Five steps that help businesses manage changes smoothly

The ancient Greek philosophers had it right: the only thing that is constant in life is change. In the business world, leading and managing change has been discussed, researched and explored for decades. However, businesses still find this topic a struggle.

Business leaders talk about quality management, lean production, or large acquisitions. They focus on the numbers and process side of a change, but all too often forget the human side of the change.

They fail to budget for time and money to engage their employees in the change, and do not seek their input; and change is often viewed as a dictatorial top-down directive.

A classic case within organisations is where new systems and processes are being implemented. You hear employees mutter things like: “This new system is awful; they have no idea what is good for the business.

The old system was better.” Or “I don’t see how this new process is going to help; it’s time consuming. The old process worked just fine! I am still going to continue using the old process.”

A McKinsey survey of business executives indicates that only 30 per cent of change programmes are a success today, which means a whopping 70 per cent are unsuccessful.

The Harvard Business Review also quotes that about 70 per cent of all change initiatives fail. A study by Towers Watson also found that only 25 per cent of change management initiatives are successful over the long term.

Why do we fear or withdraw from change? Mainly because we like to maintain control over our lives. It isn’t the actual change that is the problem, it is the unknown that we fear the most: It’s that dark space lurking between the old and new.

In his book Managing Transitions, William Bridges explains that it is not the changes that ‘do you in’, it’s the transitions that do that. And, it is worth noting, change is not the same as transition. He refers to the change as situational. For example, the new boss, the new site or the new policy are changes.

Transition is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with the new situation. In short, change is external while transition is internal.

For any change to be truly successful in a business, management needs to pay attention to its employees, in equal measure, if not more. The steps below will assist any organisation to embrace change smoothly:

1. Communication. The importance of communication cannot be emphasised enough. This is such an integral part of successful change. It is important to think about WHAT to communicate, WHEN to communicate it, to WHOM and HOW? Don’t just think of the boring top-down communication in the form of emails.

Get creative and inclusive. One of the most powerful forms of communication in an organisation is the grapevine: how can you use this to your advantage? How can you encourage bottom-up communication?

2. Deal with emotions. In business, the word ‘emotions’ can seem a bit scary, and many leaders steer clear of them. Don’t do that! Talk about emotions — enable people to feel comfortable about sharing their fears, sadness or even excitement.

Sharing how we feel builds a sense of commitment and helps employees feel that they are not alone in a change process.

3. Provide a sense of control. Although during change, many things are non-negotiable, look for things that you can be flexible with. What can employees have input into? What can they decide? Even if these are very small, everyday things, they will help make a positive difference.

4. Be open and honest. Trust is vital during times of change. Be open and honest with your staff. There may be things that you will not be able to share, but be upfront and tell them that piece of information is not ready to be shared yet. Invite questions or provide a way of addressing their questions when they arise.

5. Celebrate milestones. Mark major changes and celebrate milestones! Years ago, when Burroughs Wellcome was merging to create Glaxo-Wellcome, they had an event aimed at saying ‘goodbye’ to the Burroughs’ unicorn logo.

It clearly helped employees make a successful transition to the new company, by gaining closure, and acknowledging the end of something that was important to them. Similarly, when something has been achieved, it’s good to celebrate this success however big or small.

The people in your business are going to be the ones who ultimately impact how successful your change is going to be, so pay attention to them and make them a priority during the transition.

The writer is the founder and owner of Redstone Consulting, a performance consulting firm that focuses on leadership development, change management, performance management, team development and executive coaching.