Talking About Transformation
Reframing

BY Bill Staubi, Director General, Performance Management

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This is the first of Bill Staubi’s regular columns on change-management issues. Before moving to National Headquarters, he began his career in New Brunswick as a community parole officer and a unit manager at Dorchester Penitentiary. Bill enjoys the opportunity to share the knowledge he gained while earning his MBA at Queen’s University, and the experience he gained through working with diverse groups of people inside and outside CSC. The ideas for these columns come from questions and comments Bill has heard from staff about the idea of CSC’s “transformation.”

Whenever there is major change, those in charge want you to be “on side.” How can I do that if I think things are fine the way they are?

Every idea is contained within a frame of reference. The idea fits within a model of operating that seems efficient, or it fits within a tradition we value, or a set of objectives we want to reach.

The idea for change is surrounded by these other ideas, much like a painting is surrounded by its frame. When we change the frame on a painting, the painting stays the same, but now the painting fits a lot better in our environment. We can do the same thing with change.

That sounds like a variation of being told to just find a way to make it work. Are you asking me to talk myself into accepting a change I don’t see as necessary?

Quite the contrary. Reframing isn’t about fooling yourself, or anyone else for that matter. It is about looking for the opportunity in a change situation to do something that is important to you.

Can you give me an example?

Sure. I can give you an example of that. A staff member once objected to learning interviewing skills because he was comfortable that other staff were doing that and he didn’t particularly feel a need to be part of another team.

Through discussing the reasons for change with his manager, the employee was able to reframe the request: learning this skill could help in preventing future victims. The staff member could comfortably put this frame around the idea of interviewing. The person still liked things the way they had been, but could now see a value to the proposed change that enabled him to give it a sincere try.  ♦