Last week we discussed some basic process considerations for
leaders during a change event. Namely,
leaders should develop skills to address negativity in the work environment
resulting from a change. That entry
touched on the notion that leaders have a responsibility to provide as much
reassurance as possible to restore workplace stability and to quell concerns
and uncertainty. Who would have thought
that one of key characteristics of effective leadership would be to demonstrate
comfort and compassion? But then again,
how else would leaders encourage a stable, safe working environment if not by
anticipating and dealing with emotional reactions to change or any other
workplace issue. This week, let’s talk
about just how important this is.
Recently, I was invited to speak at a session on Change
Management. In preparation for the
session, I received materials the facilitators were using in the class. One article that caught my eye was based on
the SCARF model founded by David Rock, CEO of Result Coaching Systems and
author of SCARF: a brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing
others (Rock, 2008). This model asserts
that five particular domains elicit specific human reactions: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and
Fairness (Rock, p.1, 2008). These
domains have scientifically been proven to manifest human sensations of
“threat” or “reward” (Rock, 2008).
Another study was even more provoking in demonstrating that Social
Pain and Physical Pain both trigger the same areas of the brain (Lieberman
& Eisenberg, 2008). This latter
study was complete with diagrams of the brain during social and physical pain
experiments (attached below for you). Think about it: the type of discomfort associated with stress in the workplace, negative workplace dynamics, and tension stimulate the same neural reactions as physical pain. It would seem to me that this is an important piece of information for those of us interested in leadership and especially if we are also interested in creating a change, which we know will cause discomfort, stress, and eventually the social pain we’ve just been talking about.
It is obvious why it is important for leaders to know about
this. Not only does this help us
understand the potential impact and byproducts of change initiatives, this
information is useful in our dealings with people on an individual level. The learning here is about how to tackle
matters – whether in a group or individually – in a way that provides
certainty, comfort, and no threat. It
makes sense to us to steer away from situations encouraging a negative
environment, but if we know even the most benign suggestion of a threat destabilizes
the workplace, how can we even focus on getting the business done at the same
time as these experiences are affecting staff?
Rock (2008) says that leadership awareness of these research
findings is the first step. I’ve just
glossed over the SCARF model, and if you read the articles I refer to in this
blog in depth, you’ll see that all five SCARF domains
intersect and are relevant, and that it is more than just social and physical
pain being neurologically connected. However, it is the concept of “pain” that really stuck out for me. Who, as a leader, wants to know that they are causing pain? We can take comfort in knowing that according to Rock (2008), awareness is the first step. However, knowing about this neurological factor is one thing – doing something about it is another thing.
What do you think of this topic? Have you seen this played out in your
workplace? How do you create a safe,
comforting work environment when you are leading change?
Below, I’ve provided citations for the two articles I referred to in
this blog for those of you motivated to learn more about SCARF.
Have a great week!
Rock, D.
(2008) SCARF: a brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others,
NeuroLeadership Journal , 1(1),
296-320.
Lieberman & Eisenberg (2008). The pains and pleasures of social life, NewuroLeadership Journal, Edition
1.
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