Tips for a Smooth Transition When Making Changes to How Things Are Done
One of the most common things in life and business is change. When changes need to be made within the organization, however, the internal community also needs someone to help. If you work in an administrative role, the hard transitions that you must instigate can be much smoother with the right steps and plans in place. Here are a few tips that will help you facilitate change without so many growing pains!
Have a Plan
It may sound obvious, but a solid plan can make a huge difference in how smoothly changes are rolled out. And the more specific the goal or goals you have in mind, the easier it will be to plan effectively, so make sure you start with SMART goals—making them specific, measured, attainable, relevant, and time-bound—and then listing in your plans how you will accomplish them. Also, make sure you have plans in place to monitor progress towards the changes you want to see. Rather than just changing procedures, having a purpose and a goal behind the change will help your plans be much more effective and gain support from employees rather than resistance.
Communicate
Change is inevitable, but how people feel about it is definitely something you can sway. Communication is your biggest tool as you implement a transition in the workplace, so don’t leave it in the toolbox. Talking to those impacted by changes helps them feel included and less alienated, which can help reduce the amount of resistance and pushback those changes are met with. A few good ideas to communicate more effectively are to appoint a contact person to liaison the concerns of employees or certain departments from among them, to teach new procedures to employees via training, and to make your goals and/or plans visible for all to see.
Involve Employees
Though this has been lightly touched on already, it is worth getting its own section—without employees on board, a change won’t happen. And even when it does, your goals and plans for the organization moving forward post-transition will never become reality unless employees are not just begrudgingly tolerating the change, but have embraced it. Increase employee ownership by listening to their concerns, asking for their feedback, and involving them in the decisions.
Change is hard, no matter where it happens. As a business leader, it is your job to make sure that the change is both good and effective. Make sure it is as smooth as possible and your organization will only grow stronger!
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