One of the biggest challenges in the workplace can be change.
Change is inevitable given the impact of political and economic conditions combined with fluctuations in consumer demand. Therefore it is imperative that managers understand how to engage their team in the process of change.
Think of a recent change in your organisation. How were people engaged at the beginning of the process? What was your organisation’s approach to this change? Can you recall a sense of urgency around that change? If so, how was this created?
At Enhance Solutions, one of the methods we apply to the change process is John Kotter’s Change Model (See footnote). This model helps leaders understand how to usher in a change and consists of 8 steps as shown in the diagram below.
Reference: The Art of Leadership and Supervision
Creating a sense of urgency is the first step which may be achieved by:
· Identifying threats posed within the current climate and the effects they may have on the organisation and staff
· Consulting with staff to examine the opportunities which the new change may provide to balance out these threats
· Seek support from key stakeholders such as customers, clients, external communities etc.
Enhance Solutions facilitate workshops designed to empower leaders with the skills to:
· Manage foreseeable organisational cultural shifts
· Understand and apply critical components of successful strategic change campaigns
· Enable their organisation to establish a clear strategy, vision, rationale and narrative for change
If you would like to discuss your issues or ideas concerning workplace change please give us a call or drop an email and we would be happy to assist.
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Boston: Harvard Business Press, pp. 33–35.