A monthly column by David Noer, Frank S. Holt Jr. Professor of Business Leadership, was published in the Sunday, June 3 edition of the Greensboro News & Record.
Noer’s column discussed his joint research work with Kerry Bunker of the Center for Creative Leadership. The research summarized four ways people respond to change and transition to the challenge of serving as Triad community leaders. The four responses to change are:
• The “Bluffer” response—high comfort with change, low capacity for change. The challenge for this type of response is to help bluffers engage in diagnostic learning before jumping into action.
• The “Overwhelmed” response—low comfort with change, low capacity for change. Those with this response to change are depressed and sad. They require symptom relief.
• The “Entrenched” response—low comfort with change, high capacity for change. The entrenched know how to change and cope but find new behavioral patterns difficult. They are angry, blaming, and frustrated. They require strong leadership, encouragement and role modeling.
• The “Learning” response—high capacity for change, high comfort with change. These are the people who are found on all the committees, task forces and change efforts. They are in short supply and subject to over-commitment and burn-out.