"Each of these shifts makes it harder for people to do their jobs. The science is clear: people do best at work when their environment is predictable, when they have some sense of control over their immediate surroundings, when they are part of a stable set of relationships, when they feel connected to place and ritual, and when the point of their efforts is readily apparent to them."

https://hbr.org/2024/07/creating-stability-is-just-as-important-as-managing-change

Creating Stability Is Just as Important as Managing Change

When we think about change at work today, we tend to assume its inevitability and focus our attention on how to manage it — what methods and processes and technology and communication we need to put in place to have it move ahead more smoothly. Of course, some change is necessary, and some is inevitable. But not all of it. What the scientific literature on predictability, agency, belonging, place, and meaning suggests is that before we think about managing change, we should consider the conditions that people need at work in order to be productive. In this article, the author explains why we should cultivate a renewed appreciation for the virtues of stability, together with an understanding of how to practice “stability management.”

Harvard Business Review
@mweagle This all makes so much sense. I never saw a re-org or transformation at AWS that didn’t result in at least six months of stress, churn, and uncertainty. 😕
@web_goddess Same. And it takes time to re-establish predictability, agency, stability, and routine…That period is usually longer than desired, which can mean another re-org to "shake things up" again. 😞

@mweagle I think this applies to daily work too. One of the biggest stressors in many jobs such as food service is not knowing your work schedule more than a week ahead.

I’ve also worked in a place where stability was valued and work results were outstanding. A new manager came in and made lots of changes without communicating why. The manager also procrastinated on setting upcoming schedules, further increasing uncertainty in the day-to-day. Morale dropped like a rock, and people started to leave and/or check out.

Thanks for this article. It helped crystallize my thoughts on what the main problems were with that manager’s approach.

@mweagle @tychotithonus TFW Harvard Bisiness Review validates everything you spent two years saying with no one listening.