, will allow you to focus on how you and your staff can most effectively make a significant contribution to that objective.

2) Identify things you cannot control
Most of us like to feel like we have some degree of control over our lives at home and at work; and sometimes over the people around us.  However, organizational changes in the workplace are usually based on decisions made by upper management -- it's change that is forced upon us. So, it is natural to resist. 

The company’s vision and/or direction may be altered in a way that you may not completely understand.  For example, firm management may decide to save money by no longer providing a librarian in a branch location and by re-directing requests from that office to other branch office librarians.  You and your staff are already working at capacity, but what can you do?

Perhaps you had some input or perhaps you did not.  What sense would it make to stress over an issue for which you had no control?  Keep in mind when it concerns money, upper management will often implement changes that focus on the bottom line. 

We become familiar with doing things a certain way. However, some changes are mandated by governmental or regulatory requirements.   Preparation of forms, deadlines, filing requirements, etc. are elements that many be changed due to compliance or legal reasons.  For example, you may have always submitted a hard copy time sheet for temporary workers.  However, the new procedure now requires it to be submitted electronically.  This is outside of your control.  So, let it go and embrace the new procedure.

It is important to concede that you cannot control other people.  Their attitudes, comments and perception of the changes can be a source of undue anxiety for you -- particularly, if you are in a supervisory role. Your attempts to stay positive and embrace the changes can be de-railed by the actions and job performance of those around you.  You should strive to set an example that discourages negativity among others.  Keep in mind the old saying “misery loves company” is still very true.

3) Identify things you can control
Focus your energy on what you can control. 

First of all, you have control over your thoughts.  With changes in place, you will want to consider how those changes will affect your contribution and your performance at work.  Whether the changes directly or indirectly affect you, change does not mean that you cannot still strive to be successful in your position.  You have the ability to evaluate the changes and make a decision to perform.  Perhaps, the changes will bring an opportunity for further success. 

You also have control over whether to make this a positive or negative experience. Communication is extremely important because it has a significant affect on those around you.  How you act and what you say will be noticed.  Positive talk can help everyone around you accept the changes with a more open mind.  However, negative talk is like tossing gasoline on an already raging fire.  Negative talk includes information that has been spread via rumor and half truths.  You can control communicating misinformation by confirming facts with management before joining the discussion at the water cooler (or at Starbucks).

4) Self Accomplishment
“One way to overcome cynicism and exhaustion," said Dr. Andy Morgan, an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale, "is with a sense of personal accomplishment. When you feel that you're accomplishing something, it's akin to a sense of control. When people start feeling that what they're doing is not meaningful, then they take more sick days, begin looking for another job, and complain of health problems." ³  

You have to devise a roadmap of success for yourself.  When you look at the changes being made in your workplace, what personal milestones and objectives will make you feel like you are performing successfully? 
 
My goal was to help you understand that although you may be going through the ‘new year’ changes and transitions, you are not alone.  We are all facing something new as we begin another year.  Managing the changes will be a challenge.  But remembering to focus on the elements that you can control will help to minimize the stress that accompanies organizational change.  Be positive when communicating with those around you; and look for opportunities for success presented by the changes.

Of course, much has been written about the effects of organizational change.   Listed below are a few sources you might want to consult for additional discussion:

Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers,  Robert Sapolsky.
Managing Change At Work: Leading People Through Organizational Transitions, Cynthia D. Scott, Ph.D and Dennis T. Jaffe, Ph.D.
Me? Change? Not Now. Not Ever! How to Dissolve Hard-Core Resistance to Change in the Workplace, Jerald Young.

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