How to Embrace Complex Change

丹妮斯·王觉得已经真正把伦敦当成家了。她有份很棒的工作——一家英国消费品公司营销负责人；有支持她的丈夫菲尔，他在一家国际咨询公司工作；还有两个女儿，一个10岁，一个8岁，之前3年在家附近同一所学校就读。一家人有好朋友，还接待一个优秀的互惠生，他们也经常和菲尔在比利时的父母来往。

Denise Wang felt settled in her life in London. She had a great job as the divisional marketing chief at a UK-based consumer goods company; a supportive husband, Phil, who was a partner in an international consultancy; and two daughters, eight and 10, who had for the previous three years attended the same school in their neighborhood. The family had good friends and an excellent au pair, and Phil’s Belgian parents were able to visit, and host them, frequently.

据但丹妮斯（为保护隐私，这里使用化名）得到的一个消息打破了平静的生活。她的公司正寻找合适人选来领导其扩张中的新加坡业务。这是她一直想要的那种工作。她曾在新加坡工作12年（在那遇到的菲尔），仍有深厚人脉。夫妻俩一直说有一天要回去。现在是时候了吗？她和她的家庭能适应这一重大变化吗？

But then Denise (whose name was changed to protect her privacy) heard some news that disrupted that idyll. Her company was looking for someone to lead its expanding Singapore office. It was the type of role she had always wanted. She’d worked in the Asian city-state for 12 years—that’s where she and Phil had met—and still had a strong network there. The couple had always talked about going back someday. Had the time come? Could she and her family effectively manage such a significant change?

对于事业心强、有才干的跨国企业高管，重大职业变动是生活的一部分：他们总会承担新职责、加入新公司、进入新行业或改变工作地点；也总需要适应新技术、新同事、新战略以及新的思维和行为方式。

For ambitious, talented executives working in dynamic global businesses, big career transitions—to new roles, organizations, industries, or geographic locations—are a fact of life. So is the need to constantly adapt to new technologies, work groups, strategies, and ways of thinking and behaving.

但即便是丹妮斯这样的资深职场人士，也感到很难适应这些重大变化。问题通常出在心理上：他们担心无法胜任新角色。有时亲人是障碍：伴侣或孩子不喜欢新的工作安排或地点。问题也可能涉及同事，例如在新团队受排挤。

And yet even seasoned professionals like Denise find personal change difficult. Often the problem is internal—they worry they’re not up to the new tasks. Sometimes loved ones are the stumbling block—a spouse or a child doesn’t like the idea of a different work schedule or a relocation. Or the issue could be colleagues—for example, when a new arrival isn’t welcomed by the team.

有些人能相对容易克服这些困难，但根据笔者几十年的MBA教学和高管辅导经验，大多数人都做不到。管理学研究者针对组织变革提出了很多理论，对企业助益良多。但涉及个人职业变动，并没有可靠的指导原则，很多领导者仍面临困境。因此笔者设计了一套思考框架，帮助管理者度过职业转型难关。这个框架包含7个步骤，笔者称之为“7C”：

Although some people can overcome such challenges with relative ease, I’ve learned in decades of teaching MBA students and coaching executives that most of us can’t. Management researchers have a lot to say about the best way to approach organizational change, and companies have put their advice to good use. But when it comes to personal transitions, there is no blueprint for success, and many leaders still struggle. So I’ve developed a framework for thinking about change. It involves navigating through what I call the Seven C’s:

• 复杂（Complexity）——考虑职业调整带来的所有问题
• 清晰（Clarity）——理清问题并按重要性排序
• 信心（Confidence）——相信职业调整能够成功
• 创意（Creativity）——通过头脑风暴寻找新解决方案
• 投入（Commitment）——开始调整，采取最初步骤
• 巩固（Consolidation）——告别旧身份，接受新身份
• 改变（Change）——投入新生活并接受其结果
• Complexity—considering all the issues at play in a change effort
• Clarity—understanding and prioritizing those issues
• Confidence—believing that the change can be made successfully
• Creativity—brainstorming innovative solutions to problems that arise
• Commitment—taking the first steps to implement the change
• Consolidation—leaving the previous identity to adopt the new one
• Change—living into the change and its consequences

笔者见证了这套方法对丹妮斯和其他情况类似的人起的作用。例如乔，他离开一家澳大利亚咨询公司，到中国创建非政府组织，后又转到香港；卡洛琳，一位有多地工作经历的管理者，通过从事公开演讲提升自己在行业的地位；梅丽莎，已婚并有一对两岁的双胞胎，决定从西班牙搬到美国继续打拼；戴夫，一位生活辗转的公司高管，在35岁时决心组建家庭。

I’ve seen this approach work for Denise and others in similar circumstances: Joe, who left an Australian consultancy to start an NGO in China and later moved to Hong Kong; Caroline, a well-traveled manager who learned to embrace public speaking so that she could continue to rise through the ranks in her industry; Melissa, a married mother of two-year-old twins who decided she wanted to move from Spain to the United States to continue her career; and Dave, an executive who gave up a nomadic lifestyle to settle down and start a family at age 35.

这些人都经历了某些事，感到需要做出改变。这可能是好事，也可能是坏事，可能由外部触发，也可能来自内心——例如收到工作邀请或得病，对新事物产生兴趣或对现有工作感到无聊，等等。一旦新方向确立、改变完全实现，调整过程即告完成。

The process is set in motion by an event that demands change. That event could be positive or negative, spurred by external factors or self-initiated—an unsolicited job offer or an illness, a new interest or boredom with a current position. The process is complete when a different direction has been established and the change is fully realized.

复杂

Complexity

丹妮斯听说新加坡的工作时，想到了一堆问题：她想要这份工作吗？能得到吗？能做好吗？这将怎样影响她的职业发展？公司内外有无其他值得考虑的机会？菲尔和两个女儿会怎么想？搬家和职位变动会怎样影响她和他们的关系？她和家人是否会喜欢在亚洲生活？

When Denise heard about the Singapore job, it sparked multiple questions in her mind. Did she want it? Could she get it? Would she succeed in it? How would it affect her career? Were there other opportunities within or outside her company that she should also consider? What would Phil and the girls think? How would a move and a new role change her relationship with them? Would she and they enjoy living in Asia?

要考虑的问题太多，她很是头大。相似情况下的很多管理者都有同样感受。有些人的处理方式是把问题简单化，结果要么维持现状（这会阻碍发展），要么忽略职业变动带来的问题，让做决定更容易些（这不一定更明智）。这两种应对方式都是消极的。要想职业调整成功，你首先要完全接受其中的复杂性。你应独立思考、与相关人谈话并寻求第三方建议，仔细列出所有变量。

She felt overwhelmed by the number of variables to consider. Most executives in her situation feel the same way. Some respond by seeking simplicity and, as a result, either revert to the stable status quo (which stunts growth) or ignore problematic aspects of the change to make the decision easier (but not necessarily wiser). Both coping mechanisms are counterproductive. To kick off a successful change effort, you must embrace its complex dynamics. Take careful inventory of all the factors at play by thinking about them on your own, talking to affected parties, and seeking third-party counsel.

丹妮斯和上司及一位专业顾问讨论了这次工作机会，与父母（在她10岁时从纽约搬到香港）和菲尔讨论家庭问题。他们谈到，这次变动不仅会影响菲尔和两个女儿，也会影响菲尔的父母，他们已经习惯了经常见到孙女。丹妮斯给新加坡的朋友打电话咨询住房和学校。同事、家人和朋友都帮助她理解，这次变动对她和她身边的人意味着什么，无论是工作还是生活上。

Denise discussed the job opportunity with her boss and a professional coach and explored the family implications with Phil and her parents (who had moved from New York to Hong Kong when she was 10). They talked about how the move would affect not only him and the girls but also Denise’s in-laws, who’d grown accustomed to seeing their grandchildren. Denise called her contacts in Singapore for advice about housing and schools. Taken together, colleagues, family, and friends all helped her grasp what the change might mean for her and those around her, personally and professionally.

清晰

Clarity

你必须完全理解、梳理所有要素，并按重要性排序，这样才能减轻复杂性带来的焦虑。你越清楚什么对你最重要，你就越不会焦虑、头脑越清晰。为此，你不仅要独自深入思考，也要与合适的外部顾问沟通探讨，尤其是能够抛开成见和偏好来倾听、帮助你客观衡量利弊的人。

You have to fully understand, organize, and prioritize all the factors to reduce your anxiety about them. The clearer you are about what’s most important to you, the less anxious you feel, and the easier it is to find even greater clarity. This task requires deep reflection along with conversations with the right external resources. You should rely on people in your network who will listen without judgment and will set aside their own preferences and biases to help you weigh the pros and cons of the change.

通过与顾问、可信任的朋友和同事讨论，丹妮斯意识到这份新工作可能让她真正取得职业突破，对她来说，这比伦敦安逸的家庭生活更重要。新职位让人心动。她需要了解更多情况，也必须和菲尔沟通，确保这次变动不会对家庭造成影响。而她已确定自己想要接受挑战。她清楚自己要的是什么，因此能够集中注意力。

Through conversations with her coach and trusted friends and colleagues, Denise realized that this job was her chance to make a real difference in her career—something that she valued more than the ease of family life in London. The position sounded fabulous. She would need to learn more about it and certainly to negotiate with Phil to ensure that a move would work for the family, but she knew she wanted to take the plunge. Clarity about her own desire enabled her to shift her focus to them.

信心

Confidence

管理者必须一方面对适应变化有信心，一方面承认很多挑战不可预测也不可控。你需要适度的信心。太有信心，你可能忽略关键信息或新情况；缺乏信心，面对变化过程中必然遇到的困难，你可能手足无措。对自己是否有信心，这很大程度上由个人经历决定；但一些简单方法就能让你增强自信，如向他人求助、从小事入手解决问题，或设想成功前景等。笔者发现，乐观心态能带来正向能量，帮助管理者完成余下步骤。

An executive must feel capable of managing the change while realizing that many challenges can’t be predicted or controlled. You want just the right amount of confidence. Too much, and you risk missing key or newly emerging information. Too little, and you’ll be paralyzed in the face of the difficulties inherent in any change process. Belief in oneself is mostly conditioned by life history, but it can be facilitated by small actions, such as connecting with someone who offers personal support, resolving even minor problems associated with the change, or envisioning a successful outcome. I’ve found that this positive outlook is critical to maintaining the energy required for the remaining C’s in the cycle.

丹妮斯回想与上司和丈夫的讨论，这让她信心大增。他们都认为她已准备好迎接更大挑战。她中文很好，在公司总部和亚洲的分支机构人脉丰富。她联系了一些工作上的熟人，问他们觉得她能否胜任新加坡的工作。毕竟这是她在欧洲多年后重回亚洲，而且独立负责一个国家的业务，而不是做营销。反馈是正面的，让她感到能够胜任。再者，当初搬来伦敦时，菲尔答应她下一次重大工作/生活决策由她做主。他需要一些时间才能调到本公司新加坡办公室或找到新工作，女儿们学年结束前也要留在伦敦，但她确信大家都能接受暂时分开一段时间。她和菲尔此前也在外地工作过，所以互惠生已经习惯了他们不在时管家。

Denise bolstered her confidence by thinking about past conversations she’d had with her boss and her husband. Both thought she was ready for something bigger. She had strong Chinese-language skills and good relationships in Asia and in the home office. When she touched base with a few people in her network to ask if they thought she’d do well in Singapore after many years in Europe, and as a country head instead of a marketer, the feedback was positive. She felt qualified for the job. After the move to London, Phil had agreed that the next big work/life decision would be hers. And although he would need time to seek a transfer to his firm’s Singapore office or to find a new job, and the girls would have to stay in London for the rest of the school year, she was sure everyone could handle a geographic separation for a short period. She and Phil already traveled for work, so their au pair was accustomed to managing in their absence.

创意

Creativity

在成功的职业调整中，创意不可或缺。遇到问题时（无论处于哪个阶段、遇到的问题大或小，以及是否在预料之中），你必须找到有创造性而又务实的解决方法，借鉴曾用过的策略，也尝试新策略。你既需要向可信赖的人寻求建议，也要寻找具备相关经验的新朋友，与他们讨论你的想法并找出解决方案。

Innovation is key to any successful change effort. When confronted with problems—early or late, large or small, expected or unexpected—you must find creative but realistic solutions, adapting strategies used in the past and developing new ones. Again, look to trusted members of your network and seek out new contacts with relevant experience to test your ideas and help you generate solutions.

丹妮斯的工作申请收到了正面反馈；公司需要新加坡业务负责人立即上任。但她的行动还是引起了一些担忧。上司在为替代人选发愁。丹妮斯想起巴西办公室的一位同事一直想回伦敦，可能是合适人选，于是让上司和对方联系。丈夫觉得很难一边上班一边找工作，同时处理家事、照看孩子。丹妮斯决定向母亲求援，这是她以前从没做过的。两个女儿不确定想不想搬到别的国家，所以她向公司申请派一位搬迁专家，带一家人在新加坡寻找公寓和学校。她甚至组织了一次巴厘岛周末游，让大家放松、一起设想未来。

Denise put her hand up for the job and was given a warm reception; her company needed the new country manager to start right away. Still, her action prompted a host of concerns. Her boss was worried about who would replace her in the London office. But Denise remembered a colleague in her company’s Brazilian office who might be a good fit and wanted to move back to London anyway, so she put the two in touch. Her husband couldn’t imagine how he would do his current job, search for a new one, and handle more household and child care responsibilities. Denise decided to turn to her mother for help—something she’d never done before. Her girls were unsure about moving to a new country, so she asked the company to send the whole family to Singapore with a relocation expert who could help them look at apartments and schools. She even organized a weekend trip to Bali, where everyone could relax and envision the possibilities together.

投入

Commitment

一旦确定要采取一项现实、有利的行动，并尽最大努力完成它，你就需要彻底告别其他选项（包括逃避），勇往直前。这通常是最困难的一步，但不走这一步，你不会有任何改变。一些管理者告诉笔者，不要去想自己的决定对还是错，而把它看作一条不同的路，这样可能会有帮助。你已不是在权衡利弊或事后诸葛；你现在正努力做成这件事。

Once you’re ready to commit to a good, realistic course of action and implement it to the best of your ability, you need to close off other options—including escape—and move forward. This is often the hardest step, but there can be no change without it. Executives tell me it’s helpful to think about their decision not as right or wrong but as a different path. You’re no longer weighing the pros and cons of the decision or second-guessing it; you’re working to make it successful.

丹妮斯接受了新职位，开始在新加坡上班。菲尔开始与新加坡的熟人联系找工作。两个人都试着让孩子们喜欢上很快就要搬去的新住处（带游泳池！），以及明年要去的国际学校。随着家人开始投入新生活，丹妮斯可以集中精力做好新工作。由于菲尔和女儿们仍在伦敦，她计划在几周内深入了解整个区域，和核心同事建立联系。

Denise accepted the position and started work in Singapore. Phil began to talk to contacts about jobs there. Both tried to get the children excited about the apartment complex (with a swimming pool!) they would soon move to and the international French-language school they would attend the following year. With her family now also committed to the change, Denise could focus on performing well in her new role. Since Phil and the girls were still in London, she arranged an intense, weeks-long tour of the region to introduce herself to key colleagues.

巩固

Consolidation

在这个阶段，管理者需要告别往日生活，进一步发现新的可能性。随着不断适应新角色，你需要搁置甚至放弃之前的一部分身份。如果到了新公司后还用“我们”来指之前的公司，你就还没完全接受变化；“我们”应该指现在的团队。

This phase involves letting go of the previous situation so that new possibilities can arise. Some aspects of your old identity must be set aside or abandoned as you adapt. People at a new company who use “we” to refer to their former employer have not yet consolidated the change; “we” should mean the current team.

有些人度过这一阶段的方法是，把注意力放在得到而非失去的东西上。他们将改变视为成长，这让他们更接近“真实自我”；改变让他们看到新的可能性。令人惊讶的是，像熟悉的食物这类旧日生活的基石，可以帮助你在探索新身份的同时保持安定感。

Some individuals get through this stage by focusing not on what they’ve lost but on what they’ve gained. They regard change as developmental—something that brings them closer to a “true self” or to possibilities they might now achieve. Surprisingly, anchors in your past daily life—even as minor as familiar foods—may help provide a stable basis for safe experimentation with your new identity.

丹妮斯在新工作的头几个月中精疲力尽。她在亚洲各地飞来飞去，还频繁飞回伦敦，感到被两种生活撕扯着。代替她的同事未能胜任；菲尔和女儿们想她，她也想他们；她母亲帮了很大忙，但很想回自己家。丹妮斯尽量多想顺利的事情，以此对抗这些困难。她的转型十分顺利，带领团队前进让她感到激动、自豪。家人马上就要团聚，她开始为女儿们计划暑期活动。

Denise was exhausted during her first few months on the new job. Flying around Asia and back and forth to London, she felt torn between two lives. The colleague she’d recommended for her old job hadn’t worked out. Phil and the girls missed her, and she missed them. Her mother had been very helpful but was eager to get back to her own home. Denise countered these negative aspects by focusing on everything that was going right. She felt exhilarated by her leadership position. Her transition had gone smoothly, she was excited to be taking the team forward, and she was proud of herself. The rest of the family would move soon. She’d been looking into summer activities for the girls.

改变

Change

最后，管理者需要全身心投入新生活，品味积极成果，同时处理任何意料之外的麻烦或新挑战。而这当然不会是终点，你仍然需要留意新机会，准备下一次转变。

The final step in the process is living into the change, savoring its positive outcomes while dealing with any unintended consequences or new challenges that arise. This isn’t a static state, of course. You must also be on the lookout for new opportunities that may lead to your next change effort.

菲尔和女儿们终于来到新加坡，丹妮斯开心极了。但还有需要调整适应的地方：她现在经常加班，出差也比在伦敦时多，大家并不容易适应。她的解决方法是，等工作不忙时延长和家人度假的时间。这些假期，以及她的团队取得的成绩，让她在新生活里既充满活力又舒适自如。

Denise was thrilled when Phil and the girls finally arrived in Singapore. But further adjustments were needed: She was working longer hours and traveling more than she had in London, which was difficult for everyone to get used to. Her solution was to book extended time off for family vacations during quiet periods at work. Those breaks, combined with the great work her team was doing, helped her feel both energized by and more comfortable in her new life.

改变是困难的，但对于想在当下商业环境中成功的领导者，改变不可避免。领导者可运用上述框架来思考可能的职业调整，并有效投身于新的行动方向。你可以用这7个关键词来与他人分享你的转型经历，并思考得失。不同人在不同环境下，完成全部调整过程所需时间差异很大。有些人在某个阶段踟蹰不前，无法完成任务；有些人花更多时间自我反思，或等待身边的人跟上他们的思路；有些人太快地完成某个步骤，不得不回来面对未解决的问题。对于那些想知道如何完成这7步的人，最好的建议是（虽然可能不那么让人满意）：尽你所能迅速前进；需要多久就用多久；遵循步骤流程。掌握这项7步法的管理者发现，它已成为他们韧性和成功的基石。

Change is difficult, but for leaders who want to succeed in today’s business environment, it’s inevitable. The Seven C’s are a way to think through potential transitions and effectively execute on new courses of action. They can be used to communicate your change story to others and to learn from the experience. How much time it takes to navigate the process varies dramatically according to the individual and the circumstances. Some people linger in one stage, unable to complete the tasks required to move on. Some take extra time for personal reflection or to allow significant others to catch up with their thinking. Some move too quickly through a stage and must return to confront unresolved issues. For those wondering how to progress through the Seven C’s, the best (if somewhat unsatisfying) advice is: Move as fast as you can. Take as long as you must. But stick to the process. Executives who have mastered it find that it becomes the cornerstone of their resilience and success.

琳达·布里姆是英士国际商学院组织行为学荣休教授，著有《全球公民》（Global Cosmopolitans: The Creative Edge of Difference，PalgraveMacmillan出版社，2010）。瓦西里奥斯·克斯提亚斯（Vasilios D. Kosteas）：《锻炼对收入的影响：来自NLSY的证据》（The Effect of Exercise on Earnings: Evidence from the NLSY）

王晨 | 译   刘筱薇 | 校   时青靖 | 编辑