Master Change Management Part II
In the last issue, I discussed why we find change management difficult and why we should consciously work to improve our change management skills. In short, as business owners, we want to be able to adapt when circumstances change, and even when circumstances aren’t changing, we want to be continually improving our business. And why is change hard? Because our default position is to resist change; we are comfortable with what we know, and change makes us uncomfortable.
“Everyone wants to be part of a winning team, so bring the team along when we want to implement change.”
How do we overcome resistance to change?
Everyone wants to be part of a winning team, so bring the team along when we want to implement change. Explain not just the change but the reason for it. Acknowledge where the change will impact staff and outline the overall benefit and how the business will improve as a result. Thank your team in advance for their support.
Monitor compliance and gently nudge to keep people on track with the change. As you monitor and nudge, make it clear that compliance is not optional. Think about the level of compliance McDonald's requires of its staff. The expectations we have of our staff should be no different.
“…make it clear that compliance is not optional. Think about the level of compliance McDonald’s requires of its staff.”
Continue to monitor until the change has been well established.
Invite and welcome constructive feedback. Our staff are our biggest source of ideas to improve our business. We don’t have a monopoly on good ideas, and our staff can help us fine-tune the changes we want to make in our business. Once they understand your desire to improve, they will come forward with their ideas.
Set a time frame for achieving the change; otherwise, the project might drift.
Celebrate success. This will differ from project to project, but as a minimum, acknowledge the contribution your team made to the successful outcome.
Sometimes we get it wrong. If something doesn’t work as expected, or if fine-tuning is required, be the first to acknowledge it. If an initiative fails, don’t let it die a slow death; put it out of its misery, identify why it failed, share the outcome with the team, and then move on.
Embrace continuous improvement. You will have more success at implementing change the more you do it.
Lead by example. Nothing undermines change as much as seeing the boss ignore the rules.
“Have we forgotten that we have the right to make changes to our business?”
Have we forgotten that we have the right to make changes to our business? It is often surprising the degree to which an employee will exercise a sense of ownership about their job and how they do it, to the point where we are reluctant to interfere. In most cases, this is a good thing, but sometimes it creates an obstacle to change. Often these people will be long-standing and valued employees, and they pose a particular challenge. We don’t want to lose them, but we can’t let them be the single obstacle to improving our business. Make these people a key part of the change process. Engage with them early in communicating what you want to achieve and seek their input as valued employees, but stop short of giving the impression that they might have any sort of veto power. If you have the support of these people in your business, change will be exponentially easier.
In my role with RFMS, I talk with dozens of flooring retailers each week. As you would expect, some are more successful than others. There is no single reason for business success, but I can confidently state that those retailers that enjoy the most success are invariably good at change management, and they use that skill to improve their business constantly. For some, it comes naturally, but for others of us, we need to work on it.
It’s worth the effort.
Chris Ogden is a consultant and Managing Director of RFMS Australasia (rfmsANZ.com), a supplier of IT solutions specific to the flooring industry. Chris has an extensive background in all aspects of the flooring industry, and he can be contacted at cogden@rfms.com.
