5 practical tips for effective organizational change

The average person doesn't like change. It's deeply ingrained in our genes. In prehistoric times, it was a lot easier to survive in a predictable environment, where you were as unlikely as possible to be ambushed by dangerous attackers or unexpected natural disasters.

Unfortunately, standing still and predictability alone won't get us anywhere today. In today's society, you have to keep up with technological progress and new scientific insights. An organization and its employees have to be as flexible as Barbapapa. If you're not, you risk fading into oblivion as a gray mouse.

Many employers struggle with introducing a new organizational structure or a different way of working. Maybe you recognize it. You've bought a wonderful learning management system, but nobody signs up. That expensive, super-handy machine is gathering dust on the work floor because nobody uses it. Or every meeting about the new job classification system turns into one long lament full of incomprehension. It could almost make you despondent. Take comfort: you're not the only one. It's no coincidence that training courses and books on change management are selling like hotcakes.

How do you break through that resistance and get your employees moving? In this blog, we list our five best tips for you.

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1. Internal communication that is rock solid

People don't love what they don't know. So make sure to give your new idea or new addition a warm introduction. For example, by making it clear at an early stage why you want or need to make the change. If you explain that goal clearly in language everyone understands, you significantly lower the threshold for acceptance.

Preferably communicate from one central system, and use various media: from a paper newsletter to a podcast, from a knowledge platform to email. For this specific topic or project, always use the same logo and a recognizable tone of voice. People then get used to the message more easily, start to recognize it, and will at some point experience it as familiar.

2. Create internal ambassadors

“Nobody asked me” already raises a high barrier in advance, before the changes are even introduced. So create opportunities for people to think along and contribute ideas. Then even the biggest critic can turn into an internal ambassador.

So actively invite employees to take part in a project group, organize information sessions, and open an online suggestion box where proposals and opinions can be dropped. Of course, you then do have to actually take those ideas and questions into account in the change process.

3. Use the power of connection

If you want to implement the change well in the organization, it's smart to make use of social learning. Connect people with each other in a central place where they can meet online or in person, exchange tips, and ask questions. By learning from and with colleagues, people become enthusiastic and confident.

Set up a blended learning environment in which people can work and learn in a hybrid way. That way, you benefit from both the flexibility of online knowledge transfer and the connecting power of in-person meetings.

Notice that someone has already had positive experiences with a new way of working or organizational structure? Let them tell their story. Storytelling by a close colleague is very persuasive! If someone has heard from a trusted source that something is fun or offers certain benefits, they are more likely to try something new.

4. Address people personally

Avoid a tsunami of updates that go straight into the trash because they don't fit the reader's or viewer's frame of reference. Target your messages. Keep in mind that not everyone communicates at the same level, and that not every message is relevant to all employees. So sort your news items by tone of voice, language level, and topic for each target group. Always keep a tone that is as personal as possible, so that people feel addressed.

Is there important news that really nobody should miss? Then use a simple, clear writing style, or make a clear and appealing video message that you send to everyone. You can of course also put this kind of message on your intranet or knowledge platform. A push notification or pop-up with a link to the message then draws the necessary attention.

5. Gamification

Gamification helps to convey complicated information or facts that might provoke resistance in a playful, low-threshold way. For example, create a knowledge quiz, organize a dexterity tournament with colleagues, or a game where you have to solve riddles about the topic you want to introduce. Because it's fun to absorb knowledge this way, the employee will be highly motivated to keep reading or listen a little longer.

You can use gamification to explain the background of changes, or to provide new insights into the benefits and possibilities of a new structure, working method, or product.

But gamification has another advantage: it can also make people aware of their own behavioral patterns or ways of thinking. Is it perhaps a fear of the unknown that makes them dig in their heels, or does it have to do with previous negative experiences? By shedding new light on this in a playful way, resistance can turn into understanding or curiosity.

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Need more practical tips on change management?
Feel free to contact us. We would love to help you think through communication, knowledge transfer, and online solutions. Because that is exactly what we are good at!