Change may be an integral part of being alive, but it's not always a comfortable process to live with. Most of the time people deal effectively with the small changes which are a constant feature of their lives - we've all got used to ATMs, disc parking, bus lanes, mobile phones and `sell by' dates.

From time to time, however, we face major changes which seem straightforward enough but actually involve us in a complex mix of feelings to which most adults are reluctant to admit. "Even where the change involved is good for those it affects there are conflicting emotions," says Dr David Coghlan, a lecturer in business studies at Trinity College. "Change brings a whole range of reactions into play from anger, anxiety, fear and suspicion to excitement, anticipation and pleasure - and you often have elements of all interacting at the same time.

In a working environment, change can be particularly difficult for people because it challenges who you are and where you fit into the picture. To survive well in these situations one needs to be rooted in some way and to have a good sense of who you are and what's important to you.

"Change also threatens us and makes us angry if it has been imposed and we can't see any benefit in it," Coghlan continues. "Then when we react negatively to the proposed change and these reactions, which are perfectly valid, are dismissed, our emotions are negated, we're made feel they are inappropriate or out of place and we're put in a hopeless like-it-or-lump-it situation.

"The main questions people in a change environment ask are "where do I fit in?" and, to a lesser extent, "what's in it for me?" If they don't get satisfactory answers to these questions, they may well resist the change.

"Those planning change need to communicate on four key points:

Purpose - why the change is needed.

Picture - paint a scene that will excite people and bring them along.

Plan - how the change will happen.

Part - where people fit in, what's their role.

"For many people change at work can be very stressful and complex because it may be linked in their minds to other agendas," Coghlan explains. "For example, someone may feel their job is threatened by the proposed changes. Perhaps they feel personally vulnerable because of their age or because they feel their skills are not as marketable as they used to be. This is all bubbling away beneath the surface and often causing great anxiety."

Hilary Maher, a management consultant, explains: "There are two sides to change, elective change and imposed change. Even where the change is elective, you want it to happen and it's something very positive such as moving to a nice new house, there is still an element of stress and uncertainty and even grieving for what you're leaving behind.

"People are often tired out by the stress of change. It demands a lot of energy, not only on the physical level but also mental and emotional stamina. People need to keep each of these elements in balance during any change process. For example, if you put all your energy into the planning, there is nothing left for implementation."

The big issues for people facing change at work, she says, are how they will fit into the new power structure and how well their skills will hold. "The more senior the manager, the more vulnerable he or she may feel because they are supposed to be on top of everything and they may be terrified by seemingly simple things like changing from paper to a PC.

"Moving offices may also look easy and it may be very desirable but it too takes a lot out of people. Apart from the inconvenience of living out of boxes, they lose familiar support systems and comfort structures and this disruption of the comfort zone can cause anxiety and stress.

"On top of this, if the change is imposed, they are more likely to see it negatively. People need explanations and, if these are not forthcoming from management, then they write their own scripts, inevitably with a cynical or negative slant."

What seems clear is that there is often a fundamental conflict between an organisation's need for change and an individual's need for security. The ever-accelerating pace of business makes change incumbent on organisations if they are to survive economically, but this takes its toll on people who can find the instability caused by changes in their "life space" very unsettling.

"Attitude and perspective are critical in any change situations," says Maher. "People do have a choice about how they choose to see the change and, while change may be all-consuming as it's happening, it too will end and in six months or a year it will be over.

"It's important that people keep the time frame in perspective and not let themselves be overwhelmed in the short-term. When one is looking ahead to a period of uncertainty, time stretches and six months seems like six years. Looking back it's the opposite. One has to allow for these shifts in perception.

"From a management point of view, the affects of change can be minimised if there is communication and consultation at all points. A full cost and benefits analysis of the change needs to be done and done publicly. People also need to know when the change will end and it should be marked by a definite closure of some sort."

Rationally people may be able to understand the need for change, she says, "but there is more to people than reason. Managers are often guilty of not acknowledging that their employees also have a psychological dimension which they don't leave behind when they come to work.

"They tend to ignore the fact that people may be shocked or angry or confused because they don't like the idea of these feelings coming out into the open. They fear they will get in the way. In fact, once things are aired people are far happier and they will move on. If it's pushed under the carpet and it doesn't get dealt with, it comes out in other ways such as opposition, aggression or resistance."

On children undergoing change, Maher says that parents need to be very clear about flagging the stages. "Children need to have good sign posting. An adult can ask for clarification, a child may not have the ability to do that. Yet he or she is very upset or unsettled and may not know why.

"They need explanations and they need to know that it will end. It's no harm with kids to signal the end with an event of some kind then they know the thing is over. That's especially important if it has been a bad time for them."

Reference Point: Agents of Change - A Manager's Guide to Planning and Leading Change Projects by Hilary Maher and Pauline Hall is published by Oak Tree Press.

Dr David Coghlan sees four key points when facing change. Photograph: David Sleator