Strategies for Managing Change in the Workplace

When managing change in the workplace — whether it’s facilitating a turnover in management or introducing new processes to boost company performance — it’s essential to have the right processes and technological support in place. Here is a closer look at how to successfully manage change in the workplace.

Establish a Vision

Any change management effort starts with a clear vision of why the change is occurring as well as desired outcomes of the change. For example, if the change is a new business process being implemented across your company, define for stakeholders — employees, board members, investors, etc. — the opportunities that are being missed without the new process and the advantages the new process will offer. Effectively communicating the anticipated positive outcomes can help excite your team and increase ownership in the project.

Measure, Measure, Measure

Any major change management initiative should be tracked to determine the effectiveness of your strategies and to identify areas that should be improved upon during the next situation requiring change management. First establish a baseline by collecting data related to the issue as it currently stands, then develop targets for further growth and achievement. Use objective data that can be measured over time. For example, employee engagement surveys can help measure the effectiveness of a new HR program. 

Balance Short-Term Wins with Long-Term Progress

Once you've established the baseline for what you want to change and created benchmarks to measure success, plan strategies for achieving those goals. When determining strategies, consider:

• What steps need to be taken to communicate the change?
• How long will it take for the change to fully take effect?
• What will define success?
• Who has ownership of specific tasks?
• What framework will be used to manage the initiative?

Be sure to include strategies to motivate your team in the change management plan. Change is hard and can be difficult to sustain over time. Overcome this challenge by building in success points along the way; small victories and near-term wins can be balanced with long-term goals to keep your team on course.

Technological Support is Key

Today's technological tools are making it easier to identify opportunities for improvement and implement change management initiatives across an organization. Integrated HCM systems give business leaders insights into a range of company metrics that are needed to make strategic decisions. When you choose an integrated HR platform, it's possible to pull on strengths throughout your organization to implement the change process and then measure its impact across different parts of the company.