As a manager, you are hit hard by change because you are the conduit for it. Even if you are not the instigator of the change, you have an essential role in its success, as the level of resistance of and, consequently, its adoption by your employees is greatly influenced by your actions and reactions.
Change takes a lot of energy and attention – meanwhile, you are still responsible for the smooth running of day-to-day work that will not wait until the change is complete. Nevertheless, your involvement is essential.
Therefore:
- You’re in a privileged position – by explaining the impact of the change, you can help others to accept it. This assumes that you have a good understanding of the objectives of the change and its benefits, not only to the organization, but to your team as well.
- You can help your employees accept a change by instilling confidence that adaptation is possible, beneficial and that every effort will be made to provide the necessary support. If your employees believe that the results are important and that the conditions are in place for success, they will be more willing to adopt it.
- You should also express confidence in the skills and willingness of your employees. This will reinforce the notion that they are able to overcome any challenges.
- Consider creating a powerful moment when you announce the change. Give the impression of a new beginning. This will help your employees to welcome the change.
- Consider combining change with something positive, something rewarding. Make the experience exciting.
- Avoid procrastination by setting constraints that force your employees to adapt quickly. For example, eliminate any opportunities that would allow them to continue to operate in the current way.
- Address any inattention, laziness or forgetfulness by providing repeated reminders. This will help you embed change through repetition, fostering new habits.
- Capitalize on the human need for compliance. The top 10% of employees have a huge impact on the rest of the team, often far greater than the bottom 10%. So support your champions and highlight their successes.
If you are only a bystander rather than a player, the efforts you will have to invest to regain an acceptable level of productivity and positivity after the change will be much higher than if you get involved now and remain proactive.
Stay safe,
Ginette
P.S. If you would like to learn more, and discover tools and processes to manage change efficiently, you may be interested in my latest training course: How to manage change.
Food for thoughts.
To what extent are you a positive change agent for your team?
- If you yourself don’t see a change as positive, how can you still get on board?
- Consider the negative impacts on you and your team if you show your reluctance to your employees. If change is unavoidable, your inability to get buy-in will only cause problems, and it will take a lot of energy to overcome your employees’ resistance.
Also, ask yourself:
- What are the arguments you support? How could you articulate your argument based on these?
- What are the key messages offered by the change-makers that you can build on to stay constructive and positive?
- What do you need to embrace change? What are the trade-offs that would make the change a positive one? To what extent can you negotiate accommodations without damaging your reputation and position?