In life, change is an inevitable thing that is constant. It is not an easy thing to do, because it sometimes alters behavior or routines. Despite change being difficult, if an organization wants to improve on certain things/structures in the workplace, then it must undergo the change process. When change occurs in the workplace, not only does it affect the Employer and the workplace, but also every employee is affected.
It is important that when employers desire to make some effective changes in the workplace, they need to carry along their employees through periods of transformation. The workplace formal term for addressing change is through a process called organizational change management where methods and strategies are deployed to help drive employees to accept, adapt and embrace change.
There have been incessant complaints from employees around the world concerning some organizational changes that are affecting their job. According to a survey, more than half a million U.S employees do not understand why changes are happening in the workplace. Employers must not assume that employees understand the reason behind some changes, they must see the importance of putting them through.
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They must spend time explaining these changes and why they are important. For there to be a successful change process in the workplace, there are key factors employers must implement when introducing organizational change.
Ensure Employees Stay Informed By Maintaining Regular Communications: Communication as regards changes in the organization, is never a once and for all thing. Employers must ensure that employees are always informed of any recent development, also they must ensure to communicate with them throughout every step of the change process. According to studies, it reveals that continuous communication is a leading factor in a transformation process. Regular communication is ideal when carrying out change because once there is a break in communication between the employer and employees, it can pose a serious challenge to the whole change process.
Empower Appointed Leaders Appointed To Lead: When it comes to change in the workplace, there are major transformations that take place, which often require the employer to appoint certain employees as leaders. These appointed employees need to adopt specific behaviors or skill sets to be successful in the given task. Since this new position is something most of them are not used to, the employers must see the need to empower them with the right words and also equip them with the right information and resources. All these are needed so that they can build capacity and be more confident throughout the change process. Employers must empower these leaders to help them gain and understand the fundamentals of change, also teaching them how to be effective leaders throughout the change process.
Clearly Define The New Goals: Employers must carefully define the new goals to employees so that they can have a clear picture of what they are working towards. It is not ideal for employers to assume that employees already understand what the change process is about. According to Mckinsey, 70% of change initiatives fail to meet their goals, and a big part of this is due to employees’ resistance to clearly defining new goals. Employers should ensure to explicitly define the new goals and expectations so that employees know what steps they need to take in other to achieve the set goals
Conclusion
Organizations are bound to experience change from time to time, therefore in order to ensure a smooth change process, employers must understand the importance of effective communication with employees during the entire change process.
