How To Manage Change Effectively In The Workplace

Employees rarely enjoy change, but in a modern world it is inevitable. We must change as a reaction to the changes of an outside entity or as a way of improving a business. A team that is not fluid and open to change, new products and new procedures is a team that will be the downfall of a business. It is important to recognise that changes can not be implemented by sending a group email to your staff and hoping for the best. Changes may affect an employee's work life and possibly their personal life, (for example, a location change,) and should be dealt with thoroughly and sensitively. A manager must ensure that change is accepted and implemented by a confident and competent workforce. This means that staff must be aware of the change and the reasons behind it as well as fully informed and trained on what the change means to them. Remember, change must always increase your team's confidence in you as a manager rather than bringing your abilities as a manager into question, thus creating unrest and a lack of trust.

Begin the process by including staff in the change process. Ensure all staff are informed of the changes in full and the reasons behind the changes. Your staff will have greater confidence in you as a manager if you can show that your decision to make a change has valid reasons behind it. While it is true that as a manager what you say is ultimately what goes, a team will work better if they can see that you have sound reasons for making decisions. This creates trust. If a change is seen as flimsy and pointless or simply a way for a manager to get noticed then the team will lose confidence in the manager and unrest may occur. If a manager is not prepared to explain the changes fully, it may be taken by staff that he/she does not fully understand the changes and is therefore not in control of the situation. It can also be taken as a sign that the manager does not respect employees as equals. Once this happens it may be difficult to win your team's confidence back.

One reason why employees find change difficult or frightening is that people develop an emotional attachment to the original product or method. If they are doing a job in a particular way then they are already confident with that process. To them a change may represent learning a new set of skills and possibly making mistakes through the learning curve, which could damage their reputation within the company and with you. Their previous skills may even seem obsolete. If an employee is the only one who knows the current method they may be afraid of losing their monopoly and therefore their status and necessity within the team. In order to deal with this you must make an effort to understand and address these concerns. Meet with your employees face to face as a group and individually. Reassure the staff that the change you are making is a change that will include them and will ultimately move you all forward as a team.

Ensure that each team member is aware of the changes and the training they will receive in order to implement the change. Explain that there may be a learning curve and they will be given your full support during this process. Create a procedure for them to get help should they have any difficulties with it. Many changes will have initial teething problems and staff should feel they can address these issues without fear of blame or reprisal. Welcome and address their concerns as a way of building their confidence. If staff are confused about the changes, unsure how to implement them or unsure of how they are affected by the change then the process will be slowed and unnecessary mistakes will be made.

Once staff are fully aware of the changes, it is crucial to address timescales. Tell them what will happen on what dates and what will be expected from them. If your staff are confident that they know exactly what to do and when, then this will decrease their sense of unease. Allow them the opportunity to voice constructive criticism on changes and any improvements. Timescales should be realistic, but should give staff a clear message that the change is important enough to require their immediate attention and effort. If your timescales allow procrastination from your staff then they will not believe that you are serious about the change and it will be more difficult to move them forward. If your timescales are not realistic then this will increase their sense of panic and fear and they may well resist the change.

Above all the change is happening so you must be firm yet fair in your approach. Your staff must see that you have confidence in the change, confidence in your team's ability to implement the change and confidence in a realistic time scale you have set. If you are planning changes within your workplace it may be worth completing a training course in delegation before beginning the process to ensure you are fully aware of the best approach.