New Employment: The Change Model
Sylvia Mills, Ph.D.
When you move from a known situation to an unfamiliar situation
there are several implications that change will have on your level
of functioning; your self concept and your sense of identity. Some
of these include the change from feeling confident of knowing what
you are doing to a lack of knowledge about this particular situation.
Whereas normally you are competent, you may feel incompetent with
some of the new tasks or knowledge involved.
Expectations you may have previously established about how other
people relate to you or how a job will progress are changed and
instead of being certain of what you are doing you may feel uncertain.
Even routines that were well known may now no longer be applicable
to the new tasks and you are faced with restructuring your expectations
of what you do and how you relate. This means having flexibility
is a plus.
Set attitudes will bump up against aspects of the new culture.
It takes flexibility to adjust and learn how to fit the expectations
inherent in the new culture you are entering. No longer is your
world a familiar one. Although, people may be just as pleasant and
the job just as rewarding as your previous situation, it feels strange
to lose all the old competent efficiencies you developed over time
in your previous situation. If you liked your old colleagues you
will miss their friendship and no matter how pleasant the new colleagues
are to you they are still strangers at first and you have to learn
who you can trust and who you can rely on to gossip or criticize.
It is a challenge to become the one who needs to ask for information
rather than the one able to give he information.
Confidence
Competence
Certainty
Routine
Set Expectations
Familiarity
Known Culture
Friends Around You
Giving help
Discriminating
Trusting
Incompetence
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Lack of Knowledge
Uncertainty
Unstructured Time
Need for Flexibility
Strangeness
Unknown Culture
Strangers
Needing Help
Lacking a Basis for Discrimination
Unsure Who is Trustworthy |
Rate yourself on these criteria as to how hard or easy it is for
you to adapt to particular kinds of changes. Some people find task
changes easy to learn and new relationships difficult, others like
to meet new people but hate changes in routine and organization.
Remember: invest most energy on the aspects of the changes that
are hardest for you. If you tackle the hardest elements first you
will adapt more easily and successfully.
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