Almost every organisation has a change programme running. A reorganisation, a new strategy, a new system or a different way of working. For you as a manager, that is quite a task: you want the change to succeed and keep your people engaged and involved. That works best if you don't pour the change over your people, but shape it together with them.
Why does working together help with change?
Shaul Oreg, Maria Vakola and Achilles Armenakis reviewed the results of 79 studies on how employees respond to organisational change. A few findings stand out. Employees who are involved and have a say are more open to the change, accept it more often and experience less stress. Good communication and information reduce unrest and increase trust. And people who see their job threatened more often respond with cynicism, anxiety and resistance. Oreg, Vakola & Armenakis
Taking part, knowing where you stand and feeling supported: that is what the nine tips below are about. They come from Esmeralda Korteweg and lay a foundation for support and cooperation.
9 practical tips
- Don't design the new situation on your own as management. Korteweg regularly hears that the core values are 'finished' and now need to be 'loaded'. What a missed opportunity. If you set the goals of the change together with employees, there is nothing to load. They are then the dreams, words and goals of the people themselves. And something you believe in and are proud of needs no explanation.
- Make the dream concrete! What are you going for? What does someone do differently when the new behaviour is going well? When are you satisfied and when not? What do you see happening then? Be as concrete as possible.
- Look not only at the KPIs, but also at meaning. Many employees want to know why choices are made, what their actions lead to and whether it contributes to a better organisation and a better world. This is exactly where the change lets you work on work engagement straight away. Engagement has everything to do with the work itself and its meaning: engaged people experience their work as useful, meaningful and inspiring. UBES manual So a potential win-win.
- Keep the change on the agenda. Once everyone knows where the dot on the horizon is, you also want to know where you are now, what is still needed and what you are proud of. Share moments and milestones and discuss progress regularly.
- Say what is going well. Change comes with ups and downs. A lot of attention often goes to what still needs to improve or change, but people work with more energy on what is already going well. Appreciate that as much as you can and show that you see it.
- What you pay attention to, grows. It is stating the obvious, but go looking for successes rather than points for improvement.
- Celebrate your successes and tick off milestones. Change is hard work and sometimes you go from deadline to deadline. Don't forget to celebrate the steps you have taken!
- The people doing the work know best. Listen to the employees who work every day on putting the change into practice. Do they come up with ideas or ask for adjustments? Great! They are thinking along and, just like you, want to make it a success. After all, it is their dream too (see tip 1).
- Take care of your people. Not everyone finds it equally easy to deal with change. Uncertainty about your job costs a lot of energy and feeds resistance. Keep an eye on whether your people are still doing well and whether there is enough energy, and step in to support them in good time. Give them trust and let them take control themselves. Having a grip on your own situation gives far more energy than feeling powerless. According to self-determination theory, that need for autonomy is one of the three basic psychological needs of every human being. Self-Determination Theory
And remember:
"Start moving to where you want, instead of moving away from what you don't want."
Want to know how engaged your team is, before, during or after a change? You can measure it with the Employee Engagement Survey. Also read purpose gives your work value.
About this article: written by Esmeralda Korteweg and updated by the editors of Alles over bevlogenheid.
