Change violates expectancy

Our body reacts when we perceive change - small or large, for better or worse. It's not cognitive. It's our base-level threat response circuitry.

Our nervous system constantly monitors our environment for safety and danger cues. We form expectations about what is likely to happen based on our past experiences and the signals we are receiving in the present moment.

When our expectations are violated (in organizational change, for example), it can activate our stress response and lead to feelings of anxiety or fear.

It does not matter if the proposed change is regarded as positive or negative. Our nervous system simply views it as inconsistent with the past.

One of the common approaches to communicating change in organizations is to frame it as a FROM - TO list.

FROM hierarchy: TO empowerment
FROM bureaucracy: TO agile teams
FROM playing not to lose: TO playing to win

However desired, these are all violations of expectancy. Any change, even positive change, will activate the threat response of an organization. This is not necessarily a negative thing - as it can amplify attention and movement - but it must be balanced.

I'll often suggest leadership teams create a parallel list of all the things that will not change - where people can expect consistency. Our values, some ways of working, focus on our customers, and care for each other, for example.

Balancing the message of what will change with what will remain consistent creates a foundation of safety people can stand on. It helps everyone reach for the opportunity of change while grounding themselves in the bedrock of what will endure.