Change is generally not an easy thing to deal with. It’s even more challenging when it comes to the workplace. This is simply because when one is used to the routine, schedule, and a certain way of carrying out their daily activities, it generates a feeling of comfort which becomes hard to shift to another way of working in case there is need to. However, change is inevitable and necessary; the only way out is to embrace it. Nearly every organisation or enterprise goes through change at some point. For them to be enable to manoeuvre through these changes, experts say implementation largely depends on all employees and managers. According to Dr Opiyo Andala, the Dean, School of Education at Mount Kenya University, through regulatory bodies like Higher Education Commission (HEC), knowing how to create important change or welcome change is necessary for any employee. Change motivates employees to become better-rounded individuals. Net photo. He believes that learning how to communicate to your people about the changes is the way to go. Andala says when we embrace change, not only in the workplace but in other areas of life; it helps promote the flexibility part of it. He says it also promotes the development of new skills, noting that this is even better because it breaks the monotony where people are used to doing the same thing repeatedly. “Embracing new things will help one learn how to do it successfully and may even develop a mastery of these new skills and duties,” he says. Eventually, he adds, it helps everyone at the company become better-rounded, talented individuals. As the world moves to adapt fluidly, so should individuals. Jean de Dieu Musengimana, an ICT teacher based in Bugesera District explains that if this doesn’t happen, such rigid work environments may hinder or impede new ideas from cropping up. He says that it’s ideal to understand that products and practices that are relevant today might be irrelevant tomorrow; therefore, embracing any change at your workplace is very crucial. Musengimana adds that change allows people to rise, explaining that the most valuable people at an organisation are those who can continually develop alternative approaches and strategies to the various challenges they face. While it might be hard for any individual, he says meeting new people with fresh ideas may help one look at work processes and work approaches in a new light. “You can also use your experience to welcome new people into the field and to collaborate with them, merging existing practices with new ones,” he says. The change also encourages friendly competition. Here, Musengimana explains that often, changes, either in management or personal encourage everyone in the company to step up their own performance so that they do not appear to be falling behind. Also, experts believe that friendly competition and an internal drive to elevate employees to peak-performance levels can help with boosting their career; therefore, the key is to embrace new challenges rather than fighting them. Meanwhile, Kigali-based mentor Emile Musabyimana believes that changes often come with updated policies and procedures and one can get this opportunity to discover things they didn’t know before, yet they are crucial in this digital world. He says the shift often translates to an opportunity for those willing to embrace it. Other types of change, he says, such as reorganisation or mergers can create new positions, new divisions or departments, or an opportunity to create a new job title. Ways to adapt Whether you gladly embrace change or want to learn anything different, when things move in the workplace, your only options are to assimilate or be miserable. Therefore, considering these tips below is essential. Don’t dismiss new ideas or processes just because they are new; make an effort to give change an honest try. Be willing to jump in and take risks. The old adage, nothing ventured nothing gained applies here. Don’t be a naysayer. If you actively fight change or encourage dissent among the ranks, you will find the struggle is twice as hard. When change is on the horizon, stretch yourself professionally. You may find an opportunity for your own personal and professional evolution.
