Written by: Emma Collyer, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Organisations often initiate change programs, to respond to pressures on budgets, customer preferences and technological advances amongst many other factors. As a manager, if you are faced with the task of leading a team through a change program, knowing what to think about or prepare for can feel daunting if it's something new you have not worked through before.
Below I set out some before, during and after pointers to help ease the pathway! These are taken from my own experiences of implementing a change program that was being led by others in the organisation, where I was responsible for managing multiple teams through the program. I had team leaders that reported to me, so I was grandparent manager to those most impacted by the change.
Before you start:
Understand the detail and be able to explain the purpose of the change program and desired outcomes. People will turn to you on numerous occasions for the detail so have this well understood so that you can communicate it effectively.
Share what the likely impacts of the change program will be on individuals (if you know them.) If you don’t know yet what this looks like, let people know. Be transparent about likely impacts.
Share anticipated timing of the change program (duration, end and start dates.) People need to know when they can expect the program to start and how long it's likely to go on for, so they can prepare themselves.
Share who will be responsible for leading the program and communicating with staff. Ensure to explain who the key people are that are leading on this. Are there some central communication channels that people need to be made aware of?
Collaborate and plan out communication with other managers and leaders that are in the same position or who may have more direct supervision for the staff. (If you are a grandparent manager for example) If you are presenting on the change to multiple teams at the same time, get your team leaders on board so that they can help to field questions and concerns. Provide a united front on this.
During the program:
Communicate frequently throughout the change program and share any deviations to the plan. Changes to plans cause confusion so, be open, transparent and communicate frequently when things alter.
Respond rapidly to questions from staff so issues do not escalate. Errors and confusion can quickly cause anxiety for people. Advocate for your teams and find out answers quickly to avoid undue stress.
Share any early successes from implementation of the change program. People need to hear that there are some successes and progress being made. Ensure to share these to maintain momentum.
Provide practical support to staff (e.g., this may include training to develop new skills, help with interviews, coaching conversations, resume preparation if positions are being removed/altered.) This is often ignored, but frequently staff are stressed at the thought of change because they anticipate they will need to do an interview, and this is scary because they have not done one for so long. Provide the resources to help and the anxiety will reduce.
Show compassion and empathy for those who may be struggling and anticipate and plan for resistance. Notice when people are struggling and follow up to offer support and to listen to concerns.
After implementation:
Regular check ins with those who went through the change to offer support. The impact will be felt for a while after, so don’t assume that people are OK.
Communicate successes of the change. It can be helpful to share the positive outcomes of the change program whether they were anticipated or not. People need to know it was worth it.
Review what went well/not so well with staff. Feedback is essential to understanding how a similar program could work better next time!
Continue to offer support and training to staff to enable integration into new teams/roles. It will take time for people to be comfortable with the new ‘normal’ so continue to provide training and skill development if it's needed.
Reflect on your own challenges and strengths through this process, so that you can learn for future similar programs. How did you do through all of this? Take time to reflect on your learning experiences. There will be some things you did well and others not so much…how you can you apply this knowledge to your future work?
Ultimately, we need to remember that if people are not bought into whatever change is planned, they will likely resist it throughout and this will be evident through various behaviours. Trying to overcome some of this conflict and challenge is time consuming and at times emotionally draining but if you can be open, communicate well and offer support to those who are struggling with the process, then this will go a long way to providing a smooth transition.
Wishing you great success and a smooth transition through your change program!
If you found this article helpful but would like a more detailed conversation in confidence, please schedule a free call with me using this link.
Emma Collyer, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Emma Collyer is the founder of Aspire Executive Coaching, a company dedicated to helping executives, leaders and aspiring leaders, to grow and succeed in their business and careers. She created the business after experiencing firsthand the transformative power of coaching on her own development and growth. Her coaching draws on her own leadership experience, working across the built environment sector alongside environmental specialists, engineers, planners, project managers and architects. Her mission: to empower individuals so that they have the courage to embrace change and achieve exceptional results.
