The Fear Curve

Picture this scenario: You have invested vast amounts of time and money in the latest systems and processes; you have trained everyone and you have made their lives so much easier (or so you think). Yet months later, people still persist in their old ways. Where are the business improvements you expected? And when will the disruption you're experiencing subside?

When we speak of change taking place in an organization, we are likely to think about physical changes of an organizational structure, the changes to a system or process, as well as in the external forces that the company deals with on a regular basis.  What many tend to overlook, though, is how the people of an organisation deal with such changes. How do they go about the transition? Do they accept the changes willingly, or do they resist the change ?

From a people perspective, implementing change can be very challenging. Why? Because people are used to their routines. They may be proud of their expertise and fear that their previous work is being undermined or devalued, or worse, they may fear that they will lose their job.

As a change leader, how can you help your team members to accept more quickly, and even embrace, change?

People tend to go through series of reactions to change that is similar to the stages of dealing with grief.  You can’t stop them going through the stage entirely, but, you can always make their journey to stages feel easier and therefore establish change more quickly.

The Fear Curve model describes the four stages that most people go through as they adjust to change which is based on the work of psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in the 1960s.

At Stage 1 is when a change is first introduced, team members may feel shocked  and may think that there won’t really be any change, they may need your help to understand what is happening, so effective communication is this stage will be very important. Be clear on where people can go for information and help, answer their questions as they crop up so they would feel secure.

Once the reality of the change starts to hit, people tend to react negatively and move to stage 2 of the Fear Curve. Where they may fear the impact, feel angry and may lead some people to actively resist the change. Some will wrongly fear the negative consequences of change. Others will correctly identify real threats to their position. Make sure you are prepared for this stage so you can make it as painless and quick-lived as possible. But beware, you can’t anticipate how exactly each person will react, so watch, listen and support them as you can.

Stage 3 is the turning point for the individuals and the organization, this stage is where pessimism make way for some optimism. They start to let go, and accept the changes. They begin testing and exploring what the changes mean, They can do that more easily they are helped and supported to do so, even if this is a simple matter of allowing enough time to explore their options. Be aware that this stage is vital for learning and acceptance, and that it takes time. Do not expect them to be 100% productive during this time, and build in some contingency time for them so that they can learn and explore without too much pressure.

Stage 4 is when finally, team members makes a decision to fully embrace the change, reorganise their ways of working, and integrating with the new change. They can now see the benefits to the team and to the organization. Now is the time to celebrate with them. This is important. Your people will find it much easier to cope with change next time if they can remember the feeling of satisfaction and reward.

Knowledge of the fear curve can significantly boost the chances of successful change management process, because it addresses the key thing that makes change happen: people. It can help improve how managers interact with those undergoing change, ultimately making the change achieve success more quickly and decreasing the pressure on their team. If you can’t bring your people along with you, then your efforts for managing change will fail.