We all have to deal with change as part of what we do. But as with so many things we all deal with, change comes in waves. There are periods of greater change which increases our sensitivity to it, and periods where it’s lower where we almost longingly look forward to something a little different. A person’s response to change depends as much on how much change they’ve experienced lately as their typical tolerance for change.
Take someone who is highly open to change. Now subject that person to two years of uncertainty, worry, and constant change. No matter how open they are to change, at the end of the two years, this person is going to be either looking for a way out of this environment or seeking anything to keep more change from happening.
The human fight or flight condition is a highly evolved trait. We are conditioned to avoid situations which impact our safety. Stress and change can rise to that level when we subject people to it long enough.
Now, let’s take this same person and put them in a group where some are more or less open to change. Subject this group to two years of change conditions, you will find that they are closer in tolerance to the most change sensitive members. Even people open to change will adopt change-averse traits to protect the rest of the group.
To continue moving forward with any change, you need to understand this environment that the business is working through. It’s part cultural, it’s part temporary sensitivity. Individuals make up a component but the group makes up just as much.