Implementing organizational change is always a challenge not just to managers, but employees too. For employees, change is viewed as a way of telling them, “see you need to shift to this, or you have no space in the organization.” The ensuing uncertainty makes employees feel like outsiders, and ultimately developing resistance. How you help employees deal with the uncertainty will determine the success or failure of the transformation you are introducing in the company. Here are expert strategies that you can use to drive change in your organization.
Guiding Your Employees through Change
Human beings are naturally resistant to change. But you can change this notion by making the change about them. Here is what you need to do, and the employees will become the new drivers of change, not part of the resistance.
- Involve the Employees when Planning for Change
The first step in helping employees support transformation is ensuring they are ready for it from the beginning. This involves making them see through the change as opposed to seeing it. For example, if you are computerizing your production system, start by telling your employees that it is for their own good. The enhanced production will allow you to serve a bigger market easily. This implies that indeed, change is good for the organization, and it is good for the employees. To get the employees involved in change, here is what you need to do.
- Training your staff about the new change.
- Using the staff to drive the new change.
- Re-emphasizing the business vision and mission.
- Focus on Building a Strong Organizational Culture
When you are implementing organizational change, you can only get total support from employees by supporting a good organizational culture. These are organization values, believes, and principles that define every aspect of an enterprise. With a clear culture, employees get the assurance that their efforts are always appreciated. So, their support for change will be another opportunity for growth, not just for the organization, but their statuses too.
- Assure the Staff of Retention in the Company
Once changes are enrolled, most employees start feeling insecure. Indeed, it is because of this uncertainty that some of them start looking for new opportunities away from the company. So, the change you are introducing should provide your employees with a guarantee for job retention. Therefore, whether it is a new tech introduction in a manufacturing system as showcased here, simply let them know that they will be better with improved skills and new abilities once the changes are fully implemented.
When your organization is going through transformation, its success depends on how well the employees are prepared for it. So, make sure they are properly trained, understand the changes being introduced, and can identify with the targeted results.