People are in the vast majority naturally conservative and tend to adhere to the status quo. Introducing change at the team or company wide level is therefore a demanding discipline that even has its own term, namely change management. Is your team also facing changes? Is the structure changing, is new software being introduced, is there a merger with another company, or is a product renewal being prepared? Do you want to make these changes as easy as possible for your subordinates? Then here are four basic tips from the field of change management.
Explain why the changes are necessary
According to INC.com, it would be a mistake to merely dictate what changes will occur without mentioning why they are happening. Help your colleagues understand why the change is necessary, focus on the positives, and provide the transformation with the necessary context.
Involve team members in changes and decision making as much as possible
Employees may become frustrated if they feel they have no say in decisions about change and new processes. Therefore, involve your subordinates in the changes as much as possible from the very beginning. And if it is at least somewhat feasible, give them the opportunity to adjust their work processes as much as possible according to their own preferences.
Encourage employees to view the issue in a broader context and from a different perspective
Sometimes it is difficult to see the positives of a new system if a person does not abandon old ways of thinking. New software may, for example, appear negative because it does not allow the printing of paper reports. However, to appreciate the new system, it is necessary to realize that paper reports will no longer be needed. Encourage your subordinates to look at the issue in a broader context and to reassess their needs not according to how they were accustomed to working in the past, but according to the possibilities offered by modern technologies and modern approaches.
Know that there will be emotions and give people time
Change always brings emotions. Some handle it better, others worse. Expect that change will certainly evoke emotions, and give people time to come to terms with it.
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