Some years ago I worked with an executive who had been a tenured professor of computer science, with a wife who was a school superintendent, and three children in high school. He was the fourth generation of his family living in his mid-western city and, what's more he lived in the original family home.
He was lured to silicon valley excited by the opportunity to do the work he loved, with more money, intellectually stimulating colleagues, oh, and a great all-year-round climate. After a relatively brief family council they all decided - Yes! let's go for it, let's move. A major change for the whole family, and it went off smoothly. And, after the fact, everyone was happy they made the jump.
Fast forward six month: over a weekend the facilities people moved his office, one of a row of identical offices, one closer to the corner office of the CEO. Everything was photographed before the move and put in exactly the same place in the new room - just one closer to the corner office. After the office was moved, apart from the fact it was closer to the corner of the building no one could tell a thing has been touched - everything was exactly as it had been in the room from which it was moved.
No one thought to tell my client. They did not consider it a big deal; if anything, they thought it would be a pleasant surprise to be one closer to the corner office of the CEO.
On discovering what had happened my client went berserk. He stormed out of the office ranting and raving and door slamming. For two days he was unreachable. He refused to answer the phone, the door, emails - he'd gone to ground. When the CEO did finally manage to speak with him all my client wanted to do was resign.
My question to him when he finally agreed to speak was, what happened? I am curious I said, you made enormous changes to you life and the life of your family coming out to CA with no upset, and yet here you are as mad as hell over an office move that few could even detect had happened - what happened, how come you are so upset?
After a lot of wrestling and introspection on his part, he said the simple difference is I chose to make the change in coming to CA. Changing my office was imposed on me. That's what has made me mad - they imposed change on me and did not even think to consult me.
So the lesson is clear, include people in authoring changes. And I don't mean get their buy in - but a genuine authorship of changes that are wanted and needed.
If change is imposed, expect unhappy, stressed and mad employees. Now most don't have the luxury of displaying upset and anger as my client above did. That said, they wont cope with it any easier.
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