Derek Roger became interested in what it was that seemed to protect some people from stress while making others more vulnerable, and answering this question led to the establishment of the internationally-renowned Stress Research Unit at the University of York in England.
The research focused on differences in emotional style, especially whether or not people expressed the emotion they felt and whether or not they went on thinking about the emotion after the event had passed. The studies have shown that ruminating about emotional upset afterwards not only revives all of the emotional feelings, but also triggers the physiological response to the distress that occurred at the time. This leads to increases in ‘fight or flight’ hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which when prolonged place an unnecessary demand on the cardiovascular and immune systems. These results contradicted traditional beliefs about stress and resilience, and have been recognised as a significant paradigm shift.
In the early 1980s Derek worked with the North Yorkshire Police Force to develop a practical training programme based on this research, and this resulted in the core Challenge of Change (CoC) Resilience training programme. Being an active researcher meant that the effectiveness of the training could be rigorously tested and evidence from carefully controlled studies showed significant changes in health, performance and sickness-absence that were sustained over 18-month follow-ups. Around this time Derek established The Work Skills Centre, a consultancy to market and deliver The CoC Resilience training programme. Click here for access to the North Yorkshire Police Case Study, entitled Sickness-absence Case Study.
Resilient Teams
Market demand for additional evidence-based and effective services led Derek to develop the Challenge of Change Dream Team Training Programme, which provides challenging and effective ways of taking teams from being just good to being great. Combining the Resilience and Dream Team Training Programmes provides a particularly powerful way of simultaneously augmenting both individual and team skills.
Suite of Integrated Services
The training programmes have been expanded into The Challenge of Change Suite of Integrated Services, which adds significant value to the core programmes. The expanded portfolio incorporates Derek’s unique and extensively validated climate survey, stress audits, semi-structured interviews and peer-rated competency assessments, and the integrated system has been shown to empower individuals to better performance by focusing on their individual wellbeing as well as their interpersonal and team skills. The Challenge of Change Diagnostic and Measurement tools provide ongoing assessment and monitoring of the effectiveness of the interventions.
Widespread Implementation
The CoC Resilience training programme quickly became established in the UK and was widely implemented there in a range of public and private sector companies. The implementation of the comprehensive Challenge of Change Suite of Integrated Services throughout New Zealand is gathering momentum as companies and organisations recognise the significant benefits associated with applying insightful psychology in this unique way.
To read more about the history of the Research, please click here.
If like a growing number of leading NZ organisations you would like to benefit from The Challenge of Change Suite of Integrated Services, then why wait, please get in touch today.
"...our workforce is better prepared for and able to cope with change."
"People gained that 'feeling' of being in control..."
"...some staff have referred to it as 'life changing'..."
The Research