https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/05/employee-stress

As we all know, stressed employees are less productive, and replacing experienced members of staff can be expensive and disruptive. With those facts in mind, it is clear that the better your business handles organisational change, the more manageable and successful that change is likely to be.

What do we mean by change? It can mean anything from a merger with another business to implementing a new IT system. It might mean an office move, or a comprehensive restructuring of business teams. Whatever the change, it needs to be handled in a sensitive and collaborative way. The days when senior management could demand change and expect everybody to just get on with it are well and truly over.

Change requires trust

The key to successful change is trust, the key to trust is communication, and the key to effective communication is clarity of purpose. 

• Articulate your goal

  Change is disruptive. It will impact the working lives of your employees, and just the prospect of change can lead to confusion and anxiety. To counter that, explain in detail and well ahead of time what the purpose of the change is, and what it will mean for the business. Then dig deeper – articulate the benefits of the change at the department, team and individual level. Help colleagues to understand the benefits of a successful change and the positive impacts on them.

• Stress the importance of collective action

  When change projects fail, it is often because employees do not have any immediate input into the change process. By contrast, when staff take ownership of change they are more likely to commit to its success. Stress the need for collective action, involve all relevant employees at the planning stage and then for the entirety of the change process, and give key members of staff specific roles and responsibilities.

• Invite debate

  Not everyone will agree with what you want to do or how you intend to do it. You need to take these opinions on board. Discussion and debate is healthy, and may actually lead to a better project. Outside consultants can be helpful, but employees who have insider knowledge on specific obstacles to change in your organisation – and ideas on how to do things more effectively – are invaluable. Create project-specific communication channels and give your teams the opportunity to critique, debate and smooth the path to change.

• Keep talking

  One mistake organisations often make is to offer opportunities for discussion and feedback at the start of a change management process, but not thereafter. By keeping the channels of communication open you are more likely to get early notice of upcoming roadblocks or growing staff frustration. People who have experienced the first phase of a large project will be in a better position to suggest ways of making the following phases flow more easily.

• Slice large projects into smaller chunks

  Working towards a distant goal can be demoralising – so split projects into sections and bring goals forward. Large change projects may naturally divide into multiple phases with distinct milestones. Even if they don’t, create milestones with interim goals to your overall objective and celebrate the successful completion of each phase. When a milestone is reached, recognise the achievements of those who contributed.

• Accept setbacks

  Inevitably, there will be challenges. When activities do not go to plan, accept it, learn from it and move on. Trying to hide challenges will only frustrate employees who are working valiantly to overcome them. Be transparent and open to fresh suggestions, whether a project is going smoothly or not.

• Be sensitive to changes in culture

  Change can have a significant impact on the culture of an organisation and individual teams. It can make people uncomfortable and less responsive to the challenges ahead. Be aware and be ready to listen and respond if you detect a rise in tension or if an employee raises an issue that requires focused, positive action.

Change is a reality for businesses of all sizes, and how effective organisations are at managing it can make the difference between survival or decline. At UHY we try to embrace change in an open positive way, which means we can always be receptive to new methods of working – an approach that has served our member firms and their clients well.

Strong, focused leadership

None of this will happen without strong, focused leadership. It is up to your leadership team to create a culture of change that prioritises collaboration on the path to a common goal. Positive change is essential as firms evolve to meet new challenges and grasp new opportunities, so learning to manage change effectively is the key to future-proofing your business.