Leaders, Are You Prepared for Change?
Supporting and Communicating With Your Employees is Paramount
McDonell Consulting Group
By Chris McDonell
Dec 13, 2018
Leadership Development | Sales + Bd + Leadership | Doing Business
The business world is certainly not immune to change. Companies grow and shrink in size. They expand their market reach sometimes and contract other times. They introduce new products and services and discontinue other products and services. And they change the ways in which they create, promote, price, and deliver their products and services.
As companies experience change, the jobs of their employees and the ways in which their employees must perform their jobs also change. Many organizations believe that employees who are paid to do a job can simply be told to change. Perhaps the belief is that the employees will see the need for change as the company does, recognizing the long-term value to the company (and ultimately to themselves), and readily accept the change.
But it rarely works that way.
People will resist – even fight – change that they don’t understand or perceive as not in their best interest. If the objective of the change is perceived to be corporate greed, exploitation or betrayal, or the end result is perceived to be harmful, they will not buy into it. This fact underscores the need to communicate to the people affected by and expected to carry out the change, the reasons for and the benefits of the change.
Also, people cannot change overnight … even if they want to. You can’t train, motivate or simply tell people to change. People transition through change. Change must be phased in as existing routines and priorities are phased out. Depending on the severity of the change, it can take considerable time.
Managing organizational change requires thoughtful planning and responsive implementation that includes communication and consultation with, and the involvement of, the people affected by the change in order for them to embrace it.
Why?
Because, when people face change, they typically experience a range of emotions. And, as they transition through change, their reactions often change – some in a positive way, some in a negative way. They may experience feelings of anxiety, fear, and depression intermingled with feelings of approval, exploration, and commitment.
If you were to plot their positive and negative emotional reactions over time on a graph, the curve would look like a sine wave. If you attempt to force change on people, the peaks and valleys of the curve will be more pronounced. Conversely, the earlier you inform people about the change, involve them in the modification and obtain their buy-in, the flatter the curve … and the more quickly you reach your final stage of the transition.
Leaders, the considerable responsibly for implementing change falls on your shoulders. To meet that challenge, you must be able to communicate clearly and effectively, interpret reactions and support employees through the transition. You must communicate the reasons and objectives of the change and identify the benefits that will accrue for your people and your department.
To help your team transition through change, you must first identify starting and ending points – where you are today and where you want to be as a result of the change. Then, you will have to identify the “why”, “what” and “when” elements for getting there.
You should understand the rationale for, objectives of and benefits from the change. You will need this information in order to inform your people about the change and gain their acceptance. The more they understand about the change and its upside, the more likely they are to be building blocks of change rather than roadblocks to change.
Next, involve the people affected by the change and integral for carrying it out in a collaborative effort of developing a plan. Change will not take place without the cooperation and contribution of your people. You should also establish who will be responsible for what, by when and how it will be measured, and to whom the results will be reported. Each participant in the plan must know exactly what will be expected from them and how they will be judged for fulfilling their part of the plan.
Once you implement the plan, you will have to monitor progress and provide appropriate feedback to keep your people and the plan on track and on time. If activities need to be adjusted, that’s OK as long as you keep your focus on the destination.
In the business environment, change is unavoidable. The leader who recognizes that the dynamics of change can make the transition through change as painless as possible for the people affected. The more you inform your people about the need for, and benefits of change and involve them in the development and implementation of the plan for change, the smoother the transition will be. Effective change will only take place with the support of your people, not in spite of them.
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