Change Management has been around for many years and redressed just as much, however the underlying philosophy remains the same.
Focus on the People!
At the heart of any business is its people, therefore your results are in their hands. Bearing that in mind, doesn’t it make sense to ensure that they are contributing at a consistently high level?
The question is, how do you ensure they are or even want to?
With change you are asking your people to change, perhaps changing things that they have been doing a certain way for many years. Do you think this will be easy for them? Most people resist change, and even if you ask yourself honestly, you may also resist change on certain levels. However change is essential, not only for success in these uncertain economic times, but it is also essential for survival.
There are multiple Change Strategies out there, and at the core is focusing on your Team’s pains is a great funnel for leading change programs and getting people to act.
Within any organization, the most successful programs are the ones where there are commitment at all levels and a willingness for the people on the ground to work with the Management and Director Team. It is simply not good enough to tell people you are changing, they need to want to take action.
A trust is required between all levels of the business, hence a communication strategy is required to cater for that. A program is also required to ensure that your team is achieving maximum satisfaction in their roles in order for them to offer a high level of contribution that will directly lead to improved business performance.
The consequences of developing a change strategy that does not include all levels of your business, Lean or otherwise, are severe.
- Pushing your team too hard without a willingness to do so will lead to a crash & burn team
- Keeping people very busy on the wrong tasks is akin to a hamster on a wheel, results will never change or improve
- A completely disengaged team that are low on satisfaction will be low on contribution
All of the above will lead to a poorly performing team and therefore poor business results.
Developing a change program that is tailored to the existing culture is vital for success.
