Some Basics on Managing Change
by Bill Lisowski

If "change is constant," why then, is change so hard for so many managers, employees and companies to handle? Why does the word "change" strike many folks like an electric shock? The answer comes from realizing that people are not reacting to the alteration of an existing physical condition, they are reacting to the psychological process they must navigate to come to terms with the new situation.

People can understand such situations as a new boss, new work site, new team members, new workflow process, etc… However, people struggle with understanding and accepting how these new situations will affect them personally, what safety zone (or familiar action) has been eliminated, what part of their everyday work world has been lost. Most importantly, people worry that they will be unable to provide the same value once the new situation becomes the norm!

One way to approach managing change within your organization is to realize there are really three parts to the process: 1) an ending, 2) a neutral state, and 3) a beginning.

When change is mandated, whether from external customers or internal needs, realize that your employees will react to the news as if a close friend had passed away. The familiar has been taken away. The tried and true is gone. The status quo is now in a state of flux. Change management cannot start unless you recognize that "change" starts by "ending" something.

To work through this stage, it is essential for you as a company leader to describe the change in as much detail as possible. Try to anticipate all the secondary impacts the change will cause, and talk about those possibilities as well. Then determine who specifically is affected by the proposed change, and what in their lives must now be done differently. What do these personal level issues mean to each person?

Understand that your employees will probably overreact to the news because change affects their daily world. And know that it is only natural for many to fear that this change is only the beginning of moves that may eventually cost these folks their jobs. You will probably witness many people displaying such emotions as anger, fear, fright, depression and confusion. Know that these are not signs of bad morale, simply signs that your employees are grieving the loss of something familiar.

To move your employees into the neutral state (where acceptance can begin to occur), the key tool you must use is information. Over communicate what the change means to the company and to the employees so your internal gossip grapevine cannot take over. Talk about plans, and training, and profit enhancements. Talk about the fact that jobs are not going away, they are simply being oriented to perform different tasks.

Do not stop communicating.

Once your team gets comfortable with understanding the rationale and impacts for change, paint them the picture of how they will move forward into the new situation. Explain the steps and the milestones. Tell them what will happen first, second, third, etc… Define what success looks like at each step of the way, and be as specific for each person as possible.

Create a plan that creates quick and easy successes for your employees as they embark upon change. As these victories occur, celebrate them so your team can see that change is indeed possible. Each victory makes accepting change easier because now employees are seeing the reality of "doing" what change is asking of them.

The biggest reasons change initiatives fail: 1) is that no one thought about the endings and their impact on people, 2) that people have not been convinced with facts to leave the old and move towards the new, and 3) easy victories and successes are not planned into the process to allow people to see that they can handle the "new."

Because this space is small and the topic large, a good resource to read is Managing Transitions by William Bridges. Many of thoughts here can be found in much greater detail, and with Action Plan lists, to help you manage change within your organization.

About the author: Bill Lisowski