How To Achieve Meaningful Change In An Organization

Whether your business is thriving or going through downtimes, there will always be reasons to change things within the organization. Knowing when and where these changes need to occur will make the transition seamless. Recently, the covid-19 pandemic has forced companies to rethink their approach. Businesses had to reinvent themselves, leveraging technology to stay relevant through trying times.

Beyond the lockdown, some brands were battling stunted growth due to stifling competition in an overcrowded industry. For others, it was new ownership, adapting to the ever-changing market landscape, or a need to rebrand. Insight from data analytics can drive change in an organization with a proactive management team. Employee turnover rate, client retention, or low employee engagement could warrant an organizational change.

As important as it is, achieving meaningful organizational change can be challenging. This happens because business managers underestimate the work required to effect the change. Meaningful change alters the existing structure, and organizations often overestimate their ability to withstand the shock. Other times, business leaders aren’t bold enough to stick out their necks and damn the consequences.

If well executed, the change will improve employee productivity and workflows. The business will be strategically positioned to beat the competition. And importantly, it will help improve sales and carve a path to achieving the business goals. Here is how to achieve meaningful change in an organization.

Identify Weak Links

The very first step to meaningful change is to identify the weak areas of the organisation. You’d also want to determine the impact of change on the organization. An impact assessment would help you identify which departments will feel the change the most and what measures can be implemented. Ensure you paint a vivid picture of the impact of the change so that all employees can be prepared mentally.

Discuss the outcome of the change with team members and ensure you get their input. This way, everyone is invested and fully prepared for the future. Next, you need to gather data to itemize where you are, understand what the intended outcome will be, and then proceed to analyze the data. This process will help you make the most informed decision and mitigate extraneous circumstances.

It is important for the change process to align with your business goals and objectives. This would help ascertain that you’re heading in the right direction financially, ethically, and strategically. Answering the questions of what, why, and how will be pivotal in getting the desired result.

Develop A Plan

Having identified the areas to change, you need to articulate a plan clearly. Your plan should itemize the new worl, how to achieve the change and how to measure the effected change. Your plan should also consider how you intend to help employees through the transition phase. Define the scope of the intervention, identify key stakeholders, and seek expert help.

Having a water-proof plan is key to the success of the implementation. If you don’t have a robust team, you could hire a consulting agency to help develop a strategy map. See an example of a digital and UX design agency in NYC, that can give you quick access to branding, marketing, design, and technology experts. A clear strategy makes it easy to visualize and communicate the goal while tracking milestones.

Prepare For The Change

Adequate preparation helps to cushion the disruption that comes with the change. When change has a cross-cutting effect, it often leaves a huge impact. Employees would take the biggest hit, and you need to introduce support programs like training, mentorship programs, or open-door policies. This would ensure uniformity in work processes and increase employee morale.

Depending on the availability of time, a pilot phase can help to test run the impact with little to lose. Preparing a small group of employees to test the outcome can help identify possible loopholes and increase the likelihood of success. Periodically, take out time to monitor progress to help correct mistakes and preempt unforeseen circumstances.

Communicate

Communication is key in the workplace and even more so when having a huge transition. It is important to define a communication strategy that outlines the goals of the change. Also, take out time to frequently communicate with employees and inform them how the change might impact their job roles.

Remember, communication is a two-way street. Take out time to listen to their fears and opinions so you know how to reassure them. You would also want to ensure stakeholders are on the same page, as you should report to them frequently.

Communication can help to improve the potential difficulties that may appear while implementing a change. It can help to keep the atmosphere cordial and mitigate conflict. It engenders a culture of teamwork, trust, and loyalty during such a crucial time.

It’s All In The Process

Change will happen, whether planned or unplanned. Having a strategy helps to reduce the impact. Identify the areas that the change affects the most by conducting an impact assessment. Also, develop a robust plan that can help to actualize the goal and cushion the effect of the change.

Change can be stressful, so preparing your team will help them develop the requisite skills to transition to the new world.