Change Management Storytelling: Don't be a Change Doctor be a Change Nurse.
Anjali Sharma
Director of Narrative
Published Date
February 24, 2017
Change Management needs more than a knowledge dump.
This is about that little insight I had in managing a successful Change Management Storytelling Programme and for anyone who is about to manage change here is my insight for you.
A typical change project is managed like this, you put together a pretty power point filled with slides and you start the "Change Academy" where all you are doing is providing knowledge on why change matters. Do we really think the problem is in lack of knowledge?
A classic example of this is telling an overweight person. Shedding weight is good for you and here is some knowledge on why. Result.. they remain overweight.
*John Kotter, an organizational change specialist say that most people think change happens in three stages.
You Analyze the Situation
You think really hard about the Solution
And then you just Change
In John Kotter's experience it's a different three-stage process:
People SEE something
That makes them FEEL something
That gives them the fire to
CHANGE.
Now, what is interesting is the insight of the Fire to Change.
Knowledge on Change fails to ignite the Change fire.
Feelings on Change ignites the Change fire.
I often use an analogy that helps people understand this concept better
In a healthcare environment we find Doctors and Nurses.
A Medical Doctor (also called a physician) is a person who practices medicine to treat illness and injuries.
Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities
Doctors treat and Nurses Care.
In a Change situation what Nurses do matters more than what Doctors do because we need people to be motivated for the Change.
Don't be a Change Doctor who diagnosis the problem and treats, but be the Change Nurse who not only gives you the drug on time but finds a meaning in your feelings and cares for you to become better.
You can watch this 2 mins 49 secs video on how we used this insight of managing feelings with stories and equipped close to 200 people's leaders of a large Telecomms firm in managing the change.
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