Inertia

Do you have people around you that hate change, no matter what the benefit of that change is likely to be?  Are you such a person?  Oreg (2003) looked at resistance to change, and suggested six reasons why someone might be predisposed to resist change.  Such a person might be afraid to lose control, might [...]

Process in the Workplace

I am working on a research paper right now that looks at several aspects of organizational communication, and one of the things that I say in that paper is that these aspects must be considered as a process rather than an event.  I think this is relevant for you, regardless of what aspect of organizational [...]

Dealing with New People on the Job, Part 2

In my last post, I explained how frustrating it can be for new people to hear, “this is the way we’ve always done it.”  There’s another side to that issue—there may be logical reasons why you’ve always done it this way.  Giving new people enough freedom to fail may seem like “setting them up,” but [...]

Dealing with New People on the Job, Part 1

As new people join your organization, one of the worst things they can hear is “this is the way we’ve always done it.”  New people can bring new life into worn-out routines.  Don’t let your expectations force new people to do things the way everyone else does them.  Change can be scary, but the benefits [...]

Starting a New Job

When you begin a new job, there is a natural period of adjustment or “socialization” as you get used to the new organization and they get used to you.  Being yourself in interviews and the early days of your job can help this process tremendously.  One other thing that can help is to remember that [...]