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A structure for navigating the icy waters of change

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A structure for navigating the icy waters of change

So, ice baths. They sound like torture to me! But apparently there’s a valid argument for this bizarre concept and it relates well to the way we manage change… 

The cold therapy trend is clearly a popular one, with the first electric cryotherapy chamber having recently opened in the UK for people to enjoy regular sessions at -120c!

I wanted to understand what would possess people to expose themselves to these icy blasts or choose to stand shivering under a chilly shower for increasing periods of time.

 

Stimulated by stressors

Turns out it’s all about hormesis – these ‘positive stressors’ enable us to push beyond our comfort levels and adapt to change. With the right intensity, a stressor can make us physically and mentally stronger and healthier, and primed for a deeper impact on the next exposure. 

It’s interesting how this icy analogy can be likened to the way we build psychological flexibility, not only to face personal challenges but also the continual change we experience at work. 

 

A chilly approach to workplace change 

From preventing injury to improving mental health, cold therapy offers plenty of ways to build resilience. Which is something that goes a long way to preparing for and adapting to change!

Kurt Lewin’s change model has been around for decades yet it holds true today as an effective framework for aiding employees’ ability to adapt. The three distinct phases break down those iceberg sized change chunks into more manageable stages.

 

Phase one: Unfreeze

Firstly we ‘melt the ice’ to make it open to change and create motivation. This first part of the process is usually the most difficult and stressful – something new and different is coming so we’ll need to brace ourselves. Like the moment we plunge into that icy water for the very first time, we’re preparing for future challenges and teaching ourselves to stay calm under pressure.

While we won’t be pouring a giant freezing bath for employees to hop into, as comms pros, there are some things we can do to help them prepare for change: 

  • Create and share a compelling message about why the change has to happen despite the discomfort we may be feeling. 
  • Emphasise the “why”, communicating the vision in terms of the change required.
  • Remain open to employees’ concerns, listen attentively, and address their issues in terms of the need to change.

 


Phase two: Change 

With a few frosty showers under our belts, we’re feeling energised and our resilience is building. We’re starting to work with the change and tiptoe towards our new ways of working and being. We’re feeling physically and mentally able to start resolving those initial uncertainties, beginning to believe and act in ways that support the new direction.

As comms pros we can help to maintain momentum and avoid slipping back into the warm waters of familiarity by: 

  • Explaining how the changes will continue to affect everyone and how we intend to navigate through the discomfort of them
  • Staying ahead of rumours and dispelling them – answer questions honestly, deal with problems openly, and relate the need for change back to operational necessities.
  • Empowering people by involving them in the process, where appropriate, and providing line managers with the tools they need to give day-to-day direction.

 


Phase three: Refreeze 

This final stage of the change involves ‘refreezing and embedding’ into our new state. Having practiced our icy dunking to perfection, we’re primed for a fresh new beginning, and feeling ready to deal with the days ahead. As seasoned experts, we’ve become the winning Wim Hofs of the workplace!

With a greater sense of clarity and stability now, people have embraced the new ways of working and are feeling comfortable with the latest BAU. To firmly anchor these changes into the organisation’s culture, comms pros can support by communicating clearly about the new state, and how the changes are being incorporated into the everyday.

We can also help by:

  • Ensuring leadership support and keeping the SLT visible as they role model the new behaviours that support the change.
  • Maintaining feedback systems and keeping two-way lines of communication open.
  • Celebrating successes big and small to demonstrate how people are working through the discomfort and winning! 

 

Confronting change with confidence 

Facing change means stepping away from the comforting warmth of familiarity. But by building our resilience to prepare for what’s to come we can thaw the frosty thoughts that hold us back. 

“If we always choose comfort, we never learn the deepest capabilities of our mind or body. It is moments like this that we need to face our fears. The best way to have such a moment is to gradually confront the fear and approach it in a way that is both exciting and inspiring. You have to be decisive and physically prepared to do your best. After that, little by little, you will see progress.” | Wim (The Iceman) Hof

 

By Caroline Roodhouse for Alive! 

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Jo Hobbs — Communications Manager

“Thanks for all your help. We are delighted with the campaign, both in terms of the creativity and messaging but also the thought taken over the rollout of the materials. All looks absolutely fabulous!”

Sarah Crowdy — Campaign and Media Officer Communications, South East Water

“We went to ‘Alive’ for ideas on how to run a specific employee program in Europe. Alan and his team were brilliant in coming up with fresh, creative and practical approaches. The team took charge and executed brilliantly. We are pleased with the progress made so far and hope to have the same level of partnership and commitment going forward.”

Sobha Varghese — Tata Consultancy Services

“Alive helped us create a video of our response to the floods of winter 2019. Our Chief Officer received messages from all round the country praising us for it and was really pleased with both the video and the response to it.”

Alexander Mills, Communications Manager — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“We had the privilege to work with the Alive team. It was our first time to be involved in creating an animation for our patients within paediatrics. The team were approachable, friendly, creative and very accommodating. Your vision for what you want to create, is at all times acknowledged, appreciated and accommodated by the team. They worked effectively and with great passion towards our project and worked not only alongside health professionals but also our patients who really enjoyed the experience of working with the Alive team. It has given our team the confidence and inspiration to do further projects in the future. We highly recommend Alive and their exceptional team.”

DR ELENI ATHANASAKOS, Lead Paediatric Clinical Scientist — NHS Barts Health

“‘The short animation developed in co-production with clinicians and young people is outstanding! Informative, developmentally appropriate, vitally fun and engaging. We are really grateful for the expertise of the Alive with Ideas team for their innovative approach in building children’s health literacy.'”

Kath Evans — Director of Children’s Nursing at Barts Health

“Our mission was to update our brand visuals to better reflect our innovative and forward-thinking organisation. After receiving numerous pitches from different branding agencies, Alive stood out with their clear passion and understanding of our identity and goals. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the Alive Team to create an engaging new brand that we are immensely proud of.”

Lianne Springer — Communications and Engagement Lead

“Alive wowed us during the pitch process and they didn’t stop wowing us throughout the whole project. Every person we worked with at Alive were so friendly, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about what they do. They have worked with us to really understand what we do and have created a new brand and website that really stands out from our competitors. Thank you!”

Louise Burnard, Head of Marketing and Communications UK — Be | Shaping the Future

“I think the team have done such a brilliant job, particularly with responding to our requests. It's one of the best mental health videos I've ever seen. Very proud to be associated with your exemplary work. Thank you so much.”

Dr Anna Batho — Clinical Psychologist – Critical Care, UCLH

“We have worked with Alan, Caroline and the wider Alive With Ideas team for many years. In that time, they have provided a dedicated service that is second to none. We appreciate their attention to detail and creative approach to bringing our brand, communications and stories to life. And would recommend them to anyone looking for creative communications support.”

Georgia Beech — Internal Communications Specialist, Ocado Group

“This is brilliant. I wanted to give my heartfelt thanks to all of the team who worked on this. You all understood exactly what we wanted to communicate and why, and then managed to do it in a way that was far better than anything I could have imagined. I’m a bit choked up to be honest!”

Sarah Wright, Head of Communications and Campaigns — NEA

“Each time I work with the team, I am always stunned at the effort and creativity that goes into each detail and am always eager for the end result. The team is extremely accommodating and always provide a fresh approach to our projects that elevates our communications materials!”

Alana Khaytin, Communications Specialist — Braskem America

“What I really appreciate about Alive is that they work with us as partners, and care as much about getting it right for our patients as we do.”

Sara Langston, Patient Engagement & Marketing Manager — italk

“Alive are unique in how much they deeply listen and invest in you and your ideas. I have not come across a company that listens as much as they do to ensure your needs are understood and met (actually - they always exceed my needs and expectations). Everyone I recommend Alive to has an equally brilliant experience. When you work with Alive, you are not only getting some genius creativity brought into your life, you are also hanging out with some of the best examples of human beings I’ve ever known.”

Steph Tranter, Hybrid Exec Coach & Psychologist — StephTranter.com

“The (Alive) team were able to creatively pull together and document (in just over 2minutes) everything our service has achieved over the last few months, from thousands of prescriptions deliveries to hundreds of phone calls made to the vulnerable. The final product was so powerful and reflective of what our service has and continues to achieve. It couldn’t have been better received within the service – thanks Alive for once again helping us to communicate our vision!’”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire & Rescue

“We worked with the team at Alive to create our staff recognition video.
At a time like this, its never been more important to share the amazing work that our staff have done and continue to do on a daily basis under very difficult circumstances. We wanted to shout about this and recognise that when the time came, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue stepped up to the plate. We didn’t want an ordinary thank you post on social media or a basic email sent out internally, we wanted something special. Enter Alive. ”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“Our company is fun, we have great brands, but most importantly we’re all about our people – and I wanted an agency who would understand that and help us bring it to life through our website and other comms. Straight away I felt that Alive ‘got’ us and provided the creative inspiration exactly where we needed it, as well as the technical expertise to deliver a well-functioning website.”

Keren McCarron, Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications — KP Snacks

“Boom!
Thank you so much. Incredible work done at incredible speed by incredible people.
Outstanding work as ever and what a turnaround. As for the concepts – wow. These are that good it would be an insult to describe them as just good. It’s a joke, quite frankly. This is exactly the Alive effect I was after. Right now I feel like I am living in an Alive With Ideas wonderland. Thank you!”

Jack Grasby, Campaigns Manager — SYFR

“If you are looking to improve creativity and build teamwork, I highly recommend a session like this for your team. No matter where you are in your creativity journey, a workshop like this can give your team a boost of energy and ideas to invigorate their creative thinking.”

Amy Lilja, IC Manager — Hennepin Healthcare

“Alive were there to help when we were working every hour to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. They gave us the creativity, ideas and support we needed to deliver campaigns which empowered our residents in the most difficult time most of us have ever seen, personally and professionally. The team understood what we needed, worked closely with us and delivered fast without any compromise on quality. Working with Alive has been a joy in the darkest of times and I have no doubt will have helped to save lives. Thanks team x”

Julie Odams, Assistant Director of Communications & Customers — Derbyshire County Council

“We got 'Alive' involved to help us shift mindsets across our organisation and they delivered! Using simple, clear and creative ideas the team have delivered us a campaign which has seen a dramatic increase in idea sharing and development. They’ve also played a significant role in creating a culture of shared success. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with again, in fact, we already are!”

Gavin Buckle — B&Q
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