All of us love Positive change. Tell me that I have got an out of turn promotion and I will love it. Unfortunately though, that kind of change is rare to come. Most of the change that we come across in our professional lives is change that makes us cringe.
At the work place, we all get into a certain routine of doing things. Once that routine is set and we are comfortable with it, we don’t like that comfort to be destroyed.
A few things to remember about Change at the Work place
- Change is the only constant: As business is constantly evolving and dependent on external factors which are out of our control, change is bound to happen. Every day, on a macro and micro level the business landscape undergoes changes that we as business people need to account for.
- Change Strategy Vs Change Execution: A lot of changes made by senior management often fail because they don’t think of the impact at an execution level. Great change initiatives at a strategic level often fail on the ground because the last mile is not thought through as much as it should be.
- As executors of change, see the larger picture: Nobody likes and makes change for the sake of it. At large organisations, decisions on change are made by only a few and the rest of the people execute it. The people executing the change often complain and crib about the change initiative as they fail to see the larger picture that the senior management has in mind. The best executives on the ground [and the ones most likely to make progress] are the ones who understand that the change made is for a larger cause.
Dealing with Change at the workplace
- Most change is uncomfortable to start with. A lot of people spend their time cribbing and cursing the change in their lives. Others accept the change as a part of their lives and move on.
- Over communicate during change. The change maker should be present in person if possible. The more people you can address or meet in person the better it is. Any change is a touchy topic for people. Misinterpretations are bound to take place. It’s better to be there in person talking and answering questions about the change decisions.
- Explanation from the Change Maker If it comes from the horse’s mouth, that’s great. The person who has taken the decision for change is best equipped to front end the discussion on it. He knows the situation and reasons behind the change the best. Try to explain the reasons of change. In as simple a language as possible. Even the junior most employees in the organisation want an answer to the ‘Why’ question.
- Total Transparency during Change: If you at the middle management need to just execute a change decision brought about by somebody else that you disagree with, communicate the same to your team. Just tell them that there are certain things beyond your control. It’s better to be as honest and transparent as possible about the change.
- Execute well irrespective of what you believe: Your view on the change taken in an organization may defer from the decision makers. You could communicate your view strongly to the decision makers. But once you know that the change is here to stay, get on board and adhere to it. There is no use being too rebellious.
The most successful people and organisations are those that can adapt to change in the short, medium and long run. We have had so many examples of people not being able to change their attitudes towards the advent of IT and suffered in their careers. So many others could not change to meet their new Boss’s way of working. As a professional, let me assure that you will see constant change. Your ability to deal and adapt to change will be largely responsible for your success as a professional.