Change happens: Help your employees accept it - and adapt

Managers are required to consistently respond to shifts in customer expectations, competition, technology and global markets—as well as to changing employee expectations.

Consequently, change occurs more rapidly and more often—and it’s more complex than ever. But left unattended, the impacts of change reduce employee and organizational productivity, contribute to burnout, negatively affect the quality of products and services, damage customer relations and reduce employee morale.

Managers who fail to lead employees through change in their organization may end up with a staff lacking trust in its leaders and/or unwilling to embrace future change. Those who resist change also may sabotage projects or may “check out” of the organization before they actually leave. In the end, managers wind up spending more time fighting resistance than implementing planned change.

So, as managers, what can be done to respond to these reactions and to proactively assist employees in embracing ongoing change?

• ACCEPT THE CHANGE YOURSELF: It is difficult—if not impossible—to effectively lead others through any transformational change without first accepting that change yourself. As leaders and managers of change, you have the information earlier than other employees and have probably had more experience embracing change. As you assess the responses of employees to change, reflect on your own personal experience with embracing the same change. Did you readily accept it? What did you resist? How did you express your resistance? How long did it take for you to reach a point of acceptance? Use the answers to those questions to help your employees accept change, while at the same time, realize that each person deals with change differently.
• EXPLAIN “WHY”: When confronted with doing the unfamiliar, people usually believe they have a right to know the reason for such changes. Employees want to be partners, not just subservient doers, and they seek to understand.
• INVOLVE EMPLOYEES IN DEVELOPING IMPLEMENTATION PLANS: As the Chinese proverb states: The mark of a good leader is when, after the job is finished, the people say, “We did it ourselves.”
• BE WILLING TO ALTER PLANS: More often than not, plans for effecting change require adjustment. Always approach the project with this in mind, which allows you to open the project to new possibilities and will allow others to influence the process, as well as the results.
• COMMUNICATE: internally and externally. Ask often, listen well and communicate thoroughly. Track progress and then share the news (good and not so good) with all those involved. Seeing the status and benchmarks of change will help focus on the mission and achieve desired results.
• SEEK TO UNDERSTAND RESISTANCE AND DEVELOP COPING STRATEGIES: Change nearly always meets with some form of resistance. Never dismiss it outright. Identify the reason for the resistance and address it. For example, if you wanted to sleep rather than go to the gymnasium, you could change your workout time to the evening. The same is true in the work environment. Identify the causes for resistance, and address the underlying beliefs or values.
• CONTINUALLY REMIND THOSE AFFECTED OF THE BENEFITS OF THE CHANGE: Create a “win-win” situation. Knowing the benefits of the “new way” will help them see the value in altering relationships, behaviors, and processes from the “old way.”
• PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN AND GROW: With change comes the need to learn new skills. It takes time, patience, direction, support and coaching to learn the new way of functioning and to adjust to the new relationship. Always acknowledge those who change their behaviors. Don’t take them for granted.
• ALLOW RESISTERS TO “EXIT” GRACEFULLY: People who are unable to overcome resistance to a change may decide to check out and leave. Or you may need to remove them from the team or organization. In either case, ensure a graceful departure.
• HELP EMPLOYEES TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY TO LEARN TO EMBRACE CHANGE: Embracing change can be learned, and it is important for managers to support employees in this growth. This can take the form of genuinely listening to their concerns and successes and being empathic.