Personal Change Management
"You've changed a lot now, you weren't like this before, I don't recognize you anymore!" “You used to be like this, you never change, now you have to change!” Do these sentences sound familiar to you? These are expressions that everyone of me has pronounced or heard at least once in their life. It expresses a difference that can be noticed from the outside, sometimes to be avoided, and sometimes to be. So why do people change and don't change or can't? What is this change? Why and how do people change? Is change controllable and manageable? The answers to all these questions are within the scope of "Personal Change Management".
.. . .Change; It refers to “a process of perceived or perceived differentiation in an organism, object or event from one state to another”. It is a process, because while change involves a phenomenon of time, it requires differentiation from the ongoing old situation. In order to talk about a change element, there must be a felt difference in a situation. Even if this is an intellectual change in an abstract sense for a person, it should manifest itself through operational (behavioral) differences.
Due to the systems approach, the person himself represents a certain system that tries to harmonize with his external environment. In this process, as Darwin stated, living things increase their chances of survival by adapting to the environment. In the face of the rapid changes in today's world, individuals also need to adapt themselves to this rapid change. These changes can be unplanned and unexpected, as well as planned and predictable. The type of change discussed here is
In fact, it can be said that it is not the change itself, but the speed of change that causes problems for people. Humans react to sudden and rapid changes, just as a frog that is thrown into boiling water jumps out of the water. Because the rate of change causes individuals to leave their safe areas around them and to lose the sense of security. This leads to feelings of fear and anxiety in individuals. Going back to our example, if we had thrown the frog into slowly warming water rather than all of a sudden, the frog would have adapted to the temperature of the water but would have been scalded unconsciously. In this process, we can also see how effective habits are. We, too, can only realize where our little habits can take us with a negative result.
Change was defined as a process of differentiation seen or perceived in an organism, object or event from one state to another. If this organism refers to an individual and experiences this process of change on itself, this refers to the "personal" aspect of change. Second, a situation referred to as a “process” can be controlled and manipulated; therefore, it shows a manageable feature. Therefore, personal change should be seen as a manageable process if understood as something positive. In the light of these explanations, Personal Change Management; It can be defined as the ability of a person to control and direct any change process related to a situation or phenomenon in himself to achieve effective results.
Planned Change Model
As we said before, change refers to a process. Therefore, various models have been proposed for the effective management of this process. According to the “Planned Change Model” of K. Lewin, who is known for his studies on group dynamics, people can realize the change by going through a three-stage process consisting of Unfreezing, Change and Refreezing.
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Accordingly, first of all, the variables to be changed are resolved from their current values and removed from the current state.
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In the second stage, action is taken for change and these variables, which have been “softened” by dissolving, are given a new shape.
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Finally, these reshaped variables are refrozen and solidified to prevent reversion.
1. Motivation Process for the Solving Phase
Any person goes for planned change for two reasons. The first is that it has been forced to do this and that he can overcome the problems he has experienced in this way. Secondly, the realization of any goal depends on the realization of change. Regardless, the person must have felt dissatisfied with the current situation and realized that change was needed. In this process, it should be accepted that the results to be achieved as a result of the change will be better than the current situation. This process sometimes takes such a long time that a person's need for change and awareness develops, usually with the demands of the environment or external compulsions. However, the important thing is that the person makes this change voluntarily. “Resolving” is a serious stage that must be dealt with in a systematic and planned way. Situations that may occur in the person at this stage may be:
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The person involved with the current situation must experience discomfort and dissatisfaction. He should be aware of the dimensions of this disease and its effects on quality of life.
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Sometimes the person continues to the current situation because he thinks that he will experience more discomfort in case of change. An alternative solution proposal should be well thought out, suitable for the person's capabilities and personality.
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Having a belief that the benefits of change will outweigh the harm will be effective in turning to change. He must believe that he will have no loss from the exchange or that his loss will be less than his gain.
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The person should make the decision to change and take responsibility for the change. Even if it is someone close to us, it is very difficult for a change to happen just because someone else wants it.
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The person may feel insecure and anxious because of this uncertainty. However, this is very normal. For this reason, this “new situation” should be defined as clearly as possible and focused on the benefits it will bring.
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One should be able to give a logical answer to the question why now. If he does not find the time suitable, he will not turn to change.
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If another pattern of habits is at the root of the current situation, not just an existing habit but a "group of habits" must change altogether. Therefore, a more holistic approach to the problem should be taken.
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Will the change affect only the individual or the people around him? As the number of people affected by the change increases, the difficulty of the change increases.
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“Why is change necessary now?” The question is also “why here?” also raises the question. The environment and the environment are elements that can make change easier or harder.
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The result of change should be a reward in itself. At the very least, one should perceive it as a reward. For example, for a person who wants to lose weight, the beautiful appearance of his body is a reward in itself, but in addition, the person may say that when I lose weight, I will receive or do this as a reward. However, if weakness is not accepted as a reward in itself, the reward loses its effect or weight can be regained if the reward is not obtained.
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According to scientific research, if people with strong intrinsic motivation are tried to be motivated through extrinsic rewards, their intrinsic motivation will deteriorate and then they will become dependent on the reward.
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The more a person has invested in maintaining his or her life order, the more difficult it will be to change. For example, for someone who wants to move to a new city, the fact that his current house belongs to him and all his friends live in this city is an important factor that will make it difficult for this wish to come true.
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Does the person have internal (skills) and external (material and spiritual) resources? If the person feels that he or she does not have the resources to make the change, he will not seek such a change.
2. Motivation Process for Change Phase
It is the stage where change takes place in action. The person has started to take the action of change and see the results. However, at the beginning of this process, doubts and concerns continue in one's mind. Situations that may occur in the person at this stage may be:
- The only way we can make the decision to make a change in the here and now is to create a sense of urgency for ourselves that we will have to watch. If change is to be made, the question has to be whether I can or will I do it. If we have conflicting feelings for change and we both want change and do not want it, we cannot act. Therefore, what needs to be done is to make the final decision to change and multiply our reasons as much as possible.
- Therefore, you can do a study first. First, divide a blank sheet of paper in the middle with a vertical line and write on the left why you need to change and the positive results of the change; on the right, make a chart by writing the negative consequences of not changing immediately.
- The first step in creating change is to decide exactly what you want to change and to what extent. The person should know that he has a roadmap in order to lead a change action and what he may encounter in the process. Having a systematized and phased “change plan” will increase a person's sense of security.
- The most important point that a good plan should have; it shows what, how, to what degree and when to change, and it is written down on paper. What exactly does the person want to change and to what extent? When does he want this? 3 months, 1 year, 3 years later, etc. What does it take to do this within this time limit, what tools can it use, and what steps can it take? What are the control points of this process?
- The first paradigm and belief that a person should acquire is the belief that he can change whenever and wherever he decides now. The second thing to have if you want to create long-term change is that no one but the person is responsible for the change.
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As long as the person sees the results of the change he has made, he will continue his effort for change. Seeing results is vital. If a person has started a regimen to lose weight, he should be able to see that he is getting weaker day by day. A person should see and feel that his new habit, even if it has certain difficulties, is making him better.
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This process is carried out by taking into account the control points determined within the change plan at hand. In other words, how many kilos will the person lose per month, how many hours he will run, etc. should know. And with each small change, the change should be supported with the help of positive conditioning.
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At certain stages of the change process, getting professional coaching that can guide him through this process will help him face the pains of change and prevent relapses. Or meeting with people who have gone through a similar process and having a dialogue with them will also help him.
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A second factor that creates difficulties in changing one's old habit is the secondary-side benefits that this habit provides to the person. For example, the habit of smoking may lead to the acceptance and approval of the person in the social environment. It is necessary to be aware of these side benefits and to eliminate them.
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A person should stay away from many elements of his former life. Clothes, objects, environment, etc. that remind him of the past. things should be avoided as much as possible. This is the critical point for the change phase. For example, if he likes coffee and smoking, and aims to quit smoking, it would be appropriate to stay away from coffee for a while as well as smoking.
3. Motivational Process for Refreezing Phase
In this final stage, one must make the change irreversibly. At the end of this process, what is desired is that the person starts to maintain his new order in a way that does not change and to see it as an unchanging part of his life. After this point, the person has made it a habit and internalized it. The person got rid of his old habits, attitudes and behaviors and created a new thought-emotion-behavior pattern in himself. Situations that may occur in the person at this stage may be:
- At what stage is the change plan in the hands of the person? Are there deviations, should the plan be revised? At this stage, change needs to be transformed into a permanent attitude and habit. In order for a habit to be acquired and to create new connections in the brain, it must be repeated as much as possible. The more intense and continuous this new situation is experienced, the more permanent connections will be established in the brain. In addition, according to research, 21 days are needed for a new behavior to become a habit. That is, the behavior or attitude needs to be repeated in the same way every day for 21 days.
- Before this last stage ends, it would be appropriate for a person to stay away from objects, environments and people that will remind him of the past. Only one can decide internally whether this is necessary or not.
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This process is when the question marks in the head end and the effects of the decision he made begin to be seen permanently. He can now take the basic and important decisions in his life according to this new order and make long-term plans.
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This new life style and new habits that the person has in this process should be satisfying at a level that does not equal the old ones. Sometimes even the existence of this situation as a new alternative will fill the void of the old and make it difficult for the person to return.
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Positive conditioning is an important point in making behavior and habits permanent. Here, in conditioning, the reward should be given immediately after the positive behavior. The point to be noted is that it is not given in standard amounts and every time (as this can lead to habituation and ultimately insensitivity). This should happen with the smallest changes, not just at the end of the third stage, when the change is fully experienced. In addition, the intrinsic-extrinsic motivation structure should be taken into account and it should be remembered that extrinsic rewards should not be used for a person with strong intrinsic motivation.
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At the end of the process, it is necessary to test whether the new habit has become permanent. Thus, at least with a controlled trial, for example, starting to drink coffee or meeting with friends in smoking environments, as in the example of smoking. It can be understood whether a new habit has been gained or not with the shapes. If there is a negative result, it should be reviewed where the mistake was made in the process and the change process should be started again from that point.
e-motivation.net team
The Best Quotations About Change
The Best Quotations About Change
