Five Practical Ways to Increase Change Effectiveness
Ch-ch-ch-changes.
While David Bowie might bring back fun memories, the changes you've experienced in the workplace may not.
Change management and learning and development work hand in hand. That's why my approach to L&D includes change management principles. Thinking about why the change is good for the organization and how it might affect your people allows me to be more strategic and more compassionately human centered.
Here are five things you can do now to create more effective change initiatives:
Form a diverse team to create and lead the change. Create the team and set them out on a listening journey. Allow them to hear from all levels of the organization, all departments, all core dimensions of diversity. Change impacts each person in a different way. As the team creates and leads the change, they should know how the change will be received. The more they know, the stronger the change, the better they can communicate the change, and the fewer the surprises.
Peel back the layers to identify what has been done in the past, what has worked, and what could be improved. This should occur before the change, during the change, and after the change. What changes have been made in the past? How were those communicated? How were people trained to implement the changes? What change is being made now? How is it being communicated? How are people being trained to implement the changes? Also, take a look at all of your staff development efforts to see which ones are working, which ones are still needed, etc.
Listen to those affected - like really listen and incorporate their perspectives. See point number 1, but I'd add that the listening doesn't end either. Listening should occur throughout the process so you can create a better change, adapt and respond during the change, and assess how the change went.
Communicate often and transparently. People don't always read the first email you send. Think about all the different ways you can communicate. And, when you think everyone is aware, keep communicating. You'll want to communicate your vision for the change, what specifically is changing, why it is changing, how it will impact your people, what your expectations are, what is going well during the change, what you're learning during the change, and any incentives you are offering throughout the change.
Train staff on new skills required for the change. A change in the organization often requires a change in your people's skills and behaviors. While L&D can play an important role in all of these areas, point 5 is where L&D shines. Identify what skills are needed for the change to be successful. Then, consider what skills your people already have that can be leveraged and what skills may need to be developed more. This allows you to create just-in-time training that is relevant to the organization and to your staff.
In L&D, our job is to ask questions, support the organization's strategies, and know our people. We can be a huge asset to change initiatives within the organization.
P.S. If you want support creating staff development opportunities that support your organization's change initiatives, here's how I can help:
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Send me an email - heather@skillmastersmarket.com - with the subject line "learning strategy" and share a little bit about your organization and what your needs are.
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About the Author
An experienced learning & development professional, Heather Burright is a principal consultant with Skill Masters Market.
