Change is inevitable, right? But do you know how to manage it? This article will guide you through effective change management and the needed skills.
Imagine waking up to a whole new world with a different routine and team. Yikes! Right? Even though change is not a word most people warm up to, it is inevitable for any organization that wants to grow and evolve. However, most of us move through life with no care to master the art of change management. That’s where we help you answer questions such as what is change management and which skills help with effective change management?
Let’s get into it!
What is change management?
Change management is the art of managing the struggles of making changes. The beauty of change management is that you have to strengthen other skills to do it effectively. When applying change management skills, you are helping the company through organizational changes. These skills help you stay a step ahead of any problem, resistance from the team, or weakness.
6 proven change management skills you should work on
1. Organization
When organizing the details of the employees and clients, you will use organizational skills when dealing with data like deadlines, goals, or the roles of employees. The only way to stick to your change management plan and meet all the deadlines is by tapping into your organizational skills.
2. Active listening
Listening to positive and negative feedback from everyone involved is the only way to know if your plan is working. Active listening makes everyone feel included in the decision-making process, which makes them accept change faster. Make time to get feedback through conversational forums both physically and online.
3. Communication
Through effective communication, all employees will understand why the organization is making changes and what they need to know to fulfil their roles. You can do this by holding a meeting or sending an informative notice. Additionally, checking in with everyone throughout the process will help answer any questions or solve any problems.
4. Project management
Project management skills give you an understanding of the organization and the elements making the organization change. This skill will help you know the current and new responsibilities, outcomes, resources, and change management plans.
5. Leadership
Do you want to direct your team through the change management plan? You will need strong leadership skills. Specifically, the following three leadership skills will make you more effective:
-
Vision: With a clear vision for change, you will communicate what you want the organization to accomplish.
-
Motivation: A leader will motivate the team regardless of whether they support the changes or not.
-
Transparency: Being open about the struggles and joys of the process will humanize you and make you more approachable to others who are struggling.
6. Strategic thinking
Strategic thinking comes in handy when creating change management plans. How can you make a strategic plan? The answer lies in understanding the organization's needs and figuring out how to meet those needs. A strategic plan must include the following:
-
A timeline
-
Clear responsibilities for each employee
-
A deadline
-
A step-by-step plan to make the needed change
How to improve your change management skills
-
Get a consultant - Hiring a consultant to guide you and the company through the change will make the process easier for everyone. The consultant will provide advice and guidance as you execute the changes.
-
Mentorship - No man is an island. We all need someone else to hold our hands through the tough times, and a mentor does that. Ask questions about tackling the difficult hurdles and what to expect through the process.
-
Read on change management - You can search the internet and get results from blog posts, online books, educational videos, and podcasts.
7 change management steps you should follow
Stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to grow. It sounds easy right? It isn’t. There will be some hurdles like employee adherence and acceptance. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Here are change management steps you can apply in your organization.
1. Have a process and follow it
Creating a good plan will make the process easier to implement. With the determination and execution process in place, you will successfully execute change management. The first step is to find a process that has worked for another organization and streamline it to meet the vision and goals of your organization. Always consider everyone’s role in the process, the employees, managers, and executives.
2. Start with the leaders of the organization
As you implement change management, start from the top of the food chain. If the executives are not convinced or have not accepted your changes, the rest of the team will not. Therefore, the goal is to convince the executives to join in. The rest of the team should know the executives are committed, aligned, and clear on implementing the change.
How do you get the executive team on your side?
-
Speak to the executives and explain the changes and how they will help the business grow
-
Identify the current barriers to progress and how your changes will assist in removing these barriers
-
State your common goal in the future direction of the organization.
-
Highlight the possible culture change that everyone will experience.
3. Consider everyone’s needs in the change process
A crucial part of change management is considering everyone involved and seeing how the changes will individually affect them, including the customers or clients. Figure out how the changes affect everyone across the business and use this to streamline your changes.
4. Pay attention to the individual change process
An individual’s transition process takes three phases, namely:
-
Release - The beginning of every transition phase is a loss or an ending of another phase. It is the most difficult process because most people don’t like leaving behind whatever they already know.
-
The investigation is also called the neutral zone - Everyone is confused, fumbling, and frustrated. In this phase, you will meet a lot of resistance and criticism before everyone gets the hang of it.
-
Acceptance - As the final stage, more people see the fruits of the changes or our vision. The team starts to identify with the new direction that the organization wants to take.
Being empathetic of everyone’s struggles will help everyone have faith in the process. Set up meetings and communications to let everyone know their new roles, behaviours, tasks, and responsibilities.
5. Expect some resistance and deal with it
Resistance is a big part of change management. The only way to handle resistance is to let everyone know it’s okay to struggle with change for a limited time. Create a space where people can honestly speak about their struggles and create solutions.
6. Celebrate all wins
Acknowledge, and celebrate any small win along the way. Change management is about celebrating the positives and creating solutions for the negative. Creating an incentive system will help everyone stay motivated through tough times.
7. Communication is key
Create forums for dialogue. You won’t know the progress and perspectives of your team unless you have honest conversations with them. How do you do this? The answer is creating dialogue forums like one-on-one conversations, team meetings, online forums, and suggestion boxes. Let your team know you are open to hearing what system works and doesn’t.
Conclusion
Good change management reduces stress for everyone involved. Using the tips and steps above, you will effectively manage change in your organization and steer everyone to growth. Let us know below how you applied these change management steps.
