An economic and organizational shift began with the advent of the Internet and the fall of the Berlin Wall.  This shift that has taken place since 1989 has been referred to by various names, but we will call it the Knowledge Age. The Knowledge Age comes about with the demise of the Industrial Age—that relatively stable age of production that existed for 200 years. The means of production for the Industrial Age were capital, equipment, labor, land, and raw materials. The means of production in the Knowledge Age are, most importantly, talent and technology.



The Internet forever changed the way information would flow within and outside of organizations. The Internet would also forever change the way in which individuals could communicate with, and contribute to, their organizations.



As for the Berlin Wall, its fall allowed more than 300 million potential new skilled and motivated workers to enter the global workforce. These 300 million individuals also became a huge new potential consumer market for organizations. Add to this, the rise of China and India, and the Knowledge Age workplace offers opportunities for increased global marketing, sourcing, and travel; global employment; and, global relocations—some of which can seem pretty scary to an employee worried about off-shoring, outsourcing, or having outdated skills.



In the Knowledge Age, change comes fast and frequently within organizations.  In fact, the ability to anticipate and quickly engage in change is now considered a key workplace competency.  As a worker in the Knowledge Age, it is vital that you learn to embrace change in your organization and career.  



The Drivers of Change



Change is shifting from being episodic to continuous; a ceaseless flow.  Developing a capability to embrace and exploit continuous change is becoming a key competency for Knowledge Age workers.  (Kotter 2008)



Change is most often driven by three factors:  



• Technological Advancement



• Increasing Globalization



• Escalating Customer Expectations (some might even expand this “driver” to include “Escalating Stakeholder Expectations”).



As Knowledge Age workers, it is important that we first understand the characteristics of these three drivers of change. As we understand the characteristics of each driver, we can be better prepared to embrace technological advancements in our workplace, how increasing globalization impacts our work and sense of job security, and how we must contribute to meeting escalating customer expectations.  These change will happen—as workers, we must decide whether or not to embrace them and remain relevant to our employers.



Resisting Change



The Human Change Process, as theorized by William Bridges, dictates that there are three primary stages of the human change process:



• Transition: The process of “letting go” of the old situation. Individuals do this at difference speeds.



• Development:  The process of entering the “neutral zone” between the old situation and the new situation. This is a period of testing the new situation.



• Renewal:  The process of “launching a new beginning” and embracing the new situation. As with the Transition stage, individuals do this at difference speeds. (Bridges 2003)



As Knowledge Age workers, we must understand and acknowledge how we progress through these three stages.  Each individual progresses through these three stages at a different pace.  As we learn to embrace change, we acquire the ability to more rapidly progress through this human change process. Failure to do so will stall the change process—and, most likely, stall our careers.



As employees, we react to the stress of urgency and change through various human emotions. The two emotions that result in resistance to change are:  anger and fear. Anger that new skills or roles will be required as a result of the change process. Or, anger that existing expertise or an existing power-base might be eroded. Fear presents itself as fear of the unknown and/or fear that one might lack the ability to adapt to the new state of affairs brought about through change. By learning to embrace change, we can minimize or avoid altogether these debilitating emotions.



How to Embrace Change



“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” (Friedman 2008)          

This quote from Thomas Friedman’s book, “Hot, Flat, & Crowded,” underscores the philosophy that each of us must acknowledge.  If you desire to maintain your livelihood or career security – or, certainly if you desire to advance your career – things will have to change.  That is, because the world is changing so rapidly today, to maintain our position, we must embrace change.



To learn how to embrace change, we must first understand the dynamics in the marketplace that drive change.  These issues of advancing technology, increasing globalization, and escalating customer expectations are forcing us to be dynamic workers who embrace change and commit to continuous improvement. And, as we better understand these drivers of change, we can learn how to overcome the human emotions of anger and fear that lead to resistance to change.



With a better understanding of change, and through the acquisition of change skills, we can learn to rapidly progress through the human change process (transition, development, and renewal) and become an asset to our employer.  As an asset to our employer, we better assure our job and career security.

 

About the Author: Michael N. Davis is the owner of Pathfinder Consulting.  Since 1999, Pathfinder Consulting has helped organizations develop strategies and capacities for improvement in the following areas:  Leading Change, Talent Management, Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability, Leadership Development, Organizational Effectiveness, among other topics. To speak with Coach Davis about your organizational or individual needs, including a workshop on the topic of this paper, e-mail  coachdavis@pathfindermaine.com or visit www.pathfindermaine.com.