There is no hiding that change is a natural part of life. In business, new opportunities can arise at every corner, and jumping at them can take your company to the next level. In the long term, change can improve your team dynamic and help your employees thrive on an individual scale too. But it’s also fair to say that, at first, embracing new missions and tackling different types of tasks can instil sentiments of worry and uncertainty in your people.
With a change management plan in place, you can seamlessly introduce innovations within your business without overwhelming your workers. How? Here, we explore some of the steps that business owners and managers can take to adapt and enhance teamwork in a time of change.
Set the direction and create shared goals
As things in your organization start mutating and developing at a rapid pace, it may feel difficult to identify and stick to specific priorities. This is especially true when your key objectives keep shifting all the time. However, it is always important to have an end goal in mind, and you should be able to advise your team on what that common aim is.
Therefore, as your business gets ready to welcome change, it is vital for owners and managers to set a clear direction. Communicate your renewed objectives to the team, so that your employees are fully aware of what is expected from them. In fact, dealing with new expectations out of the blue can be daunting. If someone does not understand the bigger picture and how to achieve certain targets, they will ultimately be restricted in their decision-making.
This is why you should offer precise instructions when immersed in a changing work environment, as it will result in fewer disruptions and happier, more confident team members.
Encourage different perspectives
Providing your employees with specific information can aid them in carrying out their reinvented daily duties. Likewise, in a time of change, getting your team’s thoughts and perspectives on new working ways can be crucial for you and your business as a whole. Hence, encourage your staff to bring ideas, thoughts, and perspectives to the table.
Every team consists of people with different experiences, personalities, and backgrounds. There is a chance that they will have the right solution to handle a new challenge or nail an opportunity that has just arisen. Perhaps, they will have dealt with a similar situation in their previous role and know exactly how to tackle it.
Promoting diversity of thought will allow your team to collectively evaluate paths which, otherwise, may have simply been ignored. This, in turn, will improve their engagement and efficiency, creating a collaborative dynamic when your company most needs it.
Remind employees that they’re important
One of the reasons for which workers feel unsure about change is that they might be concerned about losing or having diminished control. But the truth is that employees always have a degree of control in the workplace, and even more so in a changing environment. Indeed, through their efforts and hard work, they can actively shape results and the positive outcome of new strategies.
A good way to remind them that they are still important is to have honest talks about how they can influence the new process. This will make them feel valued, while also helping them realise that they still have an active agency in the workplace.
What’s more, you may want to consider providing examples of past instances in which team members successfully adapted to change. Showing how others adjusted to change within the business, as well as offering positive feedback when they deserve credit, can truly spur feelings of hope and confidence in your team members.
Provide adequate training
If your business is embracing change, you need to make sure that your employees have the right tools and skills to keep pace. The best way to do this is to provide them with adequate training. It will help your team develop new abilities, adjust to any innovation you are willing to introduce, and complete the transition in a smooth fashion.
In this respect, you may want to designate a leader to help your people navigate through these initial learnings. This could be a team member who has several years of experience and has already witnessed many strategy changes in their professional career. With an assigned leader in place, your team will always be able to count on a knowledgeable individual for tips and guidance.
As a business owner or manager, it is always crucial to make the most of exciting, promising opportunities. With a few aces up your sleeve, you can ensure that your people feel just as driven and motivated. Ultimately, from creating shared objectives and providing proper training to encouraging different ideas and remarking your team’s importance, there are several ways in which you can incite your employees to respond to change positively.
