Change is uncomfortable, and people have emotional responses to change. Workplace change management also involves procedures, processes, and strategies to plan, implement, and monitor changes. However, understanding driving or resisting forces for individuals, teams, and organisations goes a long way to driving positive change successfully.
So to help you on your change journey, we've pulled together our top ten tips on change management.
Adapt a Change Management Model for your context - see below for inspiration.
Communicate vision often and in multiple ways - one size does not fit all.
Drive collaboration with supporters and non-supporters.
Understand how changes impact your people, your clients, and your partners.
Don't expect buy-in from everyone, as change doesn’t always benefit everyone.
Expect a change of plan - experiment, measure, learn and pivot.
Leaders may want change, but they may be unwilling to change themselves.
Celebrate wins, learn from failures, dispel rumours and be transparent.
Nurture informal networks - they are as powerful as formal networks in driving or resisting change.
Embrace difficult conversations (avoidance is not a good strategy).
Change Management Models
There is no one universally applicable approach. We've outlined a few change management approaches below that we've used and recommend pulling out what's valuable and relevant for you and adapting it to your context and needs.
Lewin’s change management model highlights the importance of the transition to adapt to organisational change. These are Unfreeze, Change, and Freeze. Lewin argued, "Motivation for change must be generated before change can occur. One must be helped to re-examine many cherished assumptions about oneself and one's relations to others." The Unfreezing stage is where change begins.
Bridges' Transition Model has three transition stages people experience when faced with change; Ending, Losing, Letting Go, The Neutral Zone, and The New Beginning. He notes that people go through stages at differing paces. People comfortable with the change move to stage three quickly, while others stay longer at stages one or two.
Kotters’ 8 Steps to Accelerating Change is non-linear and embodies the spirit of agility, inclusivity, steady growth, and sustained change. The methodology has four change principles, four of which can be helpful for you to consider your change principles.
