Get your organisation ready for change!

A person is naturally a creature of habit. Logical, because predictability made the chances of survival a lot higher. You knew what to expect and were able to anticipate it. But evolution is there for a reason: you do have to be able to adapt to new circumstances every time. Had we not done that, we were still walking around in bear skins, or we might have died out.

Standstill is therefore decline. That was true in the Stone Age, but also in 2021, and fortunately, we all have one or more drivers in our organisation. People who are bouncing with the urge to innovate, are always at the forefront of the latest developments and are not afraid to go out and rummage sometimes. They just get up again, learn from their mistakes and come up with a new, even better idea a little later, fresh and fruity.

How to ensure change in your organisation

People like that are unaffordable for a company. They keep the organisation sharp, introduce new techniques and are always just one step ahead of the competition. But not everyone is cut from the same cloth. What do you do with colleagues who are just a little bit more conservative?

People who prefer to wait and see (to stay in the animal kingdom) a lot of problems when a new system or procedure has to be introduced?

In an organisation, they provide the finishing touches and good risk management, so that category of employees must also be cherished. As long as they move on time and go along with innovation.

It's about your people

Actually, the introduction of any business change (whether it concerns automation or a move) is only 20% about material things such as technology, furniture or location. The success of an implementation in a company depends no less than 80% on the mental attitude of the employees.

Do they embrace the change, or are they anxiously clinging to the past and blocking the way to progress?

So if you want to keep your company up to date, it certainly pays to invest in good change management. We do have some tips for you!

Tip 1: Don't be too ambitious

‍Don't expect to be able to turn the dial all at once, be realistic. The road to lasting change is usually not a sprint, but rather a marathon. In most cases, that's okay either and there is no blood involved, some delay.

So take the time and space where you can. This offers you the opportunity to spread investments over a longer period of time, and you give employees time to get used to a new way of working.

There is another benefit of taking a step-by-step approach. If there are still teething problems in the change, you can gradually eliminate them in doses for the next step.

Tip 2: Appoint a change manager

‍Change almost never happens in a straight line. It is usually a complex process, with many bumps along the way. So put a change manager at the helm, who monitors and drives the project. Be careful in your choice, not everyone is up for that role.

A good change manager is good at switching between different levels in a communicative way, knows how to run and is not fooled by any (almost unavoidable) resistance.

Do you not have a suitable candidate internally for this important role? Then it can be useful to appoint an external change manager.

Tip 3: Include as many stakeholders as possible in the process

‍Prevent a (often drastic) change such as a tsunami from being poured out on employees. Such a surprise raid can not only make people freeze and go head-on, you also miss valuable input for your project. It is smart to sit down with all stakeholders as early as possible in the change process.

Thanks to such a multidisciplinary approach, you will get important ambassadors for the change within the organisation. In addition, all these disciplines provide new insights, so that an issue is examined from different angles beforehand and often solved almost unnoticed. This prevents a lot of repair work afterwards!

Tip 4. Dare to make decisions

‍When rolling out your change project, don't just make use of the many internal and external expertise at the start. Also, during the process, review the dates and events in your company and beyond. The world can sometimes look unexpectedly very different; just think back to 2020.

Keep an eye on market developments, monitor financial figures and trends. Despite your good preparation at the start of your project, do you still seem to be overtaken by reality? Then have the guts to adjust your plans and don't stick to the original plan at all costs.

Good change management is an organic, flexible process!

Tip 5. Communication

‍The magic wand for a successful change process: good communication. Inform employees and suppliers clearly and in a timely manner about the upcoming changes. In doing so, put yourself in the shoes of the readers and audience of your message. What exactly are they going to notice about it? What consequences does it have in their daily lives?

Make a good mix of sending the information. Alternate e-mail, intranet and information meetings so that the content is properly linked. And of course, you tailor your word usage to the target group you want to reach.

Need ideas?

‍Change management can be supported very well with a variety of online solutions. Take a survey among employees or customers, set up a platform where information about your project is collected.

Create smart links between the various internal and external data, so that you always have up-to-date information at your disposal and can make timely adjustments. In short: a lot is possible!

Want even more ideas? Feel free to contact us, we are happy to think along with you!