MANAGING THE METAPHORS OF CHANGE

Anyone who has ever heard the phrase, ''If it ain't broke, don't fix it,'' knows the impact metaphorical language can have on how people think and act. Yet very few managers are aware of the ''picture words'' they use in communicating with employees, nor do they sense the subtle ways such language influences others. Such awareness is especially important during a period of organizational change, when management needs to ''communicate a picture'' of where the company is headed. In this article, the author describes four different types of change: (1) fix and maintain, (2) build and develop, (3) move and relocate, or (4) liberate and recreate. When communicating with employees, managers need to synchronize the language with the type of change being made. The art of ''managing the metaphors of change'' means that managers should choose words that communicate on various levels: conscious and unconscious, rational and emotional, and analytic and intuitive. The creative and constructive use of symbolic language systems is a critical leadership competency says the author.