Today’s business environment is a testament to more constant and more rapid rates of change. Rather the change is a small one, like training employees on a new company-wide system, or a much bigger one such as implementing an exit strategy, the success or failure depends upon how well you manage and execute the change. Good change management training is essential for supporting leaders and managers to effectively drive change throughout your organization.
People naturally resist change. People become comfortable and complacent when in a day-to-day routine. As human beings we tend to be averse to change and, in a world which that is increasingly changing at an alarming rate, people can be skeptical and resistant to anything that threatens the status quo of their working lives.
Due to this human nature, implementing change and transformation throughout the organization has to be done carefully, sensitively and collaboratively. Managing people through change training courses equips leaders and managers with the essential skills to seamlessly implement change within their organizations.
When developing your strategy, make sure your plan includes these four requirements.
1. Give Ownership to Employees
When your employees are on board with organizational change, they can then make the internal transition smoother and help clients and vendors adjust as well. A technique that can get employees personally involved in change is to encourage them to look at the business as though they were running it. Virgin International CEO Richard Branson, writing on the Entrepreneur website says, “having employees think like entrepreneurs by letting each employee know how their impact on implementing change can improve profitability makes change a personal responsibility.â€
2. Map Out Your Plan
If you leave too much to the staff’s imagination when it comes to change, that can create misinformation and make change management difficult. In the Kotter 8-Step Change Model, as outlined on the Mind Tools website, it is recommended that employees be given the details of what the change is and how it will affect the company. Trying to make drastic changes without informing employees of the nature of the changes can create confusion. Tell employees exactly what is going on and create understanding from the beginning.
3. Build a Case for Change
No one wants to change for change sake, so it is important to create a case for change. A case for change can come from different sources. It can be a result of data collected on defect rates, customer satisfaction survey, employee satisfaction survey, customer comment cards, and business goals as a result of a strategic planning session or budget pressures.
You should communicate the rationale behind the need for change. The first stage of introducing any change, however large or small, is to explain to employees why it is important for the change to occur and the intended benefits. This needs to be handled carefully and communicated to all affected parties. There should also be adequate opportunity for people to voice their concerns and contribute their thoughts, views and opinions.
4. Communicating the Change
Communicating change should be structured and systematic. Employees are at the mercy of management to inform them of changes. When there is poor communication and the rumor mill starts spreading gossip about change, it can create resistance to the change. Being proactive in communications can minimize resistance and make employees feel as if they are part of the process.
Missing out on these stages of the process will almost certainly damage the change process before it has properly begun.
If you have questions about the direction of how to implement change throughout your organization, Atlanta Training Group offers a free consultation and analysis to help you figure out how to navigate through the rough waters of the process.
