The marketplace, just like anything in life continues to change. Customers change, the competition changes and so do emerging technologies (Suttle 2018). It’s important then for businesses to remain up to date and observant to be able to adapt to these changes efficiently.
Change can however sometimes be easier said than done and have a range of effects on the workforce and working team. Here’s our collection of simple tips and tricks you can apply to your business when making business transitions to make it as smooth as possible for you and the workforce.
- Understand the different responses change has on staff
Change can be scary and we all experience change differently. The four typical responses to change are:
- “The critic”- The person who opposes the change
- “The victim”- The person who panics about the change
- “The bystander”- The person who ignores the change
- “The navigator” – The person empowered to work with the changes and embrace them.
- Communicate the threat of not changing
Speaking with staff openly and honestly about the need to change will provide an understanding of why the process is happening, increasing the rate of “navigators” to embrace change (Weal 2014). It’ll also ease the more suspiciously minded of their worries, building trust in the process.
- Involve the team in decision making
The adoption of change will happen quicker and easier within your organisation if the workforce is involved in the decision-making process. A combination of involving the team with decisions and being transparent with the direction for the business will again lead to a higher “navigators” adoption rate (Stark 2010).
- Celebrate successes as you get closer to the goal
Taking time to acknowledge progress along the way is great during the change process. It can help keep you and your team stay focused. Acknowledging successes also keeps motivation high through a sense of group collaboration, growth and achievement.
The key to change management is understanding that it is a process, and processes can take time to implement. Following simple steps will help with guiding your team and should give you more confidence to lead from the front. In turn, converting hesitant change adopters into inspired navigators ready to embrace change and transform your business into more of a forward thinking and innovative organisation.