Change is an inevitable part of growth for any company, and it's often met with resistance and challenges. Whether it's a shift in leadership, introducing new technology, or regulatory change understanding the dynamics of change can make the difference between success and failure. In today's fast-paced business environment, staying agile and adaptive is not just an advantage, but a necessity.
Here we will explore the essential aspects of organisational change every company needs to understand. and share how to set yourself and your change initiatives up for success.
What constitutes "change"?
At its core, organisational change involves any shift, large or small, that affects how a company operates. This could range from restructuring teams, a merger, to adopting new software or altering company policies. However, change can mean different things to different people. Recognising the impact change programs can have across all levels of an organisation is the first step in managing change effectively.
Research has found 70% of change management initiatives fail.
Why people resist change
Regardless what the change is, one of the most common responses to it across all levels of an organisation is resistance.
Resistance to change is a natural human reaction. It largely stems from fear of loss, fear of the unknown, loss of control and a disruption of routines. By understanding these underlying reasons, leaders can better address concerns and foster a more supportive environment.
Three major types of resistance
Resistance can stem from logical or rational concerns about change, from psychological reasons, rooted in emotions and mental state and even from sociological reasons based on group dynamics and social norms. Within these are three core elements for resistance that we see emerge time and again.
- Comfort. Humans are emotionally connected to what’s comfortable, the known, their habits and frequently derive success from this. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone is often not welcomed.
- Reputation. People care about their reputation – how they are perceived, respected, valued, how others regard their competence/capability. They’re often promoted based on this. No-one wants to jeopardise their reputation.
- Capacity. The business environment is moving at a rapid pace with workloads constantly increasing. People are simply at full capacity, they are overwhelmed and unable to take on more change. Resistance is a natural consequence.
Starting with why
So how do you mitigate these most common forms of resistance and smooth the transition process?
The first key, and this is often overlooked, is you must start with the ‘Why’.
Inspirational speaker and author, Simon Sinek brought this concept of the Golden Circle and ‘Starting with why” to prominence in his book ‘Start with Why” and subsequent Ted Talk in 2009.
Communicating why change is necessary is crucial to engaging people. And the ‘why’ needs to be communicated to all levels including those individuals receiving the change. An organisation will have many reasons behind its change initiative and it is vital leaders help people understand them.
People are more likely to support something when they understand the rationale and can see the bigger picture, especially if you find a way to relate the outcomes of the change to them. For example "using this new technology means you'll be able to free up at least an hour of your day to work on more interesting tasks..." or "once the teams are restructured, we can assign clear ownership for these core responsibilities and you will get more support for your project".
Once the why is understood, the ‘how’ and the ‘what’ cascades from there, often with added cooperation with those initially resisting that may even help shape the implementation.
Three key elements to successful change programs
- Strong Leadership: Leading by example. Providing a safe environment to prioritise change. Being aware of current workloads of employees and removing some of workload to allow for change instead of adding it over the top. Guiding the team through the change with confidence, so putting your own concerns aside.
- Robust Support: providing continuous support and training that is unconditional and allows for failure. When people feel supported, heard and valued, they are more likely to embrace change.
- Updating work practices. Often new processes are adopted without decommissioning the old process it is replacing. This adds to the overwhelm and overloaded capacity of employees. Work practices and processes need to change to make way for the new change to be embedded.
Get ahead of your compliance obligations
Good change is not just a ‘nice to have.’ Health and safety regulations in Australia and many other countries now mandate the delivery of effective change, to protect employees and ensure a safer and more compliant workplace.
As leaders, we want to reduce the severity of change and protect our team but also ensure compliance with the law, avoiding potential legal issues and fostering a safer work environment and psychosocial safety.
In summary
By understanding these key aspects of organisational change, why people resist it and how to strategically plan for effective change, companies can navigate their transformation journeys more effectively.
Start with why and engagement through strong leadership, providing robust support and updating work practices will help ensure a smoother transition and a more resilient, adaptable and engaged workforce which paves the way for future business success.
Free Pulse check
Not sure if your team is coping with change? Is productivity and performance slipping? Pioneera is offering a free 45 minute conversation to help you understand how your team is managing change and provide some personalised tips for improving results.
If you're interested, please reach out to camille.owen@pioneera.com and book in a time.
