Although change is common in modern organizations, it isn’t easy. A recent study shows that half of these organizational changes result in total failure, and only 34% yield clear success.
If you want your business to be more innovative, productive, or profitable, you’re probably considering an organizational change. While change is necessary, managing it can be daunting, especially if you’re unsure of what to do.
So, how do you manage the change to ensure that it falls within the 34% bracket of successful changes? Read on to learn six tips to help you manage organizational change and keep your business running smoothly.
1. Plan and Be Prepared for Change
The first step in managing organizational change is to plan for it. Planning will help you anticipate potential problems and challenges and develop solutions.
You should have a clear vision stipulating what the change you want will look like. Make a plan of how the change will occur and the results.
Your change plan and your business planning should go hand in hand. The alignment will ensure that your change leads your business in the right direction. It will also help you see your change’s value and whether your efforts yield the expected results.
Your plan should outline the scope of change. It should also have a timeline of how and when the change will occur. Furthermore, it should identify who will be responsible for what throughout the change process. These are the stakeholders who’ll have to play a role in making the change successful.
2. Communicate the Change to Your Team Clearly
One of the most vital transition strategies is to ensure that your employees understand the change process. As a leader, you should engage your employees by communicating with them about everything going on in your company.
You should explain why the change is happening, what will happen during the transition period, and the result. The explanation will help your employees feel more comfortable with the idea of change. They will be more likely to stay on board during the transition.
You should also provide regular updates to your team so that everyone is on the same page. This means ensuring that communication is clear and consistent.
When you involve employees, they’ll get the impression that you value them. As a result, they’ll be more willing to work hard to make the change a success.
It’s also important to solicit feedback from your team during the transition period. The response will help gauge whether employees are on board with the change. If you want your whole team to buy into the change, you need to empower them.
3. Adopt a Change Management Model
If you want a smooth organizational change, you need a tool to guide you in the process. We’re talking about a change management model. A model will be an essential business management tool as it will help you implement your change initiatives in an orderly fashion.
Different change management models can come in handy. Examples include Kurt Lewin and Kotter’s change models.
These models help you follow a systematic change process, from planning to implementing the change. The vital aspect of the change models is that they’ll ensure you don’t skip the critical stage of informing employees about the need for change.
Your model should be based on your organizational change’s size, scope, and goals. You can select a model with fewer or many steps depending on the time you have to implement the change.
4. Celebrate Successes Along the Way
While in the middle of organizational change, it’s essential to celebrate successes, no matter how small. Acknowledging progress will help keep your team motivated and focused on the end goal.
When you hit milestones, take the time to celebrate with your team. This will show them that you’re committed to the process and appreciate their efforts. You can hold parties to celebrate milestones.
The celebration also means acknowledging your team’s effort. You can acknowledge your team through individual praise or awards. You can also give employees public recognition for a job well done. Recognizing progress will help your team see that their efforts are paying off, and they’ll be more likely to stick with the change.
5. Involve Leaders at All Levels
You’ll manage change better if you bring leaders at all levels on board. Ensure that they have the right management skills and understand their role in the change process.
Your organizational leadership should be able to advance change at their levels. To minimize resistance, you should ensure that the leaders can interpret the transition for their team. They should also help you by recommending a new approach or path for the change if necessary.
It’s also essential to engage these leaders in communication and decision-making. This way, they can provide valuable input and help keep the change process on track. You’ll also develop better ways of keeping all organization members engaged to yield the desired results.
If the organizational change involves transitioning out of your company, you’ll need comprehensive strategies to help you and other leaders feel comfortable. You should seek advice on transition strategies to increase every leader’s confidence that your successor will meet your most valued goals.
6. Track the Success of the Change Process
You should measure how well you’re progressing towards achieving the goals of your organizational change. Tracking your progress will help you decide whether to keep going or make adjustments.
You may want to track employee satisfaction, productivity levels, sales figures, and turnover rates. These factors will give you an early sign of whether your organizational change is headed for the drains or whether it’ll be successful.
Rome wasn’t built in a day—sometimes it takes a few tries to get things right.
So, how do you track the success of organizational change? You can use tools like surveys, performance reviews, one-on-one meetings, and financial reports.
Manage Organizational Change in These Simple Steps
Managing organizational change can be difficult, but it’s essential to keep in mind the end goal of making your business more successful. By taking small steps and being patient, you can successfully make changes to improve your company. Start with these six tips to make your change process a success.
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