Change is necessary for growth because no organisation can afford to stand still. So, why do so many of us resist change in every aspect of our lives? Particularly when we aren’t involved in the change directly, it can disrupt our day-to-day life and ultimately, make us feel disconnected!
Change and transformation professionals come up against this resistance more often than not, and managing the complexities of people whilst also trying to implement and run a change program can feel like a thankless task.
Morale is low, you don’t have buy-in anymore and exhaustion creeps in. These are common feelings that come with resistance – but it doesn’t have to be this way!
I believe there are 3 key reasons why there is resistance to change:
Particularly with big change and transformation projects, you’re more likely to come up against resistance when you are trying to gain buy-in and understanding from a large group of individuals.
Having clear communication channels and providing regular updates can settle any concerns, and additionally remind people what’s in it for them! The key to great change management is communication, so keeping that front of mind – and encouraging feedback so you can improve, is crucial.
Set up clear communication channels (online and offline) as well as scheduled updates to keep everybody in the loop. If you’re running a complex change and transformation project, it may be worth allocating responsibility for the communication to one specific person or team to ensure that things (literally) aren’t lost in translation.
It can be difficult to move a change and transformation project with pace if the timelines that are already in place are unrealistic. But, at the same time, keeping momentum is key to keeping buy-in and ultimately avoiding burnout; it’s a balancing act!
The best thing to present is a change implementation timeline. This enables for clear actions to be set attached to specific deadlines, as well as mapping out who is going to be involved and what the potential blockers may be.
Spending time on the strategy behind the change implementation will give you a clearer idea of how long things will take. Adding regular checkpoints for feedback and data collection can also educate all parties on why things have taken longer (or shorter) to complete.
As mentioned, gaining buy-in through regular, clear communication can help you to gain confidence and run a change and transformation project smoothly. But equally, there can be a lack of confidence before a project even starts for a number of reasons.
The business could already be going through a number of changes which have either taken too long or caused a shift in company culture or employee well-being. This creates a deeper issue for change and transformation professionals as they’re essentially entering a project on the back foot, and building that confidence can take longer.
Communication is key, so understanding where the lack of confidence is coming from can enable you to mitigate it. Sitting down with key individuals involved in the project and creating a clear strategy for building confidence is crucial. It can look something like this:
And finally – try to find out what you’re dealing with before entering a change project. We speak with change and transformation professionals all the time and highlight the importance of thoroughly understanding the ins and outs of a project before taking it on.
Although many of us resist change, the majority of us will welcome it with open arms with the right strategies in place!
