Change is constant in every business, especially today when technology is continuously evolving with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. In light of this, organizations are expecting major change initiatives in the coming years. Even digital companies have to be prepared to face the unforeseen challenges of continuous innovation if they are looking to future-proof their business and remain profitable. Unfortunately, a mere 25% of companies have employees that are confident in the proficiency of senior leaders in managing change. Among the companies that have experienced some success in this area, only 37% are getting the full value of the employee experience. This is why change management is a valuable strategy that every organization should be taking advantage of in their journey toward digital adoption and transformation.
A strategy is vital to keep every member of an organization on the same page during a transition. Leaders should take the initiative in involving everyone as early as during the planning stages so that priorities are set and expectations are aligned. This also provides a sense of situational awareness to employees, making them accountable and giving them a sense of ownership that fosters collaboration. This is vital because change management is an organizational endeavor that will affect every team, employee, and stakeholder. Having a proper plan in place will minimize disruption to business operations and improve overall efficiency.
Planning for Change
Most business processes today are digital, mostly dependent on cloud services and software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscriptions. even the simple act of sharing and signing documents can now be done online without having to deliver physical documents to the recipient. This may seem like a simple transition from physical to digital documents, but digital transformation as a whole isn’t always cut-and-dried.
Business leaders should, first and foremost, be aware of their organizational change capacity; this is an organization’s ability to implement the needed changes while ensuring minimal to no disruption to current operational capacity and being prepared for future changes that may be deemed necessary in the process of digital transformation. More than this, organizations should also ensure that the organization as a whole comes out better and stronger than before the changes were implemented. Below are a few ways organizations can prepare themselves for change and its consequences.
Anticipate Resources Needed for Change
It can be difficult to let go of old ways and adopt new practices that can improve business workflows; this is why employees are often resistant to change. As such, truly transforming a business can take more time and resources—often more than you’d hoped or prepared for. For small businesses, this can pose a risk due to their limited resources and can hamper any effort at digital transformation.
Business leaders and stakeholders should invest time in understanding daily operations so that frontline employees will also understand and be more open to the changes required to push the business into the digital age. You will need buy-in from everyone in the organization because adopting new practices and learning new systems and platforms require a significant amount of time and effort. If employees are overwhelmed, they won’t be motivated to pursue digital transformation initiatives and may hinder progress. Discuss what steps need to be taken with your employees and prioritize tasks to ensure a smooth transition.
Provide Guidance During the Transition
Business leaders may see the rationale behind business changes they plan to implement, but this doesn’t automatically trickle down to the employees. Transparency is vital in any change management program, and can mean the difference between a smooth transition and a failed transformation initiative. Guidance and coaching about the benefits of change should be constant so that employees feel that they are part of transformation initiatives and to ensure that they get the support they need during the transition period. Effective communication is key because gathering direct feedback from the people on the ground about challenges related to new processes is one of the ways you can determine what works and what needs improvement. Create appropriate training programs that will improve employee proficiency in new systems and processes to keep them productive and motivated to do their best. You can also take this opportunity to provide management training to employees, keeping them engaged and committed to the organization’s business goals.
Below are the key points you should share with employees:
- Why changes are being implemented
- The nature of the changes
- How the changes directly affect them
- The timeline of the transition phase
- The impact of the changes on daily tasks and operations
Transforming for Good
Situational awareness and a deep understanding of your business needs and goals is vital if you want change management to be successful. The transition period is a continuous conversation among management, employees, and stakeholders, with the goal of aligning expectations and keeping track of milestones. Regular feedback from employees and users helps determine the usability of new systems and what challenges prevent employees from maximizing their value. Employees should also get proper training and the necessary support to help them integrate new technologies into their workflow. Ideally, everyone in the organization should be on the same page so that expectations are aligned and everyone knows what steps to be taken moving forward.