It seems that most teams are going through structural change, either minor or major. It’s a part of life, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy or accepted.
As we are humans, not robots, even the most logical and positive structural changes are rarely met with applause.
With all the staff shortages going on, most leaders don’t have the luxury of implementing a complex change management process for a 'minor' change.
What they need is a practical, targeted approach to get it as right as possible in an imperfect world.
A few things to note if time is not on your side:
Consult early
Overcommunicate (3 x more than you think you need to)
Reverse engineer the process ahead, to identify what you haven’t thought of yet
Involve your leaders early - align your messaging and have a strategy to effective cascade information
Design the roles and structures you need based on evidence /consultation (not on one person's great idea)
Enable team reflection, connection and exploration*
*We’ve found that one of best ways to align teams and leaders to a change, (or get over a previous one), is to give people the time and space to unpack it. To validate the impact, to understand the concerns, to explore the real and potential losses and gains. Not to wallow, but to process, prepare and contribute.
The other great benefit of this is team re-connection. Thanks to the huge turnover of staff and three years of remote work, people simply don’t know each other, or what others do. Connection is a basic human need and people are hungry for it.
So, if you want your change to go a little more smoothly and for people to enjoy work a little more, give them a chance to reflect and prepare in a safe environment as part of your change plan.
Do you agree? What else is critical to get it right when time is tight?
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