If you have been reading, you know I am in the middle of a house project. I am so excited for these rooms to get a face lift after 15 years in this house. I am finally taking down the wallpaper that came with the dining room and the built in that came with the living room. We are putting on a fresh coat of paint and even replacing some old, child worn furniture.
I am going to love it, when it’s done! Even though this is a change that I initiated and that I want, the chaos of the last few months of workers in my house, of not having access to a bathroom, of all the furniture being under plastic, it’s hard and anxiety producing to live like that.
Change sometimes feels kind of sucky, even when it’s a change you want.
Years ago, a friend at Johnson & Johnson asked me to speak on change. My initial reaction was, “That’s not my area of expertise!” To be honest, I struggle with change as much as anyone. But she reframed it: she wanted me to talk about how to stay likable and navigate workplace dynamics when everyone is anxious and feeling the weight of change. Ah, that I could talk about.
When Newsweek recently asked for my tips on making internal cultural changes, it was essentially the same topic. For me, the key to making change more palatable lies in co-creation.
Building the Vision Together
Co-creation is the fundamental idea that we determine the vision for change together—what the desired outcomes are and what the process will look like. Any aspect of change that can be developed with input from those it will directly impact is far more likely to be accepted. This significantly reduces the anxiety surrounding it.
Whether it’s a large organizational shift or a home renovation, the principle remains the same. When you take the time to bring everyone into the process, you create a foundation for change that is not only acceptable but also manageable and, ultimately, even desirable.
Culture as Collective Action
In some of our workshops, we do an activity around creating the ideal culture. This involves defining our commitments to action and how we want to approach our work. Because that’s truly what culture is: not just what we do, but how we get it done.
If we collectively decide we want to operate with transparency, radical honesty, or kindness, we then collaboratively define what those values look like in our daily interactions. By having everyone contribute their ideas and define the vision together, you co-create a foundation for change that is acceptable, manageable, and even desirable.
How do you think a co-creation approach could have helped with a change you’ve experienced, either at work or in your personal life?