Step-By-Step Preparation For Change
Every organisation faces change, and how welcome the news of proposed change is received depends on how your workforce views change. Way before you start a step-by-plan for any specific change within your organisation, you should be seeking to prepare your employees to work in an environment where change is not to be feared. They should be aware that it is a constant and evolving process that seeks to ensure the long term future of your business. An organisation that embraces change as part of its ethos will not only help planned change projects succeed, but will be equipped to better handle any emergent or speedy changes that become necessary along the way.
Leading change management in the modern workplace means that no matter how much you plan your project on paper, having the workforce onside and collaborating offers you a far greater chance of success than a simple tick box exercise that you lead military-style headlong into. But what steps should you seek to adopt to further increase the chances of success for changes that you within your business?
Scope
What must be maintained during the change, such as service level agreements or your team’s ability to collaborate and work as a team. To what extent will your change affect your teams be able to continue to do so whilst adopting the change you need. Understanding what can’t be changed is as important as knowing what must be.
Transparency
If you have set up a change team to design and implement your change, how will they work with each other? Especially where new teams are working together for the first time. They need to have clear roles, reporting lines and ground rules for raising and reporting issues and understand who has responsibility for decisions. Appointing an organisational change management expert who understands the challenges of implementing change in a workplace will ensure that the workforce feel listened to and raise the chances of a smoother change outcome.
Time
How urgent is your need for change? It is often better when change happens gradually, however critical changes may require a faster approach, so the more clearly you can communicate the value of change the better. The more time you have to spend gathering information and gaining perspective of those affected by your plans, the more likely you will have a successful outcome with minimal disruption. Understanding the mechanics of change through the emotional journey individuals facing change go through, can help you to accept their reactions to change, regardless of your timeframe. The Kubler-Ross change curve clearly shows these emotional phases.
Capability
Having an experienced and credible change team in place can make the whole process a smoother one. It may be necessary to address skill gaps and seek outside support where needed, both to ensure that your change team have the leadership and communication skills required, but also that you have sufficient support and training in place. Your workforce should fully understand what is required of them and how they need to carry out the new tasks expected of them.
Capacity
How much extra do you expect from your staff? Do they have time to continue to meet the demands of their daily jobs and effectively learn and adapt to new ways? Most organisations use their staff to capacity and it can be difficult for them to cope with additional workloads and alongside the pressure they may feel due to the need for change. Not only do they have to learn new ways, but they may be stressed at the additional time it takes to learn and use any new systems or procedures. Considering this and letting them know you understand and can ease their burden, will help. If you need temporary staff or overtime then you may find the benefits outweigh the cost.
Listen
Create opportunities for your workforce to provide feedback. You may not be able to address all of their concerns or change what has to happen, but the simple chance for them to let you know of their concerns and grievances can be enough to diffuse potential disruption to your plans. Create a story vision that resonates with those involved and focus on the positive outcomes the change is designed to create. If you focus solely on the change itself, rather than the outcomes and benefits, you will find it harder to engage your workforce. You may face reluctance to change, especially when staff may lose their jobs or be forced to move to another role as part of a reorganisation or downsizing exercise, but even those faced with bad news will respond better if they are given a chance to be heard.
Consider IT
Be as sure as you can that your systems will not be overstretched, after all an unforeseen system overload and crash, will cause even more delays, service disruption and unease within your workforce. Ensure that sufficient testing is carried out to minimise the risks and where possible allow time for user testing.
The more time you can dedicate to preparing the change ground, the smoother the whole process will be. The more you foster a workforce receptive to change as part of their everyday working environment and fear change less, again the smoother the process will be. You may be tempted to take the view of “it is going to happen no matter what people think” but imagine how much easier it will be with more people on board and you turn resistance into a participatory willingness to work with you for the greater good of your business.
Treat each change as an opportunity to broaden your understanding of your employees and the skills that they have, you may be surprised at the hidden pool of talent that is waiting if they are given the opportunity. A change management consultant can be the link you need to enable your workplace to champion change and have the time to demonstrate the benefits around the building for all to see. Don’t be afraid to share success stories and updates, after all, success breeds success.
