Managing Change
In The Workplace

Managing change in the workplace is a challenge that you must approach with care and planning. None of us respond to change in the same way.

Read on to find out more about managing change in the workplace - or skip to the articles below to guide you as you build your change management skills and knowledge.

Managers and Change Leaders

As a change leader your job is to make sure that each person in every team is confident and knows

  • Why the change is important
  • How it will benefit them (or at the very least how it affects them)
  • What is expected of them
  • When the change is required
  • Who will answer their questions, and
  • How to do what they are expected to do and perform optimally.

You will also need to make sure that they can sustain the changes and continue to work in this way into the future.

Don't impose change - get people involved...

Change management models are useful in that they provide a guide to manage the process of change in the workplace. This will reduce mistakes and increase the success rate of change.

Get people involved in the change and communicate as often as possible to reduce uncertainty.

When senior leaders show they actively support change it creates a positive environment for everyone. 

Create a team that is responsible for managing change in the workplace...

...Or follow John Kotter's current thinking. In his latest book (Accelerate, 2014) Kotter emphasizes that change is not just led by a change management team, but by a motivated network of volunteers.

Every one of us responds differently to change and it's essential to plan to meet each person’s needs - and predict resistance so you can plan to manage it.

Employees

As an employee or team member the reality of constantly managing change in the workplace can leave you feeling overwhelmed.

Prepare yourself by understanding the process of change and some of the normal responses to change you may experience.

Change is essential so that the organizations we work for can stay ahead of the game. It's really competitive out there and businesses must make decisions in order to survive and thrive.

Don't take it personally. Instead, try to find ways that you will benefit from the change.

Do Something

Build your resilience to change by focusing on communication and being proactive about managing your experience of change.

Doing something, rather than waiting for things to happen, reduces uncertainty and makes it easier to cope with managing change in the workplace. 

You may feel this is a good time to reassess your career direction and to create new goals. What is the world of work demanding of you as you move into the future?

You can study further or improve your skills in order to make yourself relevant.

Managing Change In The Workplace 
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