As we’ve seen throughout the pandemic, managing new government regulations can require a rapid response (and ongoing realignment!). We’ve also seen companies introduce new products, technologies and adapt to working remotely.
Even before the pandemic, with its seemingly never-ending changes, many companies would undertake minor organizational changes annually – and significant changes approximately every five years or so.
Change is hard for a lot of folks, even if it’s positive. When you have to manage change in your organization, it’s not unusual to encounter resistance – ranging from team members balking at anything new to actively trying to undermine it – especially if there are unexpected challenges or the timeline is longer than anticipated.
There are a variety of reasons why folks resist change in the workplace. These include:
- Fearing that the change is a loss (to them or the organization) greater than what they will gain from it
- Not understanding what is changing and reacting due to a misunderstanding
- Lacking trust in whomever is initiating the change (or they might dislike the person in charge of the change)
- Bowing to peer pressure to resist change
- Deciding that it’s the wrong move for the organization
- Resisting change because they worry they won’t be able to acquire new skills or develop new competencies
It’s human nature to dislike change (especially if it feels like it’s too much, too quick or unnecessary). What we see is that some personalities struggle much more than others to accept organizational change.
There are a few important steps that help you or your managers successfully implement change in your organization:
- Determine a vision for the change. Where do you want to end up when the change is complete? What will your company or business look like when you’ve achieved this change? Without a clear vision, the result is often experimenting to try to get it right – which is simply not as effective as having a set vision with its accompanying timeline and metrics.
- Figure out your high-level plan. You must have a strategy to achieve the outcome that you desire. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to be well articulated (one page often suffices). Pre-planning should consider things like: Who needs to be involved to design the change? Whose cooperation is critical? Who will be affected and how? What actions are needed to support the change? How will you integrate different roles or departments – the operational, financial and human resource-related elements? How quickly does this change need to be implemented?
- Conduct a feasibility assessment. This requires a two-pronged approach of considering both the technical and cultural feasibility of the change. Often leaders focus on whether they have the technical capability to implement the change and will hire consultants if they don’t. But it’s just as important to ask yourself, “Are there cultural norms or ways that our organization works that might be barriers to success?” Involving those who are resistant to the change (or who you anticipate will be resistant) in the design stage can be very beneficial, particularly if they feel their concerns or issues are heard and considered valuable.
- Coach for conflict. Our Padraig coaches work with leaders to help build conflict in the workplace (that’s right — build it!). Healthy conflict is conflict around ideas and direction (not around personalities), and it is a sign of a strong team. It is essential to managing organizational change. Conflict will occur during the process, so talk with your team members about how to approach debate, conflicting ideas and other issues that may arise.
- Communicate. When trying to get buy-in on ideas or change, communicate well to everyone. You’ll need to share why the change is necessary and share evidence (the logic or reasons for it) to educate everyone involved and/or affected. This could include discussions, reports or an internal campaign to rollout the change. It’s better to communicate more frequently because otherwise people make assumptions (and typically assume the worst). Listening to understand is a big part of communication and provides the opportunity to understand any resistance. A really helpful tool we use a fair bit with coaching clients is the RACI model (we explain it in more detail further down in this post). The RACI model connects people to the vision and strategy for change, notably those who need to be consulted or informed about a project or particular tasks related to a project.
Pro-tip: Communication in this case doesn’t include trying to surreptitiously influence folks with select information (which is manipulation) or co-opting key folks with the promise of a particular role in the process or in future. It can be tempting for some managers to try to influence people in these ways but any support gained through these methods is generally short-lasting. Conversely, involving people in meaningful ways will frequently help them commit to or even embrace change. - Facilitate support for team members. If new skills are going to be required, provide adequate training. If there is an intense period of implementing change and adjusting to it, consider providing paid time off to rest or to enjoy an activity (educational or recreational) away from the office. In some cases, providing a mentor or team lead to help team members adjust and offer emotional support can be very beneficial.
Change in your organization may be hard, especially when team members react poorly, resources are strained or the circumstances are ever-changeable. But with the right approach, leaders and managers have the ability to facilitate change in positive and supportive ways.
RACI Explained
The RACI model is a project management tool that can be very effective when you need to make sure that there is clear communication across the business or company about a project and an opportunity for key stakeholders to contribute. It is used to organize your project and the various phases or steps with a focus on mapping out a matrix of all the tasks for a project and who is:
Responsible: The person or team assigned to do the work of completing a task or deliverable is designated Responsible. It can be one person or several people. Typically those designated Responsible are on the project team – they could be developers or in creative roles.
Accountable: The “boss” or leader is designated Accountable because they are assigning the work or task and guiding the direction of it. Sometimes this is confusing because Responsible comes before Accountable in the acronym. Remember that the Accountable person (and there is ideally only one person and no more per element or task) will not only delegate and understand the expectation of the project, but also review the work and ensure it is completed on time. One Accountable Manager could have a number of different people and/or teams reporting to them on different projects. And an individual or team responsible for a number of projects could be reporting to a different Accountable Manager for each one.
Consulted: Those designated Consulted on a RACI matrix are selected because their input and feedback on the work is valuable and necessary (even though they might not be working on the task in question). They are stakeholders in the outcome of the project and need to be identified ahead of starting the task so that those Responsible have their input beforehand. Ideally this is limited to only appropriate and essential stakeholders so the process doesn’t get bogged down unnecessarily. Think about those folks who are in different departments or functional roles that could be affected. Sometimes external clients would be in this category. There are sometimes tasks or milestones in project planning that do not require a Consulted party but most projects will require Consultation with someone at some point.
Informed: Anyone who needs to know what’s going on because their work will be affected – but who does not need to provide input – can be designated Informed. These Informed folks should be updated with the progress of the related task and the project as it progresses. Often this includes senior leadership or peer managers of departments or teams that will be affected by the project.
When you create a RACI chart, the various tasks for a project are listed down the left-hand column. Then the RACI acronym stakeholders are listed across the top row. As you work through each task while planning the project, you assign the level of involvement (R, A, C or I) for each stakeholder.
It’s important to acknowledge that the RACI chart demonstrates what should happen but it still relies on good relationships, trust and good conflict around ideas to help the project succeed.
We help leaders build stronger teams with the COACH Approach to leadership and with our Five Behaviours of a Cohesive Team program. Having a stronger team makes it easier to manage change in your organization.
Coach’s Questions:
How do you feel about managing change in your organization? What challenges have you faced? What can you do differently to facilitate organizational change?
