Creating Successful Change In The Workplace

The failure rate of organizational change initiatives is estimated between 50 to 70 percent. Many common reasons for this failure rate include lack of organizational infrastructure, unclear direction and focus, lack of resources, and underdeveloped training, and sustainability strategies. So what does it take to create successful change in the workplace? Some of the core solutions can be found in organizational readiness, preparation, and multi-dimensional communication.

Determine Organizational Readiness. Organizational readiness is the nucleus to creating successful change in the workplace. Many seasoned professionals can point to a time where they pushed instead of pulled when they should have simply waited for the right timing or planned a phased-approach to the changes.

Consider the amount of change that has occurred in the workplace and ask these questions:

• What kind of changes has this organization had in the last several years?
• How did that change affect the infrastructure and the people?
• What strategies are left to implement and what kind of time, energy and resources will it take to implement them?
• Are the systems in place to support another change (i.e., accounting systems, human resource systems, information technology, compensation systems, etc.)?
• Does the organization have the resources necessary to absorb more change (i.e., staffing, finances, information technology, policies, procedures, fringe benefits and other overhead expenses)?
• How will the internal and exte
al customers perceive this change?
• How could this impact the organization financially both short- and long-term?
• Does the organization have organizational metrics and stakeholder feedback to support new programs?
• What needs to be developed to support the change and upcoming changes in all areas of the organization?

If the answers are “no” or “don’t know” to these questions, one needs to investigate whether the organizational infrastructure can absorb more adjustments and develop plans to address those areas. Upfront inquiry can increase the success rate of organizational changes.

Prepare Managers to Implement the Change. Managers need to be trained to cope with the change. Just because people are in management positions, it is often disastrous to assume they have experience leading organizational change. Even with unprecedented organizational change in the way of layoffs, divestitures, closures, etc., some managers just haven’t seen that kind of change let alone know the steps to take with employees. In addition, they may have to resolve their own feelings around the change. It is important to train managers about how to handle the transitions for themselves and their staff and often helpful to bring in experts who specialize in transition services.

It is also imperative for the manager to understand the current state of the company and the desired vision. This information is important to show employees the plan and to answer questions that will be asked from employees who are affected by the change.

Communicate Often and Frequently. There’s nothing like the office grapevine to usurp the best laid plans. Remember to:

• Communicate the change often.
• Address why the change needs to occur.
• Identify what the changes means to the employee.

The biggest detriment to the company in not communicating often and frequently is losing good employees. Once good employees hear that future opportunities might not be available, they are often the first ones to update their resumes.

Use all Communication Channels. One of the most misunderstood or ignored parts of creating successful change in the organization is using all communication mediums and methods of communicating.

Mediums include electronic mail, voice mail, in person meetings and visual aids during the presentation.
Methods include the way information is delivered including notifications before meetings and opportunities to submit questions after the meeting.

The reason you want to use a mix of mediums and methods is that people receive their information in different ways, as well as think and process information in varied ways. Some people need to see graphs and tangible items, some want their information in concise bulleted statements, yet others need detail and some want to know the next steps in the process. Some people want to receive their information face-to-face and have dialog about it while others need to think about it and process it. These are critical elements to create successful organizational change.

For example, in your electronic mail communication, you want to consider using the following format:
• A Summary Section that includes no more than 3-5 critical points. This will be read by people who like their information in concise, bulleted statements or people who scan for information.
• The second section should identify the contact person that will answer specific questions. This section is for people who have a high sense of urgency and/or those who need questions answered that are not detailed in the email.
• The third section adds more detail and expands on the previous 3-5 critical points. This third section is for people who need a great detail of information in order to implement ideas and plans.

A communication plan to implement change might include this process:

• Send out a brief email that identifies the date, time, meeting place, and the purpose of the meeting. This method targets those who need information, need to prepare, and want to know the details of the meeting.
• Send a voice mail blast (that reminds the employees of the face-to-face meeting). This process targets those who may be out of the office and those who may need a reminder.
• Facilitate the in person meeting. The people who prefer this face-to-face communication may be in attendance at the meeting and may also need to see the visual aids such as slides or overheads. Remember these points in the visual presentation:no Share what the change will be and why the company is making the changes.no Outline how the change will affect them.no Send the email summarizing key points using the outline above.
• Have a mechanism for people who need to think and process information. This communication tool could be a question and answer document in an e-note or e-newsletter that could be sent to the entire company after the in-person meeting.

Change will be continual and employees can become more comfortable with it if some of their communication needs are met. A variety of mediums with a multi-dimensional approach can limit the employees’ anxiety levels and help keep them engaged in the process.

Equally important is the strategic planning and sustainability elements. Gone are the days of 5-10 year strategic plans. With the integration of the internet, change is happening too fast; however, the plans should:

• Be agile to support ongoing change and focused to achieve organizational results.
• Be developed to address the internal factors (systems, staffing, finances, etc.) and exte
al factors (market, environmental conce
s, legislation) affecting the organization. Often times, strategic plans become the book on the shelf. The plan should align all of the facets of the organization infrastructure, including values, vision, guiding principles and how those areas will become integrated into the plan.
• Foster direction and value. Each plan should answer the question: is this plan and activity focused on what’s most important and relate to the organization’s vision for the future?

Along with having a strategic plan, sustainability elements need to be built in. People get into the habit of execution and forget to look at quality and sustainability of their products and services. Have changes in the market caused the product to be irrelevant? How can this project be sustained in a changing market? How can we ensure standards are continually met even with staff turnover? It is important to look at tangibles (product quality) and intangible (knowledge retention) elements that will determine sustainability of your strategic plan.

Creating successful change in the workplace is multi-dimensional. It is a process of keeping the big picture in mind, ensuring executable systems are in place, and continuously maintaining and evaluating the infrastructure to ensure it is relevant. Above all, it is critical to bring the entire team together and utilize a multi-method approach to communication. These approaches can help create agile infrastructures, productive operations, and engaged employees when implementing changes in the workplace.