4. Understanding preferences for Change
When change is being delivered, it’s important to be alert as to the personalities involved in implementing the change. You want to be sure that those involved will continue to drive the change to ensure it sticks. The Change Leader might, for example, want to follow up with staff members personally to ask them how they are finding the transition to a Hybrid Working Model. The important point is to ensure that whoever is implementing the change is able to run with it and ensure it sticks.
5. Use influencing language when communicating change
Often when change is communicated, particularly in larger organisations, it can be shared in quite a generic way, lacking as Lucinda describes it, ‘colour’. With little adaptation you can use some influencing language – for example to appeal to authority by referencing other companies that have adopted the same approach to hybrid working and seen positive results already. This technique of using practical persuasion strategies is outlined in more details in Episode 65 of The HR Uprising Podcast: Listen here
The other consideration should be the format system for communicating the change. It’s important to explain the ‘why’ ‘how’ and ‘what if we do/don’t’ questions to staff so that they have complete clarity of the situation and are more likely to buy-in to it. So for example: why could be – ‘to allow for greater collaboration amongst teams’, the ‘how’ could be - ‘via office meetings in the newly designed office space’ and the ‘what if we do/don’t’ could be - ‘to boost idea generation, morale and creativity vs potential burnout and low productivity’.
For more on this topic listen to podcast episode 58: format system for influential communication
Discover more resources on Managing Change
In this blog we have outlined some key areas to focus on when looking at managing change in an uncertain workplace. Whilst we have had had little control over the change that has been done to us in the last 18 months, we do have control as to how we react to and deal with the change If we respond and influence change in a positive way, we are more likely engage, retain and attract talented employees into our business.
For more on the topic of change, why not download our free Change Superhero Toolkit taken from Lucinda Carney’s Business Book: ‘How to be a change Superhero’.