I spoke with someone last week week involved in the re-structure of a public sector organisation. He’s a tier two manager. We ended up talking about Maslow’s pyramid. We, like everyone, prefer to operate at the top of the pyramid – the self actualised/transcended piece. The view is better up there, and it means that lesser order needs are taken care of! But we talked about the difficulty of staying at the top, when worried about our safety, security and belonging needs. Can you be at the top, when the base is shaking?
In particular, how do you communicate (to self and others) higher order messages at times of great uncertainty. This includes messages about the future, vision, change process and wider stakeholders. Will people really be listening at times of change, when their concerns may be more immediate and more personal.
My friend was wanting to ensure communication focused on the bigger picture. The view from the top of the pyramid. But, I think the best response when you’re on a shaking pyramid though is to shore-up the base. It got me thinking about communicating positively when their is considerable uncertainty about security and status. In the current environment – “will I have a job tomorrow?” How do you allay people’s fears.
Here are three potential strategies
- Validate the thinking and feelings of your audience by actively listening. Don’t try and change how they think about the future.
- Share your own feelings, particularly if you have doubts yourself.
- Widen the perspective beyond the negative aspects of the change, by asking people about their other experiences of change or other perspectives of the people around them.
Just talking about the negative aspects of change, starts to diminish its hold on people and helps steady the pyramid. Then you’ve earned the right to communicate from the top.
Hi Bernie, Your post has caused me to revisit my objections to Maslow’s hierarchy. 1 is its unacknowledged individualism, which I think has led to us ignoring out interdependence. Secondly we get concerned about where we are on these levels that are completely unproven to be valid.
I will post more about these points in two posts on my blog on 8 April and 10 April. http://www.changingorganisations.com
Like all models, sometimes they’re useful sometimes not.
I guess I’m just saying it’s harder to think about the big picture when you have more pressing immediate concerns. I can’t advance any arguments to validate that! It just seems to be my experience.
I must say, that you seem to be a very organised guy. I love the way you say you will publish something on April 8th and 10th. Although can you be more specific about time – 10:30 on the 8th!! (haha – just kidding!) I sometimes wish I was more organised …. but then it passes.
On a more philosophical note – isn’t everything self?
Honesty with a good dose of humility and listening skills seems a good way to shore up any base.