Introducing Change

When it comes to doing things differently, most people are either resistant or apathetic, and that makes introducing change a real challenge. So before you can move toward company transformation, you must learn how to overcome the inertia of resistance, and build an organization that’s oriented toward the change.

Ensuring your employees understand the sense of urgency attached to the change is imperative. This helps generate their interest in hearing and learning about the change and the strategy behind it. If there’s change without a sense of urgency, people won’t be interested in understanding why the change has to occur, and they won’t bother to prioritize it.

Consider why it’s important to replace inertia with imperatives. The roadblock to change is lethargy, concern, and irritation among employees. It’s easy for people to ignore or deny the need for change when they’re busy or comfortable in their jobs. And if change is considered “bad news,” it’s never welcomed or readily accepted. So replacing these feelings with a sense of criticality is vital. It stimulates the interest you need to assemble the capable team that will drive the change, and it generates the support you need from employees who will implement or be affected by the change.

Before you can vanquish inertia, you’ll have to understand where it comes from. There are four roots of inertia

• a lack of data – Company inertia can be rooted in a lack of information – particularly a lack of performance data that shows what’s really going on. In an organization where employees only have access to their little corner of the world, it’s hard to create a sense of responsibility about the big picture. Likewise, if customer feedback never reaches key people, employees can easily fall into a drowsy, false sense of security.
• a lack of emergency – Inertia will persist unless employees perceive a crisis in the present state of the organization – like foreclosure, bankruptcy, or layoffs. If employees are blissfully unaware of any threat to their jobs, they’re less likely to feel an urgent need for change.
• an aura of prosperity – Surrounding employees with an aura of prosperity can serve as a root of inertia. For example, misleading positive messages from management can instill a false sense of security. Or if the workplace exudes a feeling of abundance – such as lavish furnishings and excessive spending – it’s difficult for employees to shake off their apathy and believe change is necessary.
• low standards – Setting low standards for employees is another root of inertia. Doing so creates an atmosphere of easily attainable goals and often provides a skewed impression of how the company is performing. This attitude of acceptance for minimum performance, whether conscious or not, leads employees into inertia.

When faced with these roots of inertia, you need to arm yourself with some techniques for replacing them with imperatives:

• You must address a lack of data by giving employees the information that reveals the need for change. By providing all employees with key information that clearly gets the point across, everyone realizes that change is needed and helps replace inertia with imperatives.
• To effectively convey a sense of emergency to employees, you must expose a company weakness or else show employees how the company is losing out by not capitalizing on opportunities. Keep this exposé internal so you’re controlling the consequences – and possibly preventing them from eventually exploding in a public forum.
• Replacing inertia with imperatives can be a challenge when all around you is an aura of prosperity. The best way to combat this root of inertia is simply to bite the bullet and remove the perks or stop the happy talk.
• To combat the low standards, set higher, more ambitious goals. Giving employees something to really strive for can help challenge them and dispel the sense of inertia.

Communicate the change

Communicating change effectively is the second of two key efforts on the part of a leader to introduce change. There are several important practices to bring to your communication as a leader

• clearly explain the change – Providing a clear and complete explanation of what the change involves will take the power away from runaway assumptions that employees have when they’re unclear about the change. It also clarifies how their mutual agreements will be affected. Empower your employees by providing them with clear, accurate information about their situation. Good morale and confidence in change can come from simply keeping your employees in the know.
• declare your message often – You can’t overdo it when communicating the change. Details about the change are all new information for people, so communicate your message often, using various media and modes. You’ve got to take the time to get the message across – it will take more than just an e-mail. You’ll have to communicate your message over and over to really get through to people.
• be empathetic – Being honest with employees gives them the credit they deserve as intelligent employees. Think about how best to open the next department meeting, put yourself in your employees’ shoes, and be as empathetic as possible.
• exhibit passion and intensity – Being totally committed to the change will come across in your message and be infectious in your employees.
• make sure you walk the talk – You have to be in alignment with the changes you’re expecting from your employees. In many cases, when change initiatives break down, it’s because those at the top don’t adhere to the changes themselves. When this happens, the ripple effect spreads quickly. Change leaders must be the first to set an example.

When you introduce a change initiative, a sense of inertia among your employees can present a barrier that’s not easily overcome. To get the change off on the right foot, you must replace inertia with imperatives and communicate the change effectively. Understanding the roots of inertia – a lack of data, a lack of emergency, an aura of prosperity, and low standards – helps you to apply techniques to change an inert workplace into one that insists on change.

Then, to communicate change effectively, you must employ the key practices of explaining the change: communicating your message often, being empathetic, exhibiting passion and intensity, and walking the talk. Developing this foundation for change will get your employees tuned in to learning about the hows and whys of the change and the strategy behind it.